Terms & Conditions

EL Nipponcademy Co. Ltd.
582-9 Hazukashifurukawachō, Fushimi-ku, 612-8486 Kyoto, Japan
welcome@nipponcademy.jp | +81-80-5366-8943

1. Scope & Definitions

1.1 These Terms apply to all services provided by EL Nipponcademy Co. Ltd. (“Nipponcademy”, “we”) to consumers and businesses (“Customer”) in connection with planning, advising on and organising stays in Japan.
1.2 Service categories
a) Remote Counseling / Advisory (standard): Online/remote advice, document and process support without physical performance in Japan.
b) Pass-through charges: Amounts we forward at the original amount, in the name and on behalf of the Customer, to third-party providers (e.g., raw rent; a provider’s genuine fees such as reikin, cleaning, deposit).
c) Our service/placement fees: Consideration for our own services (e.g., housing matching/arrangement, currency/transfer handling, general advisory).

2. Multilingual information & program-specific fees

2.1 Our offer and program pages are multilingual. The program-specific Enrollment/Reservation Fee and price components for each program are stated on the relevant program page and/or in your order confirmation.
2.2 In the event of discrepancies between marketing pages and your order confirmation/invoice, the latter prevails.

3. Formation of contract

3.1 Registration is submitted via our online forms. The contract is concluded when our enrollment confirmation email is received.
3.2 Up to 45 days before the program start date, or until fees become due and are paid (whichever is earlier), either party may withdraw from the registration.
3.3 Remote counseling (standard): The contractual partner is Nipponcademy.
3.4 Japanese language course: The contractual partner is the respective language school (school ↔ customer).
3.5 Accommodation: The contractual partner is the respective accommodation provider (accommodation ↔ customer). Nipponcademy provides support as a consultant/intermediary.

4. Prices, currency & invoicing

4.1 Prices are displayed in EUR/USD/GBP/AUD/CAD for convenience; invoices are issued in JPY using the exchange rate applied on the invoice date.
4.2 We structure invoices transparently (see also Annex A):

• A. Remote Counseling (standard): our online advisory/document/process support.
• B. Pass-through charges: original amounts of third-party providers (e.g., rent; a provider’s own reikin, cleaning, deposit; school tuition).
• C. Our service/placement fees (accommodation-related portions): e.g., arrangement/handling, FX/transfer handling, service portion included in accommodation pricing.

5. Prices, Taxes, Billing

5.1 Price display & contract currency
Prices may be displayed for information in EUR/USD/GBP. The contract and billing currency is JPY (Japanese yen); invoices are issued exclusively in JPY.

5.2 Exchange rate
For converting any displayed foreign currency amounts into JPY, the foreign-exchange rate applied by our bank on the invoice date shall be used.

5.3 No post-issue FX adjustment
No ex-post adjustments or compensations for exchange-rate movements shall be made after an invoice has been issued.

5.4 Invoice structure
Invoices are clearly itemised as follows:
A. Remote counselling fee (online advisory etc.)
B. Pass-through / disbursements (actual out-of-pocket costs, e.g., school tuition, base rent, reikin, cleaning fee, deposit, and other third-party charges) – forwarded in the name and on behalf of the customer
C. Our service fee (e.g., housing arrangement, on-site support, appointment/communication/payment handling, and other arrangement services in Japan)

5.5 Tax clause (JCT / other taxes)
a) Remote counselling provided to non-residents (customers whose residence is outside Japan) will—insofar as not taxable in Japan under the Japanese Consumption Tax (JCT) regime or exempt—be invoiced without JCT.
b) Service/agency activities with an immediate place of performance/use in Japan, in particular items under C, are separately itemised and subject to JCT (currently 10%).
c) Pass-through items under B are forwarded at original amount in the name and on behalf of the customer and are not included in Nipponcademy’s JCT taxable base.
d) Statutory taxes/levies are calculated under the applicable law at the time; mandatory public-law changes (e.g., rate/place/qualification changes by authorities) may require corresponding adjustments to future invoices.
e) Mandatory consumer-protection provisions at the customer’s place of residence remain unaffected, to the extent they compulsorily apply.

