Terms of Service
These terms apply when you use Izakaya Buddy (the app at izakayabuddy.com). Izakaya Buddy is run by Ryosuke Kogure, an individual based in Japan ("we", "us"). By using the app you agree to these terms.
1. What Izakaya Buddy does
You take a photo of a Japanese menu or bill. Our AI reads it and explains the dishes, prices and charges in English, and can show the staff your order in Japanese.
2. The AI can make mistakes
Handwritten menus are hard to read, and the AI can get names, prices or ingredients wrong. Treat the results as help, not as fact. Always check dish names, prices and ingredients with the staff or the restaurant before you order or pay.
3. Dietary restrictions and allergies
The dietary flags and the card you can show to staff are there to help you communicate. They are not a guarantee that a dish is safe for you. A dish may contain ingredients the menu doesn't mention, recipes change, and kitchens share equipment. If you have a serious allergy, always confirm with the staff and make your own decision.
4. Your account
You sign in with Google. Keep your Google account secure; you are responsible for what happens in your Izakaya Buddy account. One account is for one person.
5. Scans and scan packs
- Each new account gets 3 free scans. After that, you can buy scan packs (one-time payments, no subscription).
- Prices are in US dollars and include any taxes. Purchases are sold and processed through Link, Stripe's checkout, which acts as the merchant of record. Link's terms also apply to the payment.
- Scans never expire. They belong to your account, cannot be transferred to anyone else, and have no cash value (they cannot be exchanged for cash).
- A scan that fails (for example, an unreadable photo or a server error) is not charged.
6. Refunds
If you ask within 14 days of buying a pack, and you haven't used any purchased scans since that purchase, we will refund the pack in full. Email [email protected] with the email address you sign in with. Otherwise, purchases are not refundable, except where the law requires a refund. When a pack is refunded or a payment is reversed (for example, a chargeback), the scans from that pack are removed from your account.
7. If we shut down
If we ever close Izakaya Buddy, we will tell you at least 30 days in advance and refund the purchased scans you have left, at the per-scan price of the pack you bought.
8. Things you must not do
You must not:
- use the app for anything illegal, or to infringe other people's rights;
- send large numbers of scans automatically, or try to get around limits, payments or security;
- copy, resell or reverse-engineer the app;
- upload photos you don't have the right to use.
We may suspend accounts that break these rules.
9. Your photos and our content
You keep the rights to your photos. We use them only to read the menu or bill for you (see the Privacy Policy). The app, its texts and the guides belong to us.
10. Changes
We may update the app and these terms. If a change is important, we will show a notice in the app before it takes effect.
11. Our responsibility
To the extent the law allows, the app is provided "as is", and we are not responsible for indirect losses (for example, a meal you didn't enjoy or a price that was misread). To the extent the law allows, our total responsibility to you is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the problem. Nothing in these terms limits responsibility that cannot be limited by law, such as for intent or gross negligence, or your rights as a consumer under the laws of your country.
12. Law
These terms are governed by the laws of Japan. Any dispute will be handled by the Tokyo District Court, without affecting the consumer protections you have where you live.