Terms of Service
This is a translation for reference. In the event of any discrepancy, the Japanese version shall prevail.
These Terms of Service (the "Terms") set out the conditions for using the website and related services (the "Service") provided by BLOOM CONSULTING ("we" or "us"). Users of the Service ("Users") shall use the Service after agreeing to these Terms.
1. Scope and Changes
- These Terms apply to all relationships between us and Users in connection with the use of the Service.
- We may change these Terms pursuant to Article 548-4 of the Civil Code of Japan in any of the following cases:
(1) Where the change conforms to the general interests of Users
(2) Where the change does not run counter to the purpose of these Terms and is reasonable in light of the necessity of the change, the appropriateness of the changed content, and other circumstances relating to the change - When we change these Terms, we will announce the changed content and its effective date before the effective date, by posting them on the Service or by other appropriate means. Changes that are disadvantageous to Users will be announced at least 14 days before the effective date.
2. Definitions
- "Website": each page of bloom-abroad.com and any related domains and subdomains operated by us.
- "Content": a collective term for text, images, videos, logos, trademarks, designs, code, databases, documents, and the like.
- "User Content": information that Users send, post, or upload through the Service (reviews, comments, images, files, etc.).
3. Accounts and Identity Verification
- Some parts of the Service require account registration or identity verification. Users shall provide true and accurate information and keep it up to date.
- Users are responsible for keeping their accounts confidential. If unauthorized use of an account is suspected, please notify us immediately.
- If you are a minor, please use the Service only with the consent of your parent or other legal guardian.
4. User Environment
Users shall, at their own responsibility and expense, set up their usage environment, including devices, software, and communication lines, and take security measures.
5. Prohibited Activities
Users must not engage in any of the following:
- Acts that violate laws or regulations or public order and morals
- Acts that infringe the rights or interests of us, other Users, or third parties (infringement of intellectual property rights, privacy rights, rights of reputation, business credibility, etc.)
- Providing false information, impersonation, unauthorized access, spam, or sending malware
- Probing the Service for vulnerabilities, or placing an excessive load on the Service
- Collecting, reproducing, or redistributing by automated means (crawlers, scrapers, bots, etc.) beyond the scope allowed by robots.txt and Content use; bulk acquisition of caches or archives; and acts that violate our access controls such as robots.txt
- Except as allowed in Content use, reproducing, adapting, translating, publicly transmitting, distributing, selling, lending, modifying, or making secondary use of Content of the Service without permission
- Removing, concealing, or altering logos, trademarks, partner badges, or copyright notices of us or third parties
- Setting up framing or mirroring that impair the appearance or impression of the Service (except where we explicitly permit it)
- Collecting information for improper purposes, bulk downloading of Content, or restructuring it or compiling it into a database
- Using the Service in a manner that unfairly affects our brand, reputation, or trust
- Any other acts similar to those listed above that interfere with the operation of the Service or cause disadvantage to other Users or third parties
We do not currently provide a public API (Application Programming Interface). Only where we have explicitly permitted it with prior written consent may we allow automated access under specified conditions. Reading by search engines and AI search and answer services in accordance with robots.txt is permitted as set out in Content use. Any other unauthorized scraping is prohibited.
6. Intellectual Property and Trademarks
- Copyrights, trademark rights, design rights, trade secrets, and all other rights relating to the Content included in the Service belong to us or to the legitimate rights holders.
- Names, logos, badges, and designs such as "BLOOM", "BLOOM CONSULTING", and "BLOOM Certified" are our trademarks or identifying marks. Unauthorized use, imitation, and use of similar marks are prohibited.
- Logos and trademarks of partner companies and others belong to their respective rights holders. Users may not make secondary use of them without the rights holder's permission. Use of our logos or badges requires our prior written permission. Screenshots of pages may be used within the scope of Content use.
7. User Content
- Users warrant that they hold the rights necessary to post and that their posts do not infringe third-party rights.
