Terms of Use

Effective date: July 17, 2026

Welcome to Myoko, a free iOS travel guide for the Myoko area in Niigata, Japan, published by Studio Hedera ("we", "us"). These Terms of Use ("Terms") are a simple agreement between you and Studio Hedera. Please read them before using the app.

1. Accepting these terms

By downloading, installing, or using Myoko (the "App"), you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

2. What the App is

Myoko is an informational travel guide for tourists visiting the Myoko area. It shows places to eat, bathe, ski, and explore, along with weather, maps, bus schedules, and links to third-party booking sites.

The App is not a booking platform, travel agency, or transaction service. We do not sell tours, rooms, lift tickets, or tickets of any kind. When you tap a booking link, you leave the App and enter a separate service run by someone else.

3. No guarantee of accuracy

We work hard to keep information up to date, but we cannot promise it is always correct. Details such as:

• opening hours,
• lift and trail status,
• prices and menus,
• bus and shuttle schedules,
• onsen day-use rules and tattoo policies,

can change at any time, sometimes without notice. Much of our content is aggregated from public sources and third-party APIs (such as Google Places), and lift status is summarized from public resort announcements. Bus positions shown in the App are estimates calculated from published timetables, not live GPS tracking. Always confirm important details directly with the business or operator before you rely on them.

The App is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

4. Third-party bookings and links

The App links to third-party services such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, Agoda, Rakuten Travel, Google Maps, Uber, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. When you follow one of these links:

• You leave the App and enter a service run by another company.
• Any booking, purchase, reservation, or account you make is between you and that third party.
• Their terms, prices, cancellation rules, and privacy policies apply.
• Studio Hedera is not a party to the transaction and is not responsible for it.

If something goes wrong with a booking (wrong dates, refunds, cancellations, disputes), please contact the booking provider directly.

5. Intellectual property

The App, its design, code, text, and curation are owned by Studio Hedera or licensed to us. Some content is used under the respective provider's license — for example photos from Google Places, and ski-run geometry from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL).

You may use the App for your own personal, non-commercial travel planning. You may not:

• copy, scrape, crawl, or mirror the App's content,
• republish, resell, or redistribute information from the App,
• use the App's content to train machine-learning models,
• remove or hide any credits, trademarks, or copyright notices.

If you believe content in the App infringes your rights, email us at the address below.

6. Acceptable use

Please use the App responsibly. Do not:

• reverse engineer, decompile, or tamper with the App,
• attempt to access our Firebase backend or APIs in any way other than through the App,
• use the App to break the law, harass anyone, or interfere with other users,
• use the App in a way that could damage it or disrupt service for others,
• use the App while driving or in any way that is unsafe (especially when skiing — put the phone away on the slope, and never use the AR finder while moving).

7. Your safety

Myoko is a mountain and winter-sports region with some of the deepest snowfall in Japan. Weather, avalanches, traffic, and trail conditions can be dangerous. Backcountry terrain accessed through resort gates is not patrolled. The App does not replace official resort information, avalanche bulletins, local guides, patrol instructions, or common sense. The Essentials page lists emergency contacts for convenience, but in a life-threatening emergency always dial 119 (fire/ambulance) or 110 (police) first. You are responsible for your own safety and for following the rules of every resort, road, onsen, and business you visit.

8. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent allowed by law, Studio Hedera is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the App, including (but not limited to):

• lost bookings, wasted trips, missed buses, or unexpected costs,
• injury or loss while traveling, skiing, or bathing,
• damages caused by third-party services linked from the App,
• interruption, bugs, or data loss in the App.

Our total liability for any claim relating to the App is limited to JPY 1,000 or the amount you paid for the App (which is zero, as the App is free), whichever is greater.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

9. Changes to the App

We may add, change, or remove features at any time. We may also stop publishing the App. We will try to give notice of major changes in the App or on our website, but we are not required to.

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms. When we do, we will change the effective date at the top and post the new version at studio-hedera.com/myoko/terms. If you keep using the App after the change, that means you accept the new Terms.

11. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be brought exclusively in the courts of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and you agree to that jurisdiction.

12. Severability

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest still applies.

13. Contact

Questions, copyright notices, or feedback?

Studio Hedera
Email: info@studio-hedera.com
Web: studio-hedera.com

Thank you for visiting Myoko. Have a great trip.