6. Payment terms

6.1 Enrollment/Reservation Fee (program-specific): The exact amount is specified for your program; it is due within four (4) weeks after signup. Until payment is received, you may cancel free of charge. After payment, the fee is non-refundable.
6.2 Balance due date: The total amount displayed in the Customer account must be paid no later than 45 days before the course start; otherwise, reservations may be cancelled.
6.3 Payment methods: Bank transfer, PayPal or credit card (transaction fees may apply).

7. Cancellations & refunds
   
   7.1 Enrollment/Reservation Fee. The reservation fee (currently EUR 290) is due within four (4) weeks after signup; until payment is received, you may cancel free of charge. After payment, the reservation fee is non-refundable.
   7.2 Our service/placement fees (Item C under § 5.4) – staged refunds. The program start date shown in your account applies (cut-off 00:00 JST). Refunds of our own service/placement fees are:

• up to and including 45 calendar days before start: 100% refund (reservation fee per 7.1 excluded)
• 44–31 calendar days before start: 25% refund (we retain 75%)
• 30–15 calendar days before start: 10% refund (we retain 90%)
• ≤ 14 calendar days before start / no-show: no refund
  Fairness adjustment: The Customer may demonstrate that no costs or substantially lower costs were incurred; in such case, the retained amount will be reduced accordingly. Mandatory consumer-protection rules remain unaffected.
  3 Pass-through items (Item B under § 5.4). Refunds are limited to what the respective third party (school/accommodation, etc.) returns; bank/payment fees and FX charges may be deducted.
  7.4 Form. Cancellations must be made in text form (email); the time of receipt by us governs the deadline.
  7.5 Relation to cooling-off. The voluntary 14-day cooling-off in § 15 remains unaffected; after expiry, this Section 7 applies.

8. Service description (modular)

The following service components are support, coordination, and intermediation services provided by Nipponcademy. Services rendered by schools, accommodation providers, public authorities, transport/transfer operators, and other third parties are performed by those third parties in their own responsibility; contracts for such services are concluded between the customer and the respective third party.
Nipponcademy is not a tour operator, transport or accommodation provider, and does not provide legal or tax advice. To the extent permitted by law, we assume no responsibility for the performance of such third-party services; any claims must be addressed to the respective third party. § 11 (Liability) remains unaffected.

8.1 Remote Counseling (standard)

• School enrollment (remote): Program advice, document check/translation, electronic submission/communication without physical representation on site; school tuition is treated as a pass-through charge.
• Visa support (no legal advice): Document/process guidance, checklists, timing/form hints; no entitlement to visa issuance.
• Accommodation (remote): Needs assessment, shortlisting/matching, application submission, provider communication; no physical viewings/handovers as standard.
• Community/orientation: Access to online resources; optional third-party culture/leisure offers.

8.2 Accommodation – fixed prices & split logic

• Public package prices on the website combine the raw rent (pass-through) and our own service/placement components.
• Raw rent (e.g., 90,000 JPY/month) is forwarded 1:1 as a pass-through to the provider in the name and on behalf of the Customer.
• The difference up to the displayed package price (e.g., an included service portion) is our service/placement fee (arrangement, FX/transfer handling, etc.) and is listed separately as taxable consideration (plus 10% JCT).

8.3 Accommodation enrollment fee (split)

• May include the provider’s genuine charges (e.g., reikin, cleaning, deposit) as pass-through, and a surplus that constitutes our service/placement fee.
• Our service/placement fee is listed separately (plus 10% JCT).
  8.4 Third-party on-site services (e.g., airport transfer)
• Performed directly by the third-party provider (Customer ↔ provider) or forwarded by us as pass-through. Nipponcademy is not the performer of such services.

9. Independence in performance

Except where the nature of the assignment dictates otherwise, Nipponcademy determines time and manner of performance at its discretion.

10. IP & use of materials

Course/platform materials are protected by IP law; use is limited to the Customer’s own participation. No disclosure to third parties without prior written consent.

