Last updated: 2 November 2026

1. Subject Matter and Scope

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern access to and use of the website yuujou.it and the services made available through it (the “Service”), including the content feed, groups, messaging, real-time audio and video communication, articles and events.

The Service is a platform for cultural exchange between Japan and the rest of the world, intended for persons learning another language, sharing their culture and forming friendships. The community originated in Italy and is open to people from any country.

The Service is organised into sections and groups. The Operator may determine, including on a general basis and for individual sections or groups, the default visibility of content published therein, upon prior notice to users; users remain free to change it where the Service so allows.

2. Operator

The Service is operated by Alain Labricciosa Gallese (the “Operator”), an individual domiciled in Italy, who may be contacted at alain@yuujou.it.

Point of contact. That same address is the point of contact for communications from users, and for communications from the authorities of the Member States, the European Commission and the European Board for Digital Services. Communications may be made in Italian or in English.

3. Acceptance

Registration constitutes acceptance of these Terms in their entirety. A person who does not accept them must refrain from registering and from using the Service.

The processing of personal information is governed by the Privacy Notice, which is a separate document and is not a contractual undertaking of the user.

4. The Service Is Free of Charge

Use of the Service on the web is free of charge. No subscription fee is charged, and all content and features made available by the Operator remain free of charge.

The only paid offering consists of the premium groups described in Article 4-bis: access to each of them is offered and sold by its Administrator, not by the Operator, and is always optional.

Apps for iOS and Android, where made available, may carry a purchase price on their respective stores; all features remain available free of charge on the web, and the app is never a condition of participation.

The Operator exercises due diligence to keep the Service available, without warranting uninterrupted availability.

4-bis. Premium Groups

What they are. A premium group is a group whose content is reserved to those who take out a subscription, monthly or annual, at the price set by the member who administers it (the “Administrator”). The group’s presentation page remains visible to everyone.

Who sells. The subscription contract is concluded between the member and the Administrator, who is its sole seller: the Administrator sets content and prices, receives payment into a payment account in their own name, issues any tax documents due and is answerable to the subscriber for the service promised. The Operator is not a party to that contract: it provides the infrastructure and, as a contribution to its costs, retains a commission on each payment, disclosed to the Administrator before activation and never charged to the subscriber on top of the price. Where the Administrator refunds a payment, in whole or in part, the Operator returns its commission on the refunded portion.

Professional or private seller. Before subscribing, the payment page states the Administrator’s name, the country from which they operate and whether, according to their own declaration, they act as a professional (trader). Where they do not, the rights that the law confers on consumers in contracts with traders, including the right of withdrawal described below, do not apply to the subscription.

Payment and renewal. Payment is made on the Site, through Stripe’s payment services, into the Administrator’s account. A subscription paid by card renews automatically at the end of each period until cancelled; a payment made by a method that does not allow automatic renewal covers only the period paid for. A price increase does not apply to existing subscribers, who keep the price subscribed to for as long as they renew the same plan; a reduction may be applied to them at once. On switching between the monthly and the annual plan, the price then in force applies from the end of the period already paid.

Cancellation. The subscriber may cancel at any time on the Site by leaving the group: renewal stops and access continues until the end of the period already paid, during which the subscriber may rejoin without a new payment. Save for the right of withdrawal, no refunds are given for the current period.

Right of withdrawal. Where the Administrator acts as a professional and the subscriber is a consumer, the subscriber may withdraw within fourteen days of subscribing, without giving any reason, by notice to the Administrator or to alain@yuujou.it, which forwards it. A subscriber who, before paying, expressly requested immediate access to the content shall pay only for the portion of the service received up to the withdrawal. The refund is the Administrator’s responsibility and is made by the same means of payment within fourteen days.

Groups that change. When a free group becomes premium, its existing members remain in it free of charge for thirty days and are notified by email; to stay longer they must subscribe, and nothing is charged to them if they do not. When a premium group becomes free again, renewals stop and all members remain. When the Administrator closes a premium group, renewals stop and the Administrator refunds the portion of the period paid for and not used.

Obligations of the Administrator. The Administrator shall: (a) connect a payment account in their own name; (b) declare truthfully whether they act as a professional and comply with the resulting tax and consumer-protection obligations; (c) describe accurately the content, prices and frequency of what is offered; (d) comply with these Terms within the group as well. Article 7 does not prevent a premium group from being devoted to its Administrator’s professional activity. Where required by law, the Operator may request from the Administrator the information needed for the tax reporting obligations of platforms and transmit it to the competent authorities.

