The Terms of Use (the “Terms”) set forth the terms and conditions for the provision of the HelloWorld Homestay (the “Service”) provided by HelloWorld Inc. (the “Company”), and the rights and obligations between the Company and all users of the Service ( the “Users”). Users must agree to the Terms by reading the entirety before using the Service.
Article 1 Application
The Terms apply to all matters and relationships between User and the Company related to the use of the Service. In addition to the Terms, individual terms of use and rules of use sent by the Company through email, website, etc. shall also constitute an integral part of the Terms.
Article 2 Description of the Services and the Definition
1 The primary goal of the Service is to be a platform that provides a matching service between Guests (defined in the item (2) of paragraph 3 of this Article. The same shall apply hereafter) and Hosts (defined in the (3) of the paragraph 3 of this Article. Same shall apply hereafter) in order to make opportunities for cross-cultural experiences and international exchange for children.
2 The purpose of the Service is the matching of Guests and Hosts in order to make opportunities for cross-cultural experiences and international exchange for children. The matching in relation to overnight accommodations is out of the Service. The Service shall not be used for any purpose other than the international exchange intended by the Company, such as overnight accomodations, commercial purposes (including sales of goods, sending Users to specific services/stores, advertisements, etc.), and recruitments of religions and specific organizations.
3 In these Terms, the meanings of the terms listed in the following items are as prescribed respectively in those items.
(1) HelloWorld Homestay: cross-cultural experience and international exchange experience of at least one day.
* The Company does not provide HelloWorld Homestays, but rather the Hosts, as defined in this paragraph, provide HelloWorld Homestays to the Guests. The Company will only facilitate the opportunity through matching.
* This includes the HelloWorld Homestay which will apply and conduct through a sponsoring organization such as a school.
(2) Guests: Among the Users, children who participate in or intend to participate in HelloWorld Homestay or their parents or guardians.
* In principle, the term “children” refers to school-age children. Preschool children may be Guests when accompanied by their parents or guardian. A parent or guardian cannot be a guest alone. A child of school age will be a Guest alone; however, a child of school age may be a Guest accompanied by a parent or guardian, if approved by the Company.
* This includes Guests who apply and participate through a sponsoring organization, such as a school.
(3) Hosts: Among the Users, family members, in which those from countries other than Japan are included, who provide HelloWorld Homestay to the Guests.
(4) Registered Guest Users: Among the Users, persons applying for HelloWorld Homestay, who are 18 years of age or older and participate either as individual Guests using the Service (ie University Students) or as parents or guardians accompanying Guests participating in the Service; in either instance.
Article 3 Registration as a Registered Guest User
1 The Registration as a Registered Guest User shall be completed when a user who intends to be a Registered Guest User (“Guest Registration Applicant”), having agreed to the Terms, applies for the registration as a Registered Guest User and the Company approves thereof. If the Company determines that a Guest Registration Applicant falls under or is likely to fall under any of the following, the Company may refuse, cancel or suspend the registration as a Registered Guest User. The Company does not take any liability for disclosure of the information.
(1) If the Company believes that the Guest Registration Applicant does not agree with the purpose or policy of the Service.
(2) If the Guest Registration Applicant declared any matter that is not true in the registration procedures of Registered Guest User or Host;
(3) If the Guest Registration Applicant is a person whose registration as Registered Guest User or Host was refused, canceled or suspended in the past;
(4) If the Company believes that the Guest Registration Applicant is likely to violate or have violated the Terms;
(5) When the Guest Registration Applicant does not cooperate with the Company in providing feedback, etc. after using the Service;
(6) If the Company determines that the Guest Registration Applicant acts unpleasantly to any User, the Company Staff or third party in using the Service;
(7) If the Company otherwise determines that registration of the Guest Registration Applicant is not appropriate.
2 Only persons who are aged 18 years of age or older may be Registered Guest Users. Registration by a representative is not permitted.
3 A person who belongs to or is related to anti-social forces such as organized crime groups may not be registered as a Registered Guest User.