11. Appointments

No-show or cancellation less than 24 hours before a scheduled advisory/online session voids any refund claim. If a session fails due to Nipponcademy’s fault, we provide equivalent substitute performance.

12. Liability, Third-Party Services, Guarantees

12.1 Third-party services (schools/accommodation/authorities/transfers)
Services provided by schools, accommodation providers, public authorities, transport/transfer operators, or other third parties are rendered by those third parties. Contracts in relation thereto are concluded between the customer and the respective third party. We do not accept liability for the nature, scope, quality, availability, or performance of such third-party services; any claims must be directed to the respective third party. Our role is intermediation/organisation/support (in particular item C under § 5.4).

12.2 Our liability
We are liable without limitation for wilful misconduct and gross negligence, as well as for injury to life, body, or health.
In cases of simple negligence, we are liable only for breaches of essential contractual obligations (cardinal duties); in such cases, liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract.
This is without prejudice to mandatory statutory liabilities (including under the Japanese Consumer Contract Act and any mandatory consumer-protection rules of the customer’s residence, where applicable) and to claims under expressly assumed guarantees.

12.3 No guarantee of results
We do not guarantee specific outcomes, e.g., language proficiency gains, exam/admission results, visa/immigration decisions, certificates, or the availability of particular courses/accommodation/dates.

12.4 Administrative decisions & force majeure
Decisions by authorities (e.g., visa/CoE), changes in law, force majeure, strikes, transport/accommodation outages, and similar events are outside our control; no liability is assumed for these, unless a case under 11.2 applies.

12.5 Conformity with mandatory law
If any provision of these liability rules is invalid or restricted under mandatory law (especially consumer protection), it shall be replaced by the permissible provision that most closely reflects the economic intent.

13. No legal/tax advice

Information on visas/authorities/taxes is general process guidance and not legal or tax advice.

14. IT requirements

The Customer provides the necessary internet access, hardware and software.

15. Cooling-off (voluntary)

Even though Japanese law governs and no statutory EU right of withdrawal applies, we grant a voluntary 14-day cooling-off period from contract conclusion. Send your withdrawal by email to welcome@nipponcademy.jp.
Effect: Payments already made will be refunded within 14 days. The 14-day period starts upon receipt of the digital enrollment confirmation. After expiry of the period, only the cancellation terms in Section 7 apply.

16. Governing law & venue; entire agreement

16.1 These Terms (together with your order confirmation) form the entire agreement. Changes require written form or explicit individual agreement.
16.2 Governing law: Japanese law only.
16.3 Place of jurisdiction and performance: Kyoto, Japan.

Annex A – Sample billing (illustrative only)

1. A) Japan Program (Remote Counseling) — no JCT

“Japan Program” – €2,890 (as shown on the program page)

• A. Remote Counseling (standard): our advisory/service share (online) — no JCT
• B. Pass-through (School): tuition at the school’s original amount — not part of our JCT base
  Invoicing: Our invoice in JPY (rate on invoice date). The school issues its own JPY invoice to the Customer (separate contract School ↔ Customer).

The program page shows the total package price. Internally, components A/B are allocated accordingly; the tuition portion is forwarded as a pass-through; our advisory portion is Remote Counseling (no JCT).

1. B) Accommodation — fixed pricing & split
2. Accommodation enrollment fee — €790 (example)
   • Pass-through (provider): e.g., 60,000 JPY (reikin, cleaning, deposit) — forwarded at the original amount
   • Our placement/service fee (surplus): remainder — plus 10% JCT
   • Invoicing: JPY (rate on invoice date)
3. Monthly rent — €660 (example)
   • Pass-through (raw rent): e.g., 90,000 JPY — forwarded 1:1
   • Our service portion (arrangement / FX & transfer handling): remainder — plus 10% JCT
   • Invoicing: JPY (rate on invoice date)

Transparency: Pass-through items are forwarded at the original amount in the name and on behalf of the Customer. Our own service/placement portions are separately listed and, where the direct benefit is in Japan (accommodation-related portions), subject to 10% JCT.