- Users grant us, to the extent necessary to provide, operate and improve the Service and to introduce the Service, a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable license to User Content (reproduction, adaptation, translation, public transmission, distribution, display, editing, etc.). Within that scope, Users shall not exercise their moral rights of authorship. The scope of use of reviews and experiences is also set out in Articles 26 and 27.
- We may delete or hide, without prior notice, any post that we determine violates laws or these Terms.
- The User who posted User Content is responsible for its content. We check posts before publishing them, but this check is to decide whether they may be published in light of these Terms and the law, and does not guarantee that the content is true or accurate.
8. Conditions for Using Content (Quotations, Links, etc.)
- Links to the Website, including direct links to articles, are free. However, methods that damage our credibility, framing, and the like are prohibited.
- If you show the source (site name, article title and URL), you may quote part of an article, and summarize, introduce or translate a summary of it. You may not republish all or most of an article, or reuse photos, diagrams or card images. Details are set out in Content use.
- Screenshots of pages may be shared on social media and elsewhere within the scope of Content use. Use of logos or badges requires our prior written permission, and they may not be altered.
9. Information and Disclaimer
- Information on the Service is intended to provide general information and does not constitute professional advice.
- We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, usefulness, timeliness, etc. of information. Content may change without notice.
- We are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices of external websites.
- The costs shown on the Service (including amounts for tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and rent, and their conversions into yen and other currencies) are estimates, not actual costs or quotations. Price levels by country are based on the World Bank (World Development Indicators, 2021 values, CC BY 4.0); the living costs required for applications such as study permits and student visas are based on figures published by each country's government agencies; and exchange rates are based on values published by Frankfurter. Amounts set by government agencies are the amounts to be shown in an application and do not necessarily reflect actual living costs. They change with exchange rates, regulations and fiscal years, so please check each official website for the latest amounts.
- Contracts for the services listed on the Service, such as schools, housing and insurance (including applications, payments, refunds and cancellations), are concluded directly between the User and each school or business, and we are not a party to them. Any issue arising from such a contract is to be resolved between the parties. However, contracts for services operated by us (those listed in section 8 of the Operator Information) are governed by the terms of that service.
- Results of features that use AI (such as reading search conditions from the search box and the "Polish the wording" button on posting forms) may contain errors. Text posted using a brushed-up suggestion is treated as the poster's own post.
10. Advertising and Affiliate Disclosure
- We may receive consideration such as referral fees, advertising fees, or listing fees.
- Whether affiliate links are present will be disclosed on the page by reasonable means.
- Advertisements published in exchange for consideration are labelled "PR" or "Ad" and distinguished from other listed information. Some links, such as referral-fee buttons placed within articles, carry no label; in that case they are disclosed in the common disclaimer in the footer of each page.
- Review ratings do not change depending on whether referral fees, advertising fees or listing fees are paid. In principle, the order of listings and search results does not change depending on these either. However, advertisements labelled "PR" and certain listings that we pin to the top of a list to feature them (which may include partners' listings) are shown in fixed positions, such as the top of the list.
- When we list a service operated by us (Bloomy eSIM and Philippines Study Desk (フィリピン留学デスク)), we indicate this on the service's detail page, in the Operator Information, or by similar means.
- Listings of partners (schools and businesses from which we may receive referral fees) show an inquiry button and a "BLOOM Trusted Partner" panel, among other things. Our partners are published on the "Our partners" page.
11. Paid Services and Contracts
- Where separately established agreements, application forms, listing terms, etc. exist for the conditions of paid services, advertising placements, etc., those take precedence.
- Fees, refunds, cancellation, etc. are governed by those individual conditions.
12. Suspension of Use and Termination
- If a User violates these Terms, we may suspend, restrict, or terminate use without prior notice.
- Where unavoidable for operational reasons, we may change, suspend, or end the content of the Service after giving notice to a reasonable extent.
- Users may close their account at any time from "Settings" in My Page. How information is handled after closing an account is set out in Article 12 of the Privacy Policy.
13. Disclaimer of Warranties
The Service is provided "as is", and we make no warranties whatsoever, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. However, the extent of our liability for damages is governed by Article 14.