4 A User may not transfer or lend the status based on the registration in paragraph 1 to a third party in any case.
5 In the event that a change is made to the matters and items registered with the Company, the User must promptly notify the Company of the change by the method specified by the Company. The Company will not be liable for any disadvantage or damage to the User due to failure to submit the appropriate notification.
6 Completion of the Registration as a Registered Guest User under Paragraph 1 shall not guarantee the use of the Service as the Registered Guest User.
7 When the Guest applies through a sponsoring organization, the Company will consider their registration has been completed already before the time of the matching.
Article 4 Registration as a Host
1 The Registration as a Host shall be completed when a user who intends to be a Host (“Host Registration Applicant”), having agreed to the Terms, applies for the registration as a Host and the Company approves thereof. If the Company determines that a Host Registration Applicant falls under or is likely to fall under any of the following, the Company may refuse, cancel or suspend the registration as a Host. The Company does not take any liability for disclosure of the information.
(1) If the Company believes that the Host Registration Applicant or Host does not agree with the purpose or policy of the Service.
(2) If the Host Registration Applicant or Host declared any matter that is not true in the registration procedures of Registered Guest User or Host;
(3) If the Host Registration Applicant or Host is a person whose registration as Registered Guest User or Host was refused, canceled or suspended in the past;
(4) If the Company believes that the Host Registration Applicant or Host is likely toviolate or have violated the Terms;
(5) When the Host does not cooperate with the Company in providing feedback, etc. after using the Services;
(6) If the Company determines that the Host Registration Applicant or Host acts unpleasantly to any User, the Company Staff or third party in using the Service; (7) If the Host repeats cancellations of scheduled HelloWorld Homestay which the Host has accepted.
(8) If the Host does not inform the Company of the dates when the Host may provide HelloWorld Homestay despite the Company’s request.
(9) If the Company otherwise determines that registration of the Host Registration Applicant or the continuation of the Host’s use of the Service is not appropriate.
2 During the registration procedures provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company may implement the following items.
(1) Home visits
(2) Interviews
(3) Photo ID Verification
(4) Verbal verification of occupation, family members, criminal records, etc.
3 The Company will determine if the Company accepts the registration of the Host Registration Applicant as a Host after the implementation of the registration procedures provided in the preceding two paragraphs.
4 Only persons who are aged 18 years of age or older may be a Host. Registration by a representative is not permitted.
5 A person who belongs to or is related to anti-social forces such as organized crime groups may not be registered as a Host.
6 The Host may not transfer or lend the status based on the registration in paragraph 1 to a third party in any case.
7 In the event that any of the matters or items registered with the Company are changed, the Host must promptly notify the Company of the change by the method specified by the Company. The Company will not be liable for any disadvantage or damage to the Host due to failure to submit the appropriate notification.
8 Completion of the Registration as a Host under Paragraph 1 shall not guarantee the use of the Service as a Host.
Article 5 Application for and Matching of HelloWorld Homestays
1 The Registered Guest User shall apply for participation in HelloWorld Homestay in the manner specified by the Company.
2 After applying for the participation prescribed in the preceding paragraph, the Registered Guest User shall pay the fee to the Company in the manner which the Company specifies in accordance with the Company’s instruction.
3 After the Company confirms the payment is completed in accordance with the preceding paragraph, the Company will match the Guest to a Host.
4 The Company will do its best to match the Guest and the Host with the most suitable match, but the User shall hereby understand and accept that the Company cannot fulfill all the requests of Guests and Registered Guest Users. The User hereby understands and accepts that the Company may not be able to make the matching on the User’s desired date.
5 The Company is not required to accept the changes to the Hosts that have been matched by the Company. Cancellations due to the contents or details of the matching will be deemed as the cancellation due to the Registered Guest User’s circumstances.
6 The Company only provides a place to match Hosts and Guests/Registered Guest Users. The Company is not responsible for the contents of HelloWorld Homestay.
7 In some cases, the Company matches the Guest with a Host who has access to foreign facilities. The Guest/Registered Guest User shall submit an additional written pledge upon the Company’s request.
