Terms and Conditions
REGISTRATION
You are required to pay a deposit of $250 USD in order to secure your spot in the Japan Bound Experience Program. Your spot will not be secured until we receive your deposit. The program fee for Japan Bound Experience is fully refundable for cancellations made before 60 days of the program's listed start date. [YE1] If we do not receive your deposit within one week of your application being submitted, your child's position in the program will be forfeited. We accept late applications, however, we cannot guarantee that such applications will be accommodated. An additional fee may be charged for accommodating late applications.
Deposit can be paid by ACH transfer or by check made payable to GPI US Inc. and mailed to:
GPI US Inc.
6230 Wilshire Blvd Ste. 2164
Los Angeles, CA 90048
PAYMENT TERMS
The $250 deposit will be applied toward the participant’s tuition balance. The deposit is fully refundable for cancellations made before March 31, 2025, but after March 31, 2025, it is non-refundable. A secondary deposit of $250 is due March 31, 2025, with the final sum required no later than 60 days prior to departure (May 10, 2025). If you complete your registration after March 31, 2025, your deposit will be due within 24 hours of the completion of the registration to secure your spot and is non-refundable thereafter.
Any remaining balance for the program fee must be paid no later than 60 days prior to the departure date (July 9th, 2025), which can be paid by check or credit card.
MEDICAL
All families are required to purchase travel insurance during the program. Proof of purchase of travel insurance is required to participate. Failure to show proof of purchase of travel insurance will result in the forfeiture of the participant's spot on the program. Although it is entirely your decision which insurance company to use and we do not recommend or favor any particular insurance company, World Nomads does offer travel insurance.
We REQUIRE all participants to purchase travel insurance for protection against trip cancellation, modification, unforeseen circumstances, delayed flights, and additional costs incurred due to events including but not limited to medical or family emergencies and lost luggage. Information about purchasing travel insurance is available upon request.
You are required to provide proof of travel insurance as a condition of participation in the program. In Japan, hospitals and medical clinics may not accept patients without proper insurance.
We will obtain any medical or dental treatment that we, in our sole discretion, determine is necessary or advisable for the health of the participant and the group. Parents/guardians agree to pay all costs and expenses incurred directly or indirectly in this regard. We attempt to reach the parent/guardian when the care is sought or deemed advisable and when any medications are recommended or prescribed.
WHAT’S NEXT?
After completing your registration, you will receive an automated email that contains an acknowledgment form. If you have not received such an email within 24 hours of registration, please contact us either by email at ipaxton@gpius.net or by calling us at (213) 527-6529 and leaving a message.
Please pay your deposit within one week of your registration. We will not secure your child's spot on the trip until after receiving the deposit. Applications are submitted through our online form. More information about applications can be found on our website. All forms that must be completed by parents and physicians, packing lists, travel tips, travel insurance information, and any other important information can be found on the respective pages on en.japanbound.net. Hard copies of the essential legal/medical forms can be mailed to participants upon request. Our contract and release must be signed by a legal guardian and the participant. There are serious penalties for violation of certain rules, including a participant being sent home at the guardians’ expense. Our participants are expected to comply with all of our rules and regulations.
PRIVACY POLICY:
We are committed to keeping your information safe and will never disclose or share any of your/your child’s personal, medical, or financial information to anyone without your express consent. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have implemented physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online and through mail. You can review our Privacy Policy here at www.japanbound.net/privacy-policy.
REFUND POLICY
Your $250 deposit will be applied toward the participant’s tuition balance. The deposit is fully refundable until March 31, 2025. After March 31, 2025, the deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel or withdraw from the program more than 60 days prior to the departure, the tuition paid as of the cancellation date less the deposit is fully refundable. If we incur any additional expenses in connection with the participant, such expenses will be deducted from the refund you will receive. If you cancel or withdraw from the program for any reason less than 60 days prior to the departure date, any tuition paid by you is not refundable and you are required to pay the remaining balance of the program fee, if any, at the time of cancellation. Credit card information must be on file with us if you have not paid the entire program fee 60 days prior to the departure. We accept cancellations only by WRITTEN NOTICE which can be sent to us by email or fax.
Participants will be sent home at their expense if they are dismissed from a program as a result of a violation of our rules and regulations. Such participants will forfeit their tuition and will be responsible for additional costs incurred in connection with their early dismissal including but not limited to airport transfers, new flights, and time spent by our staff handling all of the additional travel logistics, which will be billed at $100 per hour.
VISAS & PASSPORTS
Participants are required to maintain a passport for all international travel with at least 6 months of validity from the last day of the trip. If a participant travels with a passport that expires within 6 months, airlines may deny travel and the immigration officer may deny their entry into the country. The participant is solely responsible for the maintenance of their passport(s) in order to prevent such travel interventions. We will not be responsible or liable for any damage, loss, claims and/or expenses arising out of, caused by or related to the travel interventions.