14. Limitation of Liability
- We are not liable for damages incurred by Users in connection with the Service, except where caused by our willful misconduct or negligence.
- Where we are liable for damages and we are only slightly negligent (meaning negligence other than willful misconduct and gross negligence), our compensation is limited to ordinary and direct damages actually incurred by the User, and is capped at the greater of the total consideration paid by the User to us during the 12 months preceding the date on which the event causing the damage occurred, or JPY 50,000.
- Where we act with willful misconduct or gross negligence, the cap in the preceding paragraph does not apply.
15. Compensation for Damages Caused by Users
If a User breaches these Terms or acts in violation of the law and we incur damages as a result (including reasonable attorneys' fees required to respond to claims from third parties), the User shall compensate us for those damages. This does not apply where the User is not at fault.
16. Handling of Personal Information
Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
17. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
- These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan.
- If a dispute arises in connection with the Service, the district court having jurisdiction over our location shall be the exclusive agreed court of first instance. However, where the Consumer Contract Act or other mandatory consumer protection laws provide otherwise, those provisions apply.
18. Severability
Even if any part of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
19. Assignment
We may transfer our position, etc. under these Terms to a third party in connection with a business succession. Users may not assign it without our written consent.
20. Notices
Notices from us to Users are given by posting on the Website, sending email, or other methods we deem appropriate.
21. Force Majeure
We are not liable for delays or non-performance caused by natural disasters, power outages, communication failures, epidemics, changes in laws, cyberattacks, or other events beyond our reasonable control.
22. Survival
Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive remain in effect after the Service ends.
23. Language
The Japanese version of these Terms is the authoritative text. Versions in other languages are reference translations, and in the event of any inconsistency, the Japanese version prevails.
24. Events
- The Service provides an "Events" feature that lets Users meet in person.
- Only logged-in Users may host an Event. An Event posted by a member is published as soon as it is posted, without our prior review. We may, upon a report or at our discretion, make an Event non-public without notice or ask the host to revise it. An Event that reaches the number of reporters we set is automatically made non-public.
- Events may only be held at public places open to anyone, such as libraries, cafes, or parks. They may not be held at private residences or places with restricted entry.
- For an Event for which this site accepts attendance, attendance is accepted when a logged-in User applies to attend. You cannot apply to an Event whose application deadline has passed. An Event for which you apply on the organizer's site is subject to the conditions set by the organizer. If the number of people indicating interest exceeds the capacity, additional Users are placed on a waitlist in the order received, and when someone withdraws, the person at the top of the waitlist joins first. When you join, your display name may become visible to other logged-in Users. You can change whether your name is shown from your account page. To accept attendance, the organizer is shown your name (display name) and application status regardless of this setting.
- The following may not be posted to an Event: dangerous or possibly illegal content, advertising or spam, gatherings that do not exist, offensive or discriminatory content, holding an Event at a place that is not public, and impersonating another person.
- The organizer is responsible for the accuracy of the Event's content, for running it on the day, for contacting attendees, and for compliance with laws and regulations.
- The organizer must use attendees' information only for accepting and running that Event, and must not use it for any other purpose or pass it to outsiders (effective November 16, 2026).
- An organizer who posts photos to an Event warrants that they hold the rights to the photos or have obtained the permission of the rights holder, and grants us permission to use them in the Event list, details and sharing images.
- An application to become a BLOOM ABROAD partner is subject to our review, and the partner label is not displayed until we approve it.
- Only those who applied to the Event on this site and were still attending when the Event ended can write a review of it (for an Event applied for on the organizer's site, Article 26 applies). An organizer cannot write a review of their own Event. An organizer must not ask for reviews in exchange for rewards or benefits, and we do not publish such reviews. We may make a review non-public or delete it upon a report or at our discretion. We show each organizer's reputation (the number of reviews and the average; the average is shown only when there are 5 or more reviews) in the list and on the partner's page.
- We only provide a venue for Events to be organized and do not take responsibility for the actual conduct of an Event or for any disputes, accidents, or damages arising among attendees. Users host and attend Events at their own discretion and risk.