8 Some Host couples are in an international marriage with a Japanese spouse; these couples are to be considered as Hosts.
9 Since overnight accomodations is out of the scope of this Service, the Guests may return home or to their own accommodation facility at night. In such a case, the Guest/Registration Guest User shall contact us prior to the HelloWorld Homestay. In doing so, the Registered Guest User shall be responsible for and shall arrange their own transportation.
10 When a Guest applies through a sponsoring organization, the sponsoring organization will be responsible for the application and payment for the Guest.
Article 6 Cancellation of Application of HelloWorld Homestay
1 In the cases referred to in the following items, the Company will cancel the application and refund the full amount to the Registered Guest User.
(1) In the event that the matching of a Host and a Guest is not possible on the date of HelloWorld Homestay which is designated in the application and the date of HelloWorld Homestay cannot be changed.
(2) In the event that the HelloWorld Homestay is canceled due to the Host’s circumstances and the date of HelloWorld Homestay cannot be changed.
(3) In the event that the Company or the Host believes it impossible to carry out HelloWorld Homestay due to the bad weather or natural disaster such as typhoons, etc., and the date of HelloWorld Homestay cannot be changed.
2 In the cases where the HelloWorld Homestay is canceled due to the Registered Guest User’s circumstances, refund will be made in accordance with the following items. In case of the cancellation provided in this paragraph, the Registered Guest User shall bear any bank transfer fees regarding the refund. However, a refund will not be made and no cancellation fee will arise if the date of HelloWorld Homestay can be changed.
(1) In the event that HelloWorld Homestay is canceled three weeks or more prior to the scheduled date of HelloWorld Homestay: 100 % refund.
(2) In the event that HelloWorld Homestay is canceled one week or more prior to the scheduled date of HelloWorld Homestay: 70% refund.
(3) In the event that HelloWorld Homestay is canceled three days or more prior to the scheduled date of HelloWorld Homestay: 50 % refund.
(4) In the event that HelloWorld Homestay is canceled later than three days before the scheduled date of HelloWorld Homestay: No refund.
Article 7 Liability and Obligation of Hosts
1 A Host shall provide the Guests with international exchange and cross-cultural experiences through the HelloWorld Homestay.
2 The international exchange and cross-cultural experience described in the preceding paragraph includes preparing meals with the Guests, providing suitable meals for the Guests, and providing the Guests with play, experiences, and learning related to the country of the Host’s origin.
3 A Host shall pay attention to the safety of the Guests and provide the Guests with HelloWorld Homestays under a safe and secure environment.
4 When the Host gives a ride to the Guest in any circumstances, the Host has to have insurance on their vehicle. The driver must also have a legal driver’s license for driving in Japan.
5 A Host shall immediately report to the Company any accidents or incidents that occur during their HelloWorld Homestay.
6 The rewards for the Host’s HelloWorld Homestay will be paid through PayPal or bank transfer on the 15th of the month following the date of providing HelloWorld Homestay service.
Article 8 Prohibited Matters
1 When using the Service, Users may not directly or through a third party engage in any act that falls under, or that is likely to fall under, any of the following:
[For all Users](1) Act of violating the Terms, rules established by the Company or instructions from the Company;
(2) The act of providing the Company with false information in relation to User registration;
(3) A criminal act, an act that is offensive to public order or morals, or an act in violation of laws and regulations;
(4) Act of using the Service for any purpose other than the international exchange intended by the Company, such as overnight accomodations, commercial purpose (including sales of goods, sending Users to specific services/stores, advertisements, etc.), and recruitments of religions and specific organizations;
(5) Act of using the Service for own or third party business/activities, regardless of profit or non-profit;
(6) Act that Users, without using the Service or without the Company’s prior consent, carry out transactions such as providing cross-cultural learning or language learning for profit or a fee with Guests, Registered Guest Users, or Hosts with whom the Users have met through the Service.