Stripe. Payment processing services for Administrators are provided by Stripe and are subject to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Terms of Service (collectively, the “Stripe Services Agreement”). By agreeing to these Terms or continuing to administer a premium group, the Administrator agrees to be bound by the Stripe Services Agreement, as the same may be modified by Stripe from time to time. As a condition of the Operator enabling payment processing services through Stripe, the Administrator agrees to provide the Operator accurate and complete information about themselves and their business, and authorises the Operator to share it and transaction information related to the use of the payment processing services provided by Stripe.

Administrators acting as professionals. In their regard: (i) amendments to these Terms that concern them are notified at least fifteen days before taking effect, unless required by law, and the commission may change only with the same notice; (ii) suspension of the premium feature for a group is accompanied by a written statement of reasons, and its definitive termination is notified at least thirty days in advance, save for serious breaches or legal obligations; (iii) the list of groups is ordered, at the choice of the person consulting it, by creation date (by default, newest first), by number of comments or posts, or at random: no group can pay for a better position and premium groups receive no different treatment; (iv) on the Site the Administrator sees the names of subscribers and the status of their subscriptions, and on Stripe the payment data that Stripe makes available; the Operator does not use payment data for any other purpose; (v) complaints are sent to alain@yuujou.it.

Limits. The Operator guarantees no level of revenue and is not liable for the Administrator’s content and services, nor for revenue lost owing to interruptions of the Service, save for wilful misconduct or gross negligence. In the event of a breach of these Terms it may suspend the premium feature of a group; renewals then stop and the Administrator refunds the unused portion of the period.

5. Eligibility and Accounts

Registration is restricted to natural persons who have attained eighteen years of age.

The user undertakes to provide truthful information and to keep it current. One account per person is permitted; accounts created to circumvent a suspension will be closed.

Email address confirmation. Upon registration, the Service sends a confirmation message to the email address provided by the user. The user is required to confirm the address within thirty days of registration by following the instructions received; after that period, an account whose address has not been confirmed may be deleted, even without further reminders. The confirmed address is the one to which the communications provided for in these Terms are validly sent.

The user is responsible for safeguarding their credentials and shall notify the Operator without delay of any unauthorised access of which they become aware.

The user may terminate the relationship at any time and without charge by deleting the account from the profile settings.

Inactive accounts. An account is inactive if it has not been used to access the Service for twelve consecutive months. An inactive account will be permanently deleted, following notice sent to the email address associated with it at least thirty days before the date set for deletion. Notice is validly given when sent to that address, which the user is responsible for keeping current. Accessing the Service before the date indicated preserves the account and restarts the period; before that date the user may also request a copy of their data and published content by writing to alain@yuujou.it.

Deletion is irreversible and extends to the data and content associated with the account, including messages exchanged with other users, which cease to be visible to the other party as well, and groups created by the account. Where other users take part in such a group, the Operator may, instead of deleting it, entrust its administration to another member or assume it directly, solely in order to preserve the content published by the other members and without retaining the deleted user’s personal information. Backup copies are retained only for the period stated in the Privacy Notice.

This provision also applies to accounts that are already inactive on the date of its introduction, 2 November 2026; in no event will such an account be deleted earlier than thirty days after the notice is sent.

6. Prohibited Conduct

The user shall not publish, transmit or otherwise disseminate through the Service:

• abusive, harassing or threatening content, or content constituting incitement to hatred or violence, or content that is racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise discriminatory;
• sexually explicit content and, under no circumstances, content involving minors;
• violent or unlawful content, or content encouraging dangerous conduct;
• fraudulent communications, chain messages, pyramid schemes or deceptive solicitations of money;
• unsolicited or repetitive communications, or the use of automated means to register, publish or contact other users;
• content presenting the user as a person other than themselves, including the use of another’s images and the assertion of a false age;
• the harvesting of other users’ data or contact details, for any purpose whatsoever;
• content owned by others, absent the necessary rights;
• conduct directed at breaching, overloading or circumventing the protective measures of the Service.

The foregoing enumeration is illustrative and not exhaustive; the sense of the provisions above governs.

7. Promotional Activity

Principle. The Service is a place of cultural exchange between Japan and the rest of the world. Describing one’s own activity, including a commercial one, is permitted where it bears a cultural connection with Japan or with exchange between cultures, and addresses users as individuals. Use of the Service as an advertising board is not permitted.

• on the main feed, commercial promotion is permitted only by prior arrangement with the Operator, which may be requested in chat or by email;
• within groups, promotion is permitted provided the group is not predominantly dedicated to promoting a business and provided it does not occupy a disproportionate share of the resources of the Service, nor of the space and attention of other users. The administrator of a group is answerable for the content published therein;
• presenting one’s own activity, including in video form, is always permitted where it bears a cultural component connected with Japan or with exchange between cultures.