- If a minor User hosts or attends an Event, this must be done with a parent or guardian's consent. We do not verify age.
- If we determine that a User has posted inappropriate content or that there is a safety concern, we may unpublish, cancel, or suspend the related account without prior notice.
- If you have any concerns, questions, or suspect a violation related to Events, please contact us through the contact form.
25. Job Listings
- This Service provides a feature that lets Users post local job listings.
- Only logged-in Users who are the employer for the job, or who have been entrusted by the employer to post it, may post a job listing. Posted content is published only after we review and approve it.
- Overseas job listings follow the labor laws and social insurance system of the country where the job is located, which may differ from Japan's Labor Standards Act and social insurance system.
- We only provide the job listing information; we are not responsible for the actual hiring relationship or any disputes between applicants and posters.
- If we determine that posted content is inappropriate, we may withhold approval, remove it after publication, or ask the poster to revise it.
26. Reviews
- You may post a review only about a listing you have actually used or stayed at. One review per person per listing. You may edit it later; edited reviews are checked again.
- If you are affiliated with the listing, or received a reward or benefit for the review, you must declare this when posting. Such reviews are labelled "Posted by someone affiliated" and "Received a reward". We do not give rewards or benefits for posting reviews or photos. Fake reviews and self-promotion are prohibited.
- Personal information (names, phone numbers, addresses), defamation of others, and promotional content may not be posted. After checking, we may decline to publish or hide a review. Reviews are published only after we have checked and approved them.
- Review star ratings are not shown on the cards in lists of schools, housing and other listings. The detail page of a listing may show the number of reviews and their ratings.
- Reviews are shown in the Service in the language in which they were written. We do not machine-translate them.
- Photos in which a face appears large are not published. Only photos for which you agreed at posting to "use elsewhere on the site (for example, the top page)" may be shown there, after a separate check by us. This consent is optional and does not affect whether your review is published.
- You keep the copyright in your review. In addition to Article 7, you grant us the right to use it to the extent necessary to display it in the Service.
- Reported reviews are checked by us and hidden when we determine that they violate these Terms or the law. We do not hide a review merely because it has been reported. We are not obliged to investigate and decide whether the content of a review is true. You may delete your own review and photos at any time from "Reviews" under "Posts & listings" in My Page. Deletion cannot be undone. If you cannot delete them from My Page, you may also request deletion through the contact form.
- We do not hide or delete a review that complies with these Terms and the law merely because the listed school or business has asked us to. Nor do we delete a review merely because its rating is low. If a listed business believes that the content of a review is untrue or infringes its rights, please contact us through the report function or the contact form, with supporting grounds.
- If the author of a hidden review disagrees with our decision, please contact us through the contact form. We will review it again.
- If we receive a request based on law concerning a review (such as a request for disclosure of the sender's information), we will respond in accordance with the law.
27. Experiences
- Logged-in members may post experiences about their own study abroad or stay overseas. One person may post more than one experience. The text must be between 100 and 5,000 characters, and each experience may include up to 10 photos. We may also introduce the opening part of experiences published on a partner's website, with the partner's permission and with the source (the partner's name and a link) shown. These are not posts by members and are not experiences under this Article.
- You may attach to an experience the things related to it, such as the school you attended or the study abroad agency, SIM, insurance or housing you used ("links"). Things listed in the Service are selected from the listings; things not listed may be entered by name only. Name-only links do not link to any page. An experience is shown on the pages of the listings linked to it.
- You may add an optional nickname to an experience. If you do, the nickname is published with the experience. This applies only to experiences and the contributor display on articles (Article 28); for reviews, the author's name is not published. Do not use your real name or another person's name as a nickname.
- Experiences and reviews (Article 26) are separate. Posting an experience does not publish it as a review. If you use the text of an experience as a draft for a review, it is treated as a review only when you check the content in the review form and submit it yourself.
- If you are affiliated with a listing or linked party in the experience, or with the operator, or received a reward or benefit for the experience, you must declare this when posting. Such experiences are labelled "Posted by someone affiliated" and "Received a reward". We do not offer rewards or benefits for posting experiences. Fake experiences and self-promotion are prohibited.