(7) Act that cause discomfort to the Company’s staff, Users or third parties;
(8) Any act that infringes on an intellectual property right, portrait right, privacy right, or any other right or interest of the Company, other Users, or a third parties;
(9) The act of transmitting information that includes a computer virus or other harmful computer program;
(10) Act of reporting to or providing false or inaccurate information with the Company, the Users or third parties in using the Service;
(11) Any act that causes excessive load on the server relating to the Service, or any act that hinders the operation of the Service or on the network or system;
(12) Act that hinders or might hinder the company’s business or the operation of the Services.
(13) Act of using the Service or information or materials obtained through the Service for commercial purposes or other purposes unrelated to the Service;
(14) Act of using the Service other than as permitted by the Company;
(15) Any act that encourages or assists others to engage in the prohibited matters prescribed in this article;
(16) Any act that defames or damages trust in the Company, the staff or others;
(17) The act of exchanging contact information (including the Social media account information ) between the Host and the Guest without the Company’s prior consent.
(18) The act of swimming in the ocean or a river or any body of water during HelloWorld Homestay, unless given specific permission by the the parents or guardians of the Guests.
(19) Any act that the Company deems inappropriate. [For Guests and Registered Guest Users]
(1) Act of inviting anyone who is not the Guest who applied for HelloWorld Homestay to participate in HelloWorld Homestay on behalf of the Guest.
(2) Act of posting photos or videos of the Host, the Host’s children (or any other person on the premises), the Host’s house, the Host’s car, or any other information that may identify the Host’s personal information (including indoor photos or videos), or the Host’s personal information on websites, blogs, SNS, or any other media without the Host’s permission.
(3) Act of passing on to a third party without the Host’s permission any personal or private information of the Host which the Guest or Registered Guest User comes to know through HelloWorld Homestay.
(4) Any acts that show disrespect for the Host’s lifestyle, culture, religion, personality, etc.
(5) Any acts of contacting the Host without the Company’s prior consent prior to the commencement of HelloWorld Homestay.
(6) Act of granting or requesting money or goods to the Host for any reason whatsoever. [For Hosts]
(1) Act of having a third party act as a Host on behalf of the Host who accepts HelloWorld Homestay.
(2) Act of posting, without the permission of the Registered Guest User, photographs or videos of the Guest or the Registered Guest User, or other photographs or videos of the Guest or Registered Guest User with personal information or information that could identify the Guest or the Registered Guest User, or the Guest or Registered Guest User’s personal information on any media, including websites, blogs, and SNS.
(3) Act of encouraging Guests or Registered Guest Users to engage in activities (including the provision of alcohol, etc.) that violate or may violate the laws of Japan.
(4) Any acts that show disrespect for the Guest’s or Registered Guest User’s lifestyle, culture, religion, personality, etc.
(5) Any acts of contacting the Guest or the Registered Guest User without the Company’s prior consent prior to the commencement of HelloWorld Homestay.
(6) Act of passing on to a third party without the Guest’s or the Registered Guest User’s permission any personal or private information of the Guest or the Registered Guest User which the Host comes to know through HelloWorld Homestay.
(7) Act of granting or requesting money or goods to the Guest or the Registered Guest User for any reason whatsoever.
(8) Act of smoking around the Guest.
(9) Act of providing regular medicine to the Guest. However in a life-or-death situation or to disinfect a wound, the Host is allowed to give treatment.
(10) Act of canceling the scheduled HelloWorld Homestay without a good cause.
Article 9 Rules of HelloWorld Homestay
Users shall comply with the following rules in providing, receiving, or using a HelloWorld Homestay, depending on their respective positions.
[For Guests and Registered Guest Users](1) A Registered Guest User shall provide allergy information to the Company at the time of the registration as a Registered Guest User or application for participation in HelloWorld Homestay.
(2) Positive communication and a smile are essential for cross-cultural experience and international exchange. Please make sure to have positive communication and a nice smile.
(3) A Guest and a Registered Guest User shall purchase travel insurance prior to the participation in HelloWorld Homestay.
