Terms of Use

1. About NihonGoat

NihonGoat provides private, one-on-one online Japanese lessons with native Japanese teachers. NihonGoat is operated by Akinori Toma, based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

2. Accepting these terms

By booking or taking a lesson, or by using this website, you agree to these Terms of Use and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not book a lesson.

3. Who can book

• You must be at least 18 years old to book and pay for lessons.
• Students under 18 are welcome, but a parent or legal guardian must make the booking, agree to these terms on the student’s behalf, and remain responsible for the student during lessons. For students under 13, a parent or guardian should be nearby during lessons.
• You agree to give accurate information when you book, including your name, email address and time zone.

4. Our lessons

• All lessons are private (one-on-one) and take place online over Google Meet. You will receive a link to join your lesson after booking. You do not need to install any software, but a free Google account may make joining easier.
• Lesson content is shaped around your level and goals. We do not guarantee any particular result, such as passing an exam or reaching a certain level within a set time.
• You need a device with a camera and microphone, a stable internet connection and a quiet place to study.

5. Booking

• Lessons are booked through the booking system on our website. You choose a teacher and an available time slot, then pay by card to confirm.
• A booking is confirmed once payment is complete and you receive a confirmation email.
• Times are shown in the time zone displayed in the booking window. Please check it carefully before you confirm. We are not responsible for missed lessons caused by time-zone mistakes.
• You can view, reschedule or cancel your bookings from your customer account, within the limits in Section 8.

6. Prices & payment

• All prices are in US dollars and include any fees we charge. Your bank or card issuer may charge currency-conversion or foreign-transaction fees, which are your responsibility.
• Payment is taken in full by credit or debit card at the time of booking. Card payments are processed securely by our payment provider, Stripe. We never see or store your full card number.
• The price that applies is the one shown in the booking window when you confirm. We may change our prices in the future, but changes never affect lessons you have already paid for.

7. Trial lesson

• The 30-minute trial lesson (US$20) is available once per student.
• If a second trial lesson is booked by the same student, we will cancel it and refund the payment. To try a different teacher after your trial, please book a Regular Lesson with them.
• After your trial, you can continue by booking Regular Lessons with any teacher.

8. Rescheduling, cancellation & refunds

• Reschedule or cancel from your customer account or from the link in your confirmation email. The 24 hours are counted from the lesson start time.
• Refunds are returned to the card you paid with. Depending on your bank, it can take 5–10 business days for the money to appear.
• Once a lesson has taken place, it is non-refundable. We cannot accept refund requests after a lesson, including requests based on the lesson content or the teacher. If you have any concerns about a lesson, please contact us and we will do our best to help. This does not affect your options under Section 10.
• This applies to both Trial Lessons and Regular Lessons.

9. Attendance & lateness

• Please join on time. If you are late, the lesson still ends at its scheduled time and the price is not reduced.
• If you have not joined within 10 minutes of the start time and have not contacted us, your teacher may end the lesson. It will be treated as a no-show and is not refunded.
• If a lesson cannot take place because of a problem on your side (for example, your internet connection or device), it is not refunded.

10. If we need to cancel or reschedule

• If your teacher cannot teach a lesson because of illness or other unavoidable circumstances, or if a lesson cannot take place because of a problem on our side, we will contact you by email as soon as possible to suggest a new lesson time.
• If none of the suggested times work for you, you may request a full refund for that lesson instead.
• If your teacher is more than 10 minutes late, you may choose a free reschedule or a full refund in the same way.

11. Your responsibilities

• Treat your teacher with respect. Harassment, abusive language or inappropriate behaviour will end the lesson immediately, without a refund, and we may refuse future bookings.
• Do not record lessons without your teacher’s prior consent.
• Please arrange lessons only through our booking system. Do not ask teachers to take payment or bookings outside NihonGoat.
• Keep your account details private. You are responsible for bookings made from your account.

12. Lesson materials

Materials and notes your teacher shares are for your personal study only. Please do not copy, sell, publish or share them with others. The content of this website belongs to NihonGoat.

13. Disclaimers & liability

• We aim to provide lessons and this website reliably, but we cannot guarantee they will always be available or error-free. We are not responsible for problems caused by third-party services such as video platforms, internet providers or payment processors.
• To the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim related to a lesson is limited to the amount you paid for that lesson.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date. Changes do not affect lessons you have already booked. By booking after an update, you accept the updated terms.

15. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, USA. Any dispute will be handled in the courts located in Cook County, Illinois, unless the law of your country gives you the right to bring a claim where you live.

16. Contact us

Questions? Email us at info@nihongoat.com