- Experiences linked to listings of services run by us (Bloomy eSIM and Philippines Study Desk (フィリピン留学デスク)) are labelled "Includes our own services". Links entered by name only do not carry this label.
- Personal information (names, phone numbers, addresses), defamation of other people or companies (including naming an unlisted company to speak ill of it), and promotional content may not be posted. After checking, we may decline to publish or hide an experience. Experiences are published only after we have checked and approved them. When you change the content, links or photos, they are checked again.
- Experiences are shown in the Service in the language in which they were written. We do not machine-translate them.
- Photos are handled in the same way as review photos under Article 26 (photos in which a face appears large are not published; consent to "use elsewhere on the site").
- You keep the copyright in your experience. In addition to Article 7, you grant us the right to use it to the extent necessary to publish and display it in the Service.
- Reported experiences are checked by us and hidden when we determine that they violate these Terms or the law. You may delete your own experiences and photos at any time from "Experiences" under "Posts & listings" in My Page. Deletion, including links, cannot be undone. If you cannot delete them from My Page, you may also request deletion through the contact form.
- The provisions of Article 26 that we do not hide a post merely because it has been reported or delete it merely at a listed business's request, on objections, and on responding to requests based on law also apply to experiences.
28. Article Edit Suggestions and Contributor Levels
- Only logged-in members may suggest edits to articles. We decide whether to accept a suggestion and may not give detailed reasons.
- We may reflect an accepted suggestion in the article at our discretion and may change its wording. Members grant us permission to use the content of their suggestions in articles (including translation, summarization and modification) and agree not to exercise moral rights.
- Contributor levels and points exist only to show contributions within the Service. They cannot be exchanged for money, goods, discounts or any other benefit, and cannot be transferred.
- The following are prohibited: suggesting false information; splitting the same content into several suggestions to gain points; using multiple accounts; making suggestions while hiding that you are related to the listing; and making suggestions for promotion or solicitation.
- If we determine that the preceding item applies, we may cancel the acceptance of a suggestion, reverse the points and level shown, or suspend use of the Service.
- When you make a correction as the listed provider (such as a school or company), the Information Provider Terms also apply.
29. My Abroad Records
- Members may keep records of their study abroad or stay overseas (moments, photos, My Plans, travel preparation, etc.) in My Abroad in My Page. Only the member can see these records, and they are never published on the Service.
- Please enter records at your own responsibility. When you keep other people's personal information or photos showing other people, take care not to infringe their rights.
- You may delete your records at any time. How they are handled after you close your account is set out in Article 12 of the Privacy Policy.
- We endeavor to keep records safe, but if records are lost due to a failure or similar event, our liability is governed by Article 14.
30. Claims of Infringement
- A person who believes that a post on the Service (a review, experience, listing, Event, photo, etc.) infringes their rights (copyright, portrait rights, privacy, reputation, etc.) may make a claim through the contact form.
- Please state in the claim that you are the rights holder or their agent and your contact details, the post concerned (URL, etc.), and the reason and grounds for considering it an infringement.
- We will examine the claim and, where necessary, notify the poster and ask for their opinion. If no opinion arrives from the poster within 7 days, or if the infringement is clear, we may hide or delete the post. Where the harm may grow, we may hide it first.
- We may suspend the use of the Service by a poster who repeatedly infringes rights.
- We respond to requests based on laws and regulations (such as requests for disclosure of sender information and notices for removal of transmissions) in accordance with those laws and regulations.
- Our decision does not determine whether a right exists. Disputes between the parties are to be resolved between the parties.
31. Conditions for the “Via BLOOM ABROAD” Price in Study Abroad Quote Check
Scope and Conditions
- The “Via BLOOM ABROAD” amount shown on the results screen of Study Abroad Quote Check is the expected amount when you apply through us for the same content as the quote you uploaded. It applies only if all of the following are met.