(4) The HelloWorld Homestay will be provided in the Host’s home. The Registered Guest User shall pick up and drop off the Guest at the Host’s home at the designated time. The Guest and the Registered Guest User shall be on time. The place where HelloWorld Homestays will be provided may be the place other than Host’s house depending on the
Host’s circumstances.
(5) A Guest and a Registered Guest User shall respect the Host’s personality, privacy, and lifestyle. [For the Hosts]
(1) A Host shall keep the Host’s home clean during HelloWorld Homestays.
(2) A Host shall provide HelloWorld Homestays based on the purpose of cross-cultural experience and international exchange.
(3) A Host shall pay careful attention in order to maintain the safety and health of the Guests.
(4) During cooking, a Host shall pay attention to children to prevent the children from getting hurt.
(5) If a Host notices anything unusual about children, or if an incident or accident occurs, the Host shall immediately inform the Company of the situation.
(6) If a child wishes to communicate with his or her own family during HelloWorld Homestay, the Host shall contact the Company immediately.
(7) HelloWorld Homestay will be provided in the Host’s home. The Host shall be ready to invite the Guests / Registered Guest Users by the scheduled time. Additionally, the Host shall have the Guest be ready to go home at their own house by the time the Registered Guest User comes to the Host’s home to pick up the Guest.
(8) A Host shall respect the Guest’s and the Registered Guest User’s personality, privacy, and lifestyle.
Article 10 Photography etc. and Consent
1 Photos and videos taken by the Company or Hosts, as well as articles about HelloWorld Homestay in which the Guest has participated, may be posted on the Company’s website and other media. The Guest and the Registered Guest User shall request the Company not to post them prior to the application for HelloWorld Homestay if they wish to refuse it.
2 A Guest or a Registered Guest User shall not post photographs or personal information of the Host without the Host’s prior permission, on any media, such as a website, blog, or SNS.
Article 11 Change of the Terms and Notices
1 In the event of the following items, the Company may amend these Terms at the Company’s discretion.
(1) If the amendment to the Terms conforms for the User’s general interest.
(2) If the amendment to the Terms does not run afoul of the purpose of the contract, and it is reasonable in light of the circumstances concerning the amendment such as the necessity of the amendment, the appropriateness of the details of the amended conditions, and the details of such provisions.
2 If the Company amends these Terms, a notice including the amendment of the Terms, the details of the amended Terms, and the effective date of the amended Terms will be given to Users and will be posted on the website of the Service（https://hello-world.city/ , https://host.hello-world.city/ ）at least one week prior to the effective date.
3 A User shall be sure to check the Terms for each use of the Service.
Article 12 Changes to Details of the Service;
1 The Company may change the contents of the Service or discontinue the provision of the Service without any notice to the User.
2 The Company shall in no event be liable for any disadvantage or damage incurred by Users or any third party as a result of measures taken by the Company pursuant to the preceding paragraph.
Article 13 Handling of Users & Personal Information, etc.
The Company shall appropriately handle names, email addresses, and other personal information obtained from Users with regard to use of the Services, pursuant to these Terms and the Privacy Policy separately stipulated by the Company.
Article 14
Consent to Provision of Personal Information to Third Parties Users consent in advance to the Company’s provision of User’s information to third parties with regard to the use of the Service pursuant to the Privacy Policy separately stipulated by the Company.
Article 15
1 A User shall not conduct any act which infringes or is likely to infringe intellectual property rights and any other rights held by the Company or a third party for any reason.
2 A User grants the Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works from, display and perform the photographs, illustrations, feedback (including answers to the questionnaire), reports and other data the User provides to the Company. The method of providing the information shall be irrespective of the form, such as sending by email, uploading to the website operated by the Company and SNS managed by the Company.
3 A User agrees not to exercise any moral rights; meaning, a User cannot claim that morality was affected, impaired, or otherwise altered by the company.
Article 16 Disclaimers and Indemnification
1 The Company makes no warranties regarding matters such as the completeness, accuracy, usefulness, currency, and truthfulness of the information provided by the Service. The Company shall not be responsible for any results that arise from any act that a User carries out based on his/her judgment pursuant to the information provided by th Service.