Relevance and proportion are assessed by the Operator on a case-by-case basis. Where content exceeds the stated principle, the Operator may remove it or request its modification, stating the reasons; the user may submit observations and request that the decision be reviewed.

8. User Content and Licence

Content published remains the property of the user. By publishing it, the user grants the Operator a free, non-exclusive and non-transferable licence, limited to what is necessary to operate the Service: to host the content, to display it to other users according to the visibility settings selected, and to adapt it technically (resizing images, converting video).

The licence terminates upon deletion of the content or of the account, save for technical copies retained in backups for the period strictly necessary to their rotation.

The user warrants that they hold the rights to the content published and is responsible for its lawfulness.

9. Moderation and Enforcement

Where content or conduct contravenes these Terms, the Operator may:

• remove the content or render it not visible;
• restrict certain features of the account;
• suspend the account, temporarily or permanently;
• in serious or urgent cases — unlawful content, threats, material involving minors, attacks on the infrastructure — act immediately and without prior notice.

Statement of reasons and review. The Operator shall inform the user of the content removed or the restriction imposed and of the reasons therefor, unless such communication is impossible or prohibited by law. The user may submit observations and request review of the measure within six months of the communication, upon which the Operator shall give a reasoned response.

How decisions are made. Measures are taken following human assessment. The Service uses no automated means to detect, select or remove content.

The Service being free of charge, the Operator may also close an account upon reasonable notice absent any breach, in particular where the Service or part thereof is discontinued.

10. Reporting Unlawful Content

Any person may report content believed to be unlawful by means of the reporting functions available on the Site or by writing to alain@yuujou.it. It is helpful for a report to identify the content concerned, the address of the page on which it appears, and the reasons why it is believed to be unlawful.

Response to the reporting party. Where a report states the name and email address of the person submitting it, the Operator shall promptly confirm receipt and shall subsequently notify that person of the decision taken, together with the means of redress available. Reports are handled in a timely, diligent, non-arbitrary and objective manner; in cases of urgency the Operator acts without delay. No automated means are used in examining reports.

Notification of authorities. Where the Operator becomes aware of information giving rise to a suspicion that a criminal offence involving a threat to the life or safety of one or more persons has taken place, is taking place or is likely to take place, the Operator shall promptly inform the competent authorities.

11. Audio and Video Communication

Video calls and live streams are public or semi-public in character and are subject to the same rules as other content.

Live streams may be recorded; a person participating as a guest is informed in advance. Recording or republishing elsewhere the conversations of others without their consent is prohibited.

12. Continuity and Backups

A daily image of the system is retained for one week and a nightly copy of the database is made. These measures constitute an exercise of diligence and do not amount to a warranty of result: no system is immune from failure, and complete recovery of content cannot be assured in every circumstance. Users are advised to keep their own copy of content of importance to them.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. NO WARRANTY IS GIVEN THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT CONTENT PUBLISHED BY USERS IS ACCURATE.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE OPERATOR SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, NOR FOR LOSS OF DATA, CONTENT, PROFITS OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE.

The Operator is not liable for content published by users, nor for relations arising between users outside the Service.

No verification. The Operator does not verify the identity of users, nor conduct background checks. Profile information is provided by users on their own sole responsibility.

Meetings and events. Contact between users, whether online or in person, takes place under the sole responsibility of those concerned. Events published on the Service are organised by third parties unless expressly stated otherwise: the Operator is not their organiser and is not answerable for how they are run. Users are advised to exercise caution in disclosing personal details and contact information, and in meeting in person anyone first encountered online.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability which may not lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for fraudulent misrepresentation. Nothing in these Terms prejudices the mandatory rights afforded to users in their capacity as consumers.

15. Indemnification

The user shall indemnify and hold harmless the Operator from and against any third-party claim arising out of content published by the user in breach of these Terms or of applicable law, to the extent permitted by the law applicable to that user.

16. Governing Law and Forum

Complaints. Any complaint concerning the Service may be addressed to alain@yuujou.it. The Operator will respond as soon as possible and will seek an amicable resolution; recourse to the courts remains unaffected.

These Terms are governed by the laws of Italy.

Where the user is a consumer, the mandatory provisions of the law of the country of their habitual residence remain applicable, and proceedings may be brought before the courts of the place where the consumer is resident or domiciled.

17. Amendments

These Terms may be amended. Amendments are published on this page together with the date of last revision; notice of material amendments is given on the Site.

Continued use of the Service following such notice constitutes acceptance of the amendments; failing acceptance, the user may terminate by deleting their account.