(1) The application is for the same school, course, period, room and start date as the quote
(2) The application is made within the validity period of the quote
(3) The application is made through us (BLOOM ABROAD) - If these conditions are met, tuition, accommodation, enrollment fees and the like remain at the amounts written in the quote (including discount lines), and we do not charge an arrangement fee or an overseas remittance fee. Fees charged by your own financial institution and exchange rate differences are not included.
- For language study abroad, only when the school application is confirmed, we provide an eSIM for the period of attendance (data only; up to 2GB per day at high speed, after which the speed becomes slower). Calls and SMS are not included. A device that supports eSIM and is SIM-unlocked is required.
- The amount shown on the screen is an estimate, and is confirmed after we check with the school or partner whether the arrangement is possible and the amount (guideline: 3–5 business days). An application from the results screen is the receipt of your request to apply and is not a formal contract. No cost is incurred at this point.
- The following cases are not covered by these conditions: where the arrangement cannot be made because of a change in the school's fees, capacity, admission requirements or the like; where the content of the quote differs from the facts; where the validity period of the quote has passed; and where part of the quote has been altered. If the arrangement cannot be made, we will tell you so and will not charge any cost.
- As stated in Article 9, the contract with the school is formed between you and the school.
32. Contact
We accept communications and inquiries regarding the Service through the contact form.
Contact Form
Revision History
| Version | Effective date | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-27 | July 27, 2026 | Aligned the operator’s name, the governing law and the authoritative language with our business in Japan |
| 2026-08-22 | August 22, 2026 | Changed the cap on liability to Japanese yen (50,000 yen) |
| 2026-09-26 | September 26, 2026 | Revised the authoritative Japanese text (including the procedure for changing these Terms) and reflected it in the other languages |
| 2026-10-06 | October 6, 2026 | Added provisions on events (Meetups) and on job postings (subject to approval) |
| 2026-10-14 | October 14, 2026 | Added provisions on reviews |
| 2026-10-16 | October 16, 2026 | Added that displayed costs are estimates, and that reviews can be deleted from My Page |
| 2026-10-17 | October 17, 2026 | Added Article 27 (experiences) and Article 28 (article edit suggestions and contribution levels) |
| 2026-10-20 | October 20, 2026 | Added this Revision History (no change to the provisions) |
| 2026-10-20.2 | October 20, 2026 | Stated in Article 26 that we give no rewards or benefits for posting reviews or photos |
| 2026-10-20.3 | October 20, 2026 | Revised to match actual practice (display of advertising and partners and listing order [Art. 10], how reviews are displayed, reported and deleted [Art. 26], the own-services label and introduction of partners' experiences [Art. 27], event display names [Art. 24], who may post jobs [Art. 25]). Clarified responsibility for posts, contracts with listed businesses and AI results (Arts. 7 and 9) and the scope of warranties and compensation (Arts. 13 and 15), and added use by minors (Art. 3), closing an account (Art. 12) and My Abroad records (Art. 29). Effective on publication, as these changes reflect actual practice or clarify without disadvantaging Users |
| 2026-10-24 | October 24, 2026 | Set out in Content use how quotations, summaries, links, screenshots, and reading for search and AI answers are handled, and aligned Articles 5, 6 and 8 with it (the prohibitions on republishing in full, reusing images and bulk collection are unchanged). Effective on publication, as this change does not disadvantage Users |
| 2026-11-02 | November 2, 2026 | To match actual practice, added to Article 24 (Events) that posts by members are published as soon as they are posted, non-public status upon reports, applying to attend on this site and what is shown to the organizer, content that may not be posted, the organizer's responsibility, rights to photos, review of partner applications, and Event reviews. Added Article 30 (Claims of Infringement) and Article 31 (Conditions for the “Via BLOOM ABROAD” Price in Study Abroad Quote Check), and moved Contact to Article 32 (effective on publication; the provision in Article 24 that organizers use attendees' information only for accepting and running the Event adds a new obligation for organizers, so notice was given at least 14 days in advance and it takes effect on November 16, 2026) |
Last updated: November 2, 2026
For our policy on inquiries, please see Policy on Inquiries.