If the participant is NOT an American citizen, whether or not residing in the U.S., it is the sole responsibility of the parent/guardian to determine whether a visa or travel permit is required for the participant to enter Japan. If you determine that a visa is necessary, you are solely responsible for obtaining such a visa or travel permit at your expense.
You are solely responsible for obtaining and/or preparing any documentation necessary for the participant to enter Japan[2] . It is the sole responsibility of the participant to present such documentation at the time of entry into the country. We will not be responsible and liable for any damage, loss, claims, and/or expenses arising out of, caused by, or related to the denial or refusal of entry to any country for the programs offered by us.
FLIGHTS AND TRANSPORTATION
All flights and transportation will be arranged by GPI US. It is the student’s responsibility to arrive to arrange transportation to/from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.. Our staff will be at the designated locations at the destination airport at the time of both the participants’ departure and arrival to supervise them and provide necessary support.
We will not be responsible for any delay, cancellation, or strike of flights or public transportation (such as buses, trains, ferries, metros, and the like) and reserve the right to arrange alternative transportation as necessary. You are responsible for any additional costs or expenses incurred as a result of such delays or cancellations.
Upon final payment, we need to see a copy of your valid passport and proof of travel insurance. Failure to submit these documents along with final payment may result in forfeiture of your spot.
Missed flights:
In the event that a participant misses the group flight, we will assist in arranging alternative flights. However, you are solely responsible for additional expenses incurred in connection with the flight missed by the participant.
PHOTOS
You and the participant hereby grant permission to GPI US and its affiliates and subsidiaries to take and use: photographs, digital images, videotapes, audio recordings, or quoted remarks of participants for use in reports, bulletins, news releases, website, and/or promotional materials of GPI US and its affiliates and subsidiaries. You and the participant acknowledge and understand that, by signing this form, you are not entitled to payment now or in the future with respect to photographs, digital images, videotapes, audio recordings, or quoted remarks of the participants. You may request to have your photo consent removed by emailing ipaxton@gpius.net.
LOST, STOLEN, OR DAMAGED PROPERTY AND LOST LUGGAGE
We will not be responsible for the loss and/or recovery of any lost, stolen, or damaged belongings. If the participant’s luggage is lost at the airport, our staff will assist in reporting the lost luggage to the airport or airline. However, it is your sole responsibility to follow up with the airport or airline for the recovery of the lost luggage. If you determine that the participant can continue to participate in the program without his/her luggage, you must make arrangements to ensure that the participant will have enough clothes and supplies during the program.
DISCLOSURE:
You are expected to disclose any physical or mental conditions of the participant that may potentially affect the participant’s ability to participate in the program. Withholding such information will be a violation of our contract and we will seek all remedies for damages caused by such violation. This obligation continues until the program is completed and you are required to report to us any additional conditions discovered after the completion of your registration.
We require all participants to submit their medical forms by February 28th or within 1 week of submitting their deposit (if applying after the March 31 deadline).
CANCELLATION AND RETURN
We reserve the right to dismiss any participant for disruptive, unbecoming, immoral, or disobedient behavior at our sole discretion. Dismissed participants must be picked up by their parents/guardians or sent home by plane within 12-24 hours of dismissal. Participants will be sent home at their expense if they are dismissed from the program as a result of the violation of our rules and regulations. Such Participants will forfeit their tuition and will be responsible for additional costs incurred in connection with their early dismissal including but not limited to airport transfers, new flights, and time spent by our staff handling all of the additional travel logistics, which will be billed at $100 per hour. If participants encounter or witness others committing any offense, they must immediately notify a trip leader or our staff.
GPI US Inc. reserves the right to cancel or change the program itinerary, location, dates, or duration for any reason at any time. You are solely responsible for any expenses incurred in connection with such cancellation or change.
GOVERNING LAW
This Agreement shall be governed by and enforceable under the laws of California.
ATTORNEYS’ FEES
Before initiating any legal action arising from or relating to the foregoing terms and conditions and participation in the program, the parties agree to engage in good faith preliminary discussions to attempt to resolve the dispute amicably. If the matter is not resolved through these discussions, either party may then pursue arbitration as outlined in these terms and conditions.
In the event that there is a dispute or claim arising out of the foregoing terms and conditions and the participation of the program, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs..
ARBITRATION
Any dispute arising out of the foregoing terms and conditions and the participation of the program shall be submitted to and determined exclusively by binding arbitration in conformity with the procedures of the California Arbitration Act (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. Sec 1280 et seq., including section 1283.05 and the Act’s other mandatory and permissive rights to discovery). The arbitrator shall be a retired California Superior Court Judge and shall be subject to disqualification on the same grounds as would apply to a judge of such court. To the extent applicable in civil actions in California courts, the following shall apply and be observed; all rules of pleading (including the right of demurrer), all rules of evidence, and all rights to resolution of the dispute by means of motions for summary judgment, judgment on the pleadings, and judgment under Code of Civil Procedure Section 631.8. All expenses and costs which are specific to the arbitration, including the arbitrator’s fees and any costs of conducting an arbitration which would not occur otherwise, shall be borne equally by each party.