Terms of Service

Terms of Service for “Japan Home Cooking Lab”
Japan Home Cooking Lab (hereinafter referred to as “the service”) has established the Japan Home Cooking Lab website (hereinafter referred to as “the website”) to share blogs about Japanese cuisine and provide information on cooking classes using Zoom (an online communications platform) and Udemy (an online classroom platform). These terms of service (hereinafter referred to as “the terms of service”) clarify the rules primarily for cooking classes powered by Zoom as well as the total service. Before using the service, site visitors must agree to the terms of service. Also, site visitors must read Udemy’s terms of service before participating in any Udemy’s cooking class.

Article 1 (Definitions):
The following terms related to the terms of service have the meanings defined below:
1. “Visitors/ Site visitors”: Those who view this website, including those who do not take lessons.
2. “Instructor”: A person who gives cooking class lessons in this service (Eriko Kawakami).
3. “Participants/Cooking class participants”: Those who participate in cooking classes.
4. “Class”: An instructor-led cooking class with the primary purpose of teaching the skills necessary to cook Japanese cuisine.
5. “Administrator”: The administrator of this website and the service (Eriko Kawakami).

Article 2 (Registration and Cancellation of Zoom Classes)
1. If a site visitor wishes to take a lesson, he/she should apply for the desired class according to the instructions on the website.
2. Once a cooking class application is completed, the content of that class may be changed only if the instructor provides a valid reason.
3. After booking a class, the participant will not receive a refund if unable to attend for whatever reason, but may elect someone else who is willing to take their place. The service administrator does not accept cancellations.

Disclaimer
*If a class is canceled for whatever reason, a make-up class will be held at a later date. When a participant is unable to attend this make-up class, the service administrator will give the participant a full refund.

Article 3 (Participant Terms, Precautions):
1. For Zoom lessons, participants must join the online class by the start time. As a courtesy to other participants, late participants should notify the instructor. If a late participant does not contact the instructor, the participant may be refused entry to the class and, in this case, the tuition fee will not be refunded.
2. Participants with allergies should consult the instructor at time of application to determine whether the ingredient list will be safe for them.
3. If injury or death occurs during a class, the instructor and the company will not be held responsible for damages.

Article 4 (Forced Withdrawal):
1. Site visitors and cooking class participants who commit any of the following will be prohibited from participating in the cooking class:
(1) Acts that infringe or may infringe intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to, copyright, know-how, patent rights, utility model rights, and trademark rights), privacy rights, security management of personal information, and other acts (including acts that cause or threaten to cause pain, economic loss, or mental damage to the instructor, guests, participants, or other third parties).
(2) Acts contrary to or likely to be contrary to public order and morals.
(3) Violence, solicitation of illegal acts, or threats thereof.
(4) Acts that interfere or are likely to interfere with the operation of the website or services.
(5) Acts that damage or are likely to damage the trust of the website or services.
(6) Acts of impersonating someone when using the website or services.
(7) Acts that the service administrator deems inappropriate.

Article 5 (Compensation for Damages):
1. If a site visitor or cooking class participant class causes damage to the service through an act that violates the website’s terms of service, that person must compensate the service administrator for the damage.

Article 6 (Recording and Consent):
1. Zoom lessons are recorded to enable subsequent review by the instructor and participants, and the service administrator will post still images from the video on the website and in media related to the service. When participants receive the recorded video, they may only use it for personal review, not for any other purpose. Posting on SNS is expressly prohibited.
2. At the start of the lesson, the instructor will ask participants’ permission to record this lesson; no recording will take place if one or more participants refuse permission.

Article 7 (Miscellaneous):
1. In unavoidable circumstances, the service administrator may change, add, or cancel part or all of the service without prior notice to participants. In the event that the service is completely discontinued, the service administrator shall notify participants at least one month in advance in a manner deemed appropriate by the service administrator.
2. Classes may be postponed or canceled due to unavoidable circumstances such as natural disaster or lack of participants. Also, if it becomes difficult to procure ingredients due to bad weather or local issues, recipes/ingredients may change without notice.
3. The service administrator shall not be held responsible for any damage caused by changes outlined in the preceding paragraph.
4. If a cooking class participant causes damage to others and/or causes a dispute, the parties in the dispute are responsible for any claim for compensation.
5. The service administrator reserves the right to send emails and messages containing advertisements or informational materials regarding the service.
6. All rights (including ownership, intellectual property rights, portrait usage rights, and publicity rights) to the content of the website or service (including text, photographs, illustrations, videos, etc., hereinafter referred to as “content”) belong to the service administrator. In addition, texts distributed by the instructor in a class cannot be disseminated on websites, blogs, SNS, etc. without the prior consent of the instructor and other rights holders.
7. The service administrator does not guarantee the usefulness, safety, class content, etc. of the service.
8. If the contract of use with a participant falls under Article 2, Paragraph 3 of the Consumer Contract Act (Act No. 61 of May 12, 2000), the provisions exempting the service administrator from all liability in the contract of use shall not apply. If a contract based on the terms of service falls under a consumer contract, and if the service administrator assumes liability for damages due to default or tort, the service administrator shall bear liability, except in the case of intentional or gross negligence on the part of the service administrator. Liability for damages shall be limited to the damage directly suffered by the participant, and not to damages, etc. caused by special circumstances (including cases where the occurrence of damages is foreseen).

Article 8 (Suspension and Expulsion of Participant)
1. The service administrator may expel a participant without prior notice if it is determined that the participant is a member of or related to an anti-social force or group (including groups involved in anti-social forces). The service administrator will not be held responsible for any damage or loss resulting from this.

Article 9 (Governing Law):
1. Japanese law shall apply to the interpretation of the terms of service.

Article 10 (Negotiation and Jurisdiction):
1. In the event of a dispute between the site visitor or cooking class participant and the service administrator regarding the website and services, the parties agree to negotiate and resolve the dispute voluntarily and in good faith.
2. In the event of a lawsuit between the site visitor or cooking class participant and the service administrator, the parties shall agree that the Kanagawa District Court shall be the exclusive jurisdictional court.

Article 11 (Changes to Terms of Service)
1. The service administrator may revise the terms of service as necessary. The original edition of this terms of service is written in Japanese; this is an English courtesy translation. In the event of any discrepancy between the Japanese text version of this agreement and any translated version, the Japanese version shall prevail.

Enacted and enforced on July 23, 2023.