Terms of Service

1. Acceptance

Snack Software, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“we,” “us”), operates thejapanist.net and related services (the “Service”). BY USING THE SERVICE, YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THE SERVICE. We may modify these Terms at any time; changes are effective upon posting, and continued use constitutes acceptance.

2. Eligibility & Accounts

You must be at least 16 and able to form a binding contract. If you create an account, you must provide accurate information, keep your credentials confidential, and accept responsibility for all activity under it. We are not liable for losses from your failure to secure your account. We may suspend or terminate accounts at any time, with or without cause or notice.

3. User Content

You retain ownership of content you submit (“User Content”) but grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, display, distribute, and create derivative works from it, for any purpose, without compensation or attribution. You represent that you own or have rights to your User Content and that it violates no law or third-party right. We may remove any User Content at any time, for any reason, without notice.

4. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to: violate any law or third-party right; impersonate others; post false, defamatory, or unlawful content; harass any person; transmit malware; scrape, crawl, or access the Service by automated means without permission; harvest user data; interfere with or reverse engineer the Service; circumvent security; send spam; or compete with us using information from the Service. We may investigate violations, terminate access, and pursue legal remedies.

5. Intellectual Property

The Service and all of its content, design, code, and data compilations are owned by us or our licensors and protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-transferable license for personal, non-commercial use only. All other rights are reserved. The Japanist name and logo are trademarks of Snack Software, LLC and may not be used without written consent.

6. Copyright (DMCA)

To report copyright infringement, send a notice identifying the work, the infringing material and its location, your contact details, and a good-faith statement under penalty of perjury to: Snack Software, LLC via our contact form. We terminate repeat infringers. Counter-notices may be submitted under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g).

7. Third-Party Content & Travel Information

The Service links to and integrates third-party content (maps, booking, social platforms). YOUR USE OF THIRD-PARTY CONTENT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

ALL TRAVEL, EVENT, EARTHQUAKE, AND CULTURAL INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. We do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness; dates and details may change without notice. Travel involves inherent risks, which you assume. Always verify critical information — especially emergency and disaster information — with official sources such as the Japan Meteorological Agency.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SNACK SOFTWARE, LLC AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND LICENSORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR USE, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS.

OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Snack Software, LLC and its affiliates, officers, employees, agents, and licensors from all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of the Service, your User Content, or your violation of these Terms or any law or third-party right. We may assume exclusive defense of any such matter at your expense.

11. Governing Law, Arbitration & Class Action Waiver

These Terms are governed by Delaware law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Before filing any claim, you agree to contact us and allow 30 days for informal resolution. Unresolved disputes shall be settled by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules; judgment on the award may be entered in any competent court.

YOU AND THE COMPANY MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST EACH OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY — NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR MEMBER OF ANY CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

Either party may instead bring an individual claim in small claims court, or seek equitable relief for intellectual-property infringement. You may opt out of arbitration by written notice within 30 days of first accepting these Terms.

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access immediately, without notice or liability, for any reason. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases, and provisions that by their nature should survive (intellectual property, disclaimers, liability limits, indemnification, dispute resolution) survive.

13. General

These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us. If any provision is unenforceable, it will be modified minimally or severed without affecting the rest. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them freely. Neither party is liable for delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control. These Terms create no third-party beneficiaries. Electronic communications from us satisfy any legal requirement for written notice.

14. Contact

Snack Software, LLC — questions about these Terms: Submit a Contact Form