Terms of Service
- Satou's Guided Japanese -

1. Service Overview

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Satou’s Guided Japanese is a subscription-based Japanese study support service.
The service includes homework assignments, written and/or voice feedback, study guidance, add-on conversation lessons, and progress report.

This service is primarily a self-study support program, not a live lesson service.

Live conversation lessons are available as an optional add-on to the Self-Study Support program or as standalone private lessons. Where applicable, the terms below also apply to standalone lessons.

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2. Subscription & Payment

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• The service operates on a monthly subscription basis.

• Payments are automatically renewed each month unless cancelled before the renewal date.

• Fees are non-refundable except for as stated in Section 6 (Trial & Refund Policy).

• If you would like to change the plan, please notify before the next renewal date.

• If you start paying your subscription fee in the middle of the week and begin your course the following week, your course will continue until the Friday of the final week of your subscription.

• You can use a customer portal (stripe link will be shared once you sign up) to change your payment method or cancel your subscription.

• Prices may be updated with prior notice.

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3. Communication & Response Time

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• Feedback is provided in alignment with the assignment frequency of each plan. Response timing may vary depending on the selected plan and overall workload.

• The number of assignments provided each week is only a guideline and may vary depending on the frequency and timing of the student's submissions.

• Feedback is provided during business hours only, but you are welcome to submit your homework at any time.

• Business hours are defined as 9:00am-5:00pm on Monday–Friday (Japan Standard Time).

• Students takingじゆうコース (Flexible course) may receive priority responses as described in the course details.

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4. Homework & Submissions

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• “Homework Sets per Week” refers to structured assignment rounds.

• Students may submit work as it is completed. Assignments are typically provided as a set, but you are welcome to submit each task individually rather than waiting to complete the entire set.

• Excessive submissions beyond the plan’s scope may be limited at the instructor’s discretion.

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5. Q&A and Chat Communication

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• All courses include Japanese language and culture-related questions.

• For questions requiring extensive explanations or specialized knowledge, response limits may apply to ensure fairness for all students.

•  A limit may be imposed if the number of questions submitted is deemed excessive. At minimum, responses will be provided for a number of questions equivalent to the assigned homework for the course.

• Unlimited casual chat is not included.

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6. Trial & Refund Policy

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Because this service differs from traditional live lessons:

• If you feel the service is not suitable for you within the first 7 days from the start date, you may request a full refund for that month.

• Refund requests must be submitted within 7 days of starting the course. Refunds are not available after this period.

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7. Student Responsibilities

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Students are responsible for:

• Completing and submitting assignments. If you are unable to complete your homework within the assigned week due to a busy schedule, you may carry it over to the following week. However, the total number of assignments in any given week will remain within your plan’s limit. (e.g. In a 2/week plan, if one assignment is carried over, only one new assignment will be issued the following week.)

• Maintaining respectful communication.

• Ensuring they have the required tools (e.g. Google Chat, Google Drive, Textbooks, and other tools).

 

8. Instructor Leave Policy

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The instructor may take short or extended leave periods throughout the year. Advance notice will be provided whenever reasonably possible. The duration of the break will be calculated based on business days only.

 

 - Leave for Up to 5 Days:

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きょうかしょコース (Textbook Course)

• Homework assignments will be provided in advance.

• Students may continue to submit completed work during the leave period.

• Feedback will be provided after the instructor returns.

• Subscription payments will continue as scheduled.

• No additional compensation or adjustment will apply.

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じゆうコース (Flexible Course)

• Homework assignments will be provided in advance.

• Students may continue to submit completed work during the leave period.

• Feedback will be provided after the instructor returns or during the leave periods if possible.

• During leave periods, students in this じゆうコース still receive replies for requests that can be handled via text messages, such as the Q&A service or short sentence corrections.

• Subscription payments will continue as scheduled.

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 - Extended Leave for More Than 5 Days:

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• No new assignments or feedback will be provided for the leave period.

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To ensure fairness, the following adjustments will apply:

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– Discount for the Next Payment:
A discount for the following month will be applied depending on the length of the break. (e.g. 2 weeks off → 50% discount for the next payment.)

- If the instructor takes sudden leaves for unavoidable reasons, this discount will be applied too, based on the length of the leaves.

- If the student do not continue the course for the next month, partial refund may apply.

 

9. Conversation Lessons 

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Add-on Conversation-focused lessons are available for the students who enrolled in one of the courses. These lessons give you a chance to actively use and practice what you've learned in the course.

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• Lessons can be rescheduled up to 1 hour before the scheduled start time. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after that time. 

• Lessons can be booked up to 12 hours in advance.

• Both booking and rescheduling/cancellation have to be done through the booking website.

• The lesson availability may vary from week to week depending on the instructor's schedule.

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For learners who prefer online lessons only, standalone lessons are available upon request with separate pricing.

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10. Intellectual Property

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All original materials created and provided by Satou’s Guided Japanese — including but not limited to written feedback, voice messages, study templates, assignment designs, progress reports, and customized study plans — remain the intellectual property of the instructor.

This does not apply to commercially published textbooks or third-party materials used within the course, which remain the property of their respective copyright holders.

Original materials, feedback, and voice recordings may not be redistributed, shared publicly, recorded for redistribution, or resold without prior written permission.

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11. Limitation of Liability

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Satou’s Guided Japanese provides educational guidance only.
Results depend on the learner’s effort and consistency.

The instructor is not responsible for exam results, employment results, or other indirect outcomes.

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12. Termination & Limit of Service

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If a user engages in interactions beyond the intended purpose of language learning or behaves in an inappropriate manner, the instructor reserves the right to suspend or terminate the provision of services, or limit the user's access to certain services.

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The instructor reserves the right to terminate/limit the services in cases of:

• Harassment

• Repeated policy violations

• Inappropriate behavior

• Requests for personal information or private meetings

• Attempts to cross professional boundaries or pursue a relationship beyond the teacher–student relationship

In such cases, a partial refund may be issued at the instructor’s discretion.

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13. Changes to Terms

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These Terms may be updated periodically.
Continued use of the service constitutes acceptance of any revised Terms.