Legal notice

Legal operator and seller: Maxime Lebail, trading as Offbeat Buddy.

Business status: a sole proprietorship established in Japan (kojin jigyō), registered with the Japanese tax authorities. Offbeat Buddy is a trading name, not a separate incorporated company. The business is not registered as a corporation in Japan’s commercial register.

Business address:

Email: hello@offbeatbuddy.com
Business telephone: +81 70 2643 3048
Website: offbeatbuddy.com

Person responsible for publication and sales: Maxime Lebail.

Please use email for booking questions, complaints or requests relating to this website so that I can keep a clear record of the information provided. This contact service is not an emergency service. The business address is not a walk-in meeting point; the location of each hangout is agreed separately.

Offbeat Buddy publishes information, personal recommendations and other editorial content about Japan. Some articles contain affiliate links, as explained in the affiliate disclosure.

The paid service is friendly, strictly platonic companionship for adults aged 18 or over. You book agreed time with a buddy to talk and share ordinary activities. At launch, I provide the service personally and am the person with whom you contract.

Hangouts are available in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Kobe, with requests elsewhere in the Kansai region or beyond considered by quotation. A hangout may involve walking, public transport or another activity expressly agreed in advance.

The service does not include professional interpreting, medical or personal care, security, dating or sexual services. It is not sold as a professional guided tour, a package holiday or an organised transport service. The precise activities and limits are set out in the booking terms and safety rules.

Prices are in Japanese yen (JPY).

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The quotation confirms the agreed duration, number of participants, scope and total service price. Do not assume that the published price covers an unlimited number of people. Any additional participant or extension must be agreed and priced before it is added. A detailed quotation is provided by email before any commitment; requesting it does not itself create a booking or a charge.

An eight-hour booking is an elapsed period of companionship, including agreed meals, breaks and travel between activities. It is not a promise of eight hours of uninterrupted walking or activity. The agreed start and finish times appear in the booking confirmation.

You pay for your own food, drinks, admission charges, transport, rentals and other purchases, unless the quotation expressly states otherwise. You also pay for my food and drinks during the agreed hangout, within the arrangements and any budget agreed beforehand. I pay for my own transport.

Any other cost relating to my participation, such as admission or rental, must be allocated expressly before that activity is confirmed. I do not add an unapproved activity or purchase to your bill. Costs that are not yet known should be identified as estimates, with a method for confirming them before you commit.

Your bank or payment provider may charge you currency-conversion or transfer fees. Any fee charged by Offbeat Buddy itself must be shown before you pay.

Third-party tickets, transport, accommodation and activities are normally purchased directly by you from the relevant provider under its own terms. A request for help does not automatically authorise me to arrange or resell a regulated travel or transport service. Any exceptional arrangement requires separate agreement and confirmation that it is lawful and appropriately covered.

An enquiry does not reserve a date or create a payment obligation. I first confirm availability and provide the proposed service, date, time, meeting arrangements, total price, payment deadline and applicable conditions.

Full advance payment is required to confirm the booking, using the payment method offered for that quotation through Stripe or Wise. Payment must be received within the stated deadline. There is no recurring subscription or automatic renewal attached to a one-off hangout.

The booking becomes binding when the agreed advance payment is received following acceptance of the quotation and terms. I send a written booking confirmation showing acceptance, the amount and date of payment, the service and its date, and my business contact details. I provide the service on the agreed date. An expired quotation must be reconfirmed before payment. If a payment is received for an arrangement I cannot accept or fulfil, I contact you and return the payment unless you expressly agree to a replacement arrangement.

Any availability limit or special offer deadline will be stated with the relevant offer. Changes in published prices do not alter an already confirmed booking unless you agree to a change in its scope and price.

The terms and cancellation policy explain how cancellation, postponement, late arrival, non-attendance, unsafe conditions and early termination are handled. The applicable cancellation schedule must be provided before payment and included or linked clearly in the booking record.

Do not rely on a general assumption that an online booking can always be cancelled free of charge. Equally, nothing on this page removes a cancellation, refund or other remedy that applicable mandatory law gives you.

If I cannot provide the agreed service, I will explain the available options and the refund due under the booking terms and applicable law. I do not substitute a credit or a different date for a cash refund without your agreement where a refund is due.

To raise a booking issue, email hello@offbeatbuddy.com with your name, booking reference if available and a description of the problem. Please do not include full card numbers or unnecessary identity documents.

The website uses Cloudflare hosting and delivery services. Other technical and payment providers may process information as explained in the privacy policy. A provider’s involvement does not make it the seller of my companionship service.

External websites are operated by their respective owners. If you buy through an affiliate link, your purchase contract is generally with that merchant, which sets its prices, availability and purchase conditions. This does not remove my responsibility for statements I make on Offbeat Buddy.

Website information can become outdated, particularly prices, schedules and venue rules. The editorial policy explains how I check content and handle corrections. A general article does not replace the particular terms of a confirmed booking.

Original text, photographs, branding and other protectable content belong to their respective rights holders. Some images are generated illustrations; any rights in them depend on applicable law. This notice does not claim copyright where none exists, or ownership of third-party names, marks or materials.

You may link to publicly available pages. Copying, republishing, selling or reusing protected material beyond what the law permits requires the relevant permission. Statutory exceptions, including lawful quotation, remain unaffected. Contact me if you would like permission for a particular use.

If you contribute a review, image or other material, you retain your rights. Any permission to publish it must cover the agreed purpose and use; sending a private message or booking a hangout does not grant an unlimited marketing licence.

For a rights concern, email the location of the material, the right concerned and information supporting your request. I will assess the report and take appropriate action.

The business operates in Japan. Japanese law governs the service as set out in the booking terms, subject to any mandatory protections that apply to you. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or removes access to a court or remedy guaranteed by applicable law.

Read this page together with the privacy policy, editorial policy, affiliate disclosure, terms and cancellation policy and safety rules.