2 Users shall use the Service on their own responsibility, and the Company shall not be liable for any matters relating to the Users in the Service.
3 Even if the Company is to bear liability for any reason, the Company shall not be liable to compensate for damages beyond the equivalent amount of the consideration fo the Service or the scope of insurance coverage provided by the Company. Further, the Company shall not be liable for incidental damage, indirect damage, special damage future damage, or damage related to lost earnings and profits.
4 The User acknowledges that the Company and the Service only provide a place to match Hosts with Guests and Registered Guest Users. Any transaction, dispute, etc. arising between Users or between Users and a third party after the matching shall be settled at their own expense between the parties, and the Company shall have n responsibility; provided that, in the event that insurance coverage is provided by the Company, compensation may be provided within the scope of such insurance coverage.
5 With respect to the use of the Service by a User, if another User or other third party claims damages to the Company based on the intentional or negligence (including slight negligence) of the User, the User is obliged to cooperate with the Company to resolve the case and to compensate for any damages and costs involved in the claim.
6 Some Hosts may take their Guests to sites or facilities managed or owned by foreign governments in Japan. The Company’s insurance policy may not cover incidents or accidents that occur on or at property or facilities managed or owned by a foreign government. In this case, the Company will not be responsible for any damage.
Article 16-2 Handling of Lost and Found Items
1 During the usage period of this service, if there are no inquiries from guests or individuals and organizations associated with the guests regarding forgotten or lost items (hereinafter referred to as “lost items”), the company will not initiate contact with the guests.
2 Even if inquiries regarding lost items are made by guests or individuals and organizations associated with the guests, the items may not be found. In such cases, guests or individuals and organizations associated with the guests are not permitted to search the host’s location themselves.
3 If lost items are discovered by the company or the host after the usage period of this service has ended, the company will retain such items for 30 days, including the day they were found. After this period, the items will be disposed of or donated. Items such as food and beverages, which the company deems difficult to store, will be discarded on the same day they are found.
4 The company assumes no responsibility for lost items during the usage period of this service, or for the storage, disposal, or discarding of items as described in the preceding paragraph. Additionally, guests or individuals and organizations associated with the guests shall not have the right to request compensation or to voice objections with respect to the handling of lost items as described in this article.
Article 17 Temporary Suspension of Service
1 The Company may suspend the provision of the Service without prior notice to User in the event of the following cases:
(1) When performing maintenance on the Service and the systems and related equipment incidental thereto;
(2) When the communication line, software service or electric power used by the Company becomes unavailable;
(3) When a natural disaster such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, tsunami or any other emergency situation occurs, or because there is a likelihood of such an occurrence, there is a demand or instruction to restrict communication under laws, regulations, or directives;
(4) Responding to laws and regulations, or guidance or requests from administrative authorities;
(5) When the provision of the Service becomes impossible due to other physical or technical reasons;
2 Even if there is a delay or temporary suspension of the provision of the Service, the Company shall not be liable for any damage suffered by a User or a third party from the same.
Article 18 Withdrawal
If the User wishes to terminate the use of the Service or cancel the registration (the “Withdrawal”), the User shall declare to the Company in accordance with the method prescribed by the Company.
Article 19 Assignment
1 A User may not assign, transfer, provide as collateral, or dispose of, his/ her status under the Terms or rights and duties under these Terms without the prior written consent of the Company.
2 The Company may transfer, provide as collateral, or dispose of, its status as the operator of the Service, as well as its rights and obligations based on that status, in whole or in part, to a third party without prior notice to the Users.
Article 20
1 In the event that a dispute arises between the User and the Company in relation to the use of the Service, the parties concerned shall consult and resolve the dispute in good faith and autonomously.
2 The Terms shall be governed by the laws of Japan.
3 In the event of any dispute arising in connection with the Service, regardless of dispute, the Tokyo District Court shall be the exclusive court of jurisdiction in the first instance for those disputes.
End
Date of Creation of Terms of Use January 1, 2021
Date of Latest Revision
June 10, 2024