Advertising Terms

Fast Train Media / Fast Train Japan

Version: 2026-10 (effective 2026-10-15)

These terms apply to orders placed on or after 15 October 2026. Orders placed before then are governed by the terms in force when they were placed.

These terms apply to every advertising order with Fast Train Media Limited or Fast Train Japan LLC, whichever is named on the order form ("we", "us"). "You" means the advertiser named on the order form.

  1. 1. Scope and acceptance

    1. 1.1 These terms cover advertising on, and content we produce for, Tokyo Cheapo, Japan Cheapo and our other websites, and our Instagram, YouTube, newsletter and other channels ("our channels").
    2. 1.2 We do not accept advertising involving religious organisations, organised crime or other anti-social groups, and ad content must be accurate and trustworthy.

  2. 2. The contract and what takes precedence

    1. 2.1 The contract is formed when you send us a completed order form (a signed or emailed PDF is enough) and we confirm acceptance verbally or in writing, including by email.
    2. 2.2 The contract consists of the order form and these terms. Anything not written on the order form is not part of the contract — including figures, placements or extras mentioned in emails or meetings.
    3. 2.3 The order form and these terms take precedence over any purchase order, order confirmation or other form you send us.

  3. 3. Materials, deadlines and your approver

    1. 3.1 You supply the information and materials we ask for (text, images, links, etc.) and your feedback and approvals by the deadlines we set. If they arrive late, production and publication move back, and we may reschedule.
    2. 3.2 You name one approver on the order form. The approver collects comments from everyone on your side — including head office, legal, and any agency, venue, partner or funder involved — and sends them to us. We are not obliged to act on comments that come directly from anyone else.
    3. 3.3 If someone not identified at the time of the order later needs to review or approve the work, that is a change of scope; we agree any extra cost and time with you separately.
    4. 3.4 Content is produced to our editorial guidelines. We reflect your preferences as closely as we can, but we have final editorial control over copy and content, may edit it, and may decline to publish anything we judge unsuitable for our readers.
    5. 3.5 If materials, feedback or approval are not received by the deadline, we may move publication to the next available slot. YouTube mid-roll slots are limited each month, so a missed deadline may move a mid-roll to a later month. There is no fee for a postponement, but clause 7.4 applies.
    6. 3.6 If we receive no approval, feedback or change request within 14 calendar days of emailing a draft (first or revised) to your approver, the draft is treated as approved and we may publish it. Changes requested after approval (express or deemed) are handled under clauses 6 and 12.

  4. 4. Image specifications

    1. 4.1 You supply images and creative at the quality, resolution and pixel size we specify.
    2. 4.2 We do not normally edit or crop your images, but may do so where there is a problem.
    3. 4.3 We may replace unsuitable or low-quality images, but are not obliged to.

  5. 5. Production schedules, conditions and extras

    Production schedules, included rounds of feedback, materials and publication conditions for each product, and the prices of the extras referred to in these terms, are set out in the production schedules, including the extras schedule.

  6. 6. Rounds of feedback

    1. 6.1 Each product includes the number of rounds of feedback shown in the production schedules: two rounds for sponsored articles, Instagram reels and carousels produced by us, YouTube mid-rolls and YouTube sponsored videos; one round for everything else (event listings, native ads, Instagram carousel inserts, Instagram stories, newsletter placements, Meta ads and so on).
    2. 6.2 Your approver sends each round's feedback in one consolidated email; one email is one round. Feedback sent piecemeal is not accepted.
    3. 6.3 A round covers corrections to facts, names, prices, links and wording, checked against the approved brief, outline, storyboard or script. Once a storyboard or script is approved, the finished piece is reviewed against it; changing the approved brief, outline, storyboard or script itself is a change of scope.
    4. 6.4 Rounds beyond those included, changes after approval and changes of scope are charged at the day rate in the extras schedule (half-day minimum). We tell you the expected cost before starting and only proceed with your agreement. We may decline further rounds.

  7. 7. Fees and payment

    1. 7.1 You pay our fees in full by the due date by bank transfer to the account we specify. Consumption tax (where it applies) and bank charges are yours.
    2. 7.2 Fees are charged per period as ordered and are not pro-rated for shorter runs.
    3. 7.3 We invoice on the date stated on the order form, or, if none is stated, when the ad is published.
    4. 7.4 If an ad has not been published within 3 months of the order because of client delay, we may invoice it at the month-end close of the month in which those 3 months end; payment is due on your payment terms (for month-end closing, payment at the end of the following month). The ad remains available to publish until 6 months after the order; after that your right to it lapses. Fees paid are not refunded in either case. "Client delay" means any time we are waiting on you for something that blocks our progress: materials, information, feedback, approvals or access.
    5. 7.5 Third-party costs are not included and are quoted in advance: travel and accommodation outside Tokyo's 23 wards, admission and location fees, props, extra crew and other amounts paid to third parties. YouTube mid-rolls are filmed in our studio; location filming is charged at the filming rate in the extras schedule.
    6. 7.6 Translated or other-language versions of our content are not included in the fee. They are available as an add-on, quoted on request.

  8. 8. Renewal

    Ads do not renew automatically. If you would like to renew, tell us at least one month before the end date.

  9. 9. Reports and estimates

    1. 9.1 Orders totalling ¥300,000 or more (before tax) include one end-of-campaign report. Native ads with a guaranteed figure include a one-page progress report each month.
    2. 9.2 Any other report — interim, additional, or in a format other than our standard one — is charged per report at the price in the extras schedule. Additional data beyond our standard report is quoted separately.
    3. 9.3 Reports are delivered from 7 business days after the day the campaign ends.
    4. 9.4 Reports are based on Google Analytics and similar tools; we do not warrant their accuracy.
    5. 9.5 Views, impressions, reach, clicks, conversions and similar figures we give are estimates, not guarantees. Only a figure written on the order form as guaranteed is guaranteed, and it is measured across the whole order. If a guaranteed figure is not reached, clause 17.1 applies.

  10. 10. Labelling and links

    1. 10.1 Paid content on our channels is labelled as advertising ("PR", "Sponsored" or similar).
    2. 10.2 Outbound links in ads are tagged rel="sponsored" in line with Google's guidelines.
    3. 10.3 Instagram posts carry Instagram's paid partnership label, and you must accept our paid-partnership request. Until you do, we cannot publish the post, and the delay counts as a delay on your side.

  11. 11. Your responsibilities

    1. 11.1 You are responsible for the content of your ad and for the ad once published.
    2. 11.2 Unless agreed otherwise, you obtain any permissions needed to produce the content (filming or interviews at a venue, use of images, logos and footage, etc.).
    3. 11.3 Photos, images, logos, text, translations and other material you supply must be material you have the rights to use; you are responsible for its content and rights clearance.

  12. 12. Changes after publication

    1. 12.1 Published copy, information and images are not normally changed. For website content:
      1. (a) Corrections of fact (dates, prices, names, links): free.
      2. (b) Native ads: one change of copy or link URL every two months while the ad runs: free.
      3. (c) Any other change: charged per change at the price in the extras schedule.
    2. 12.2 Allow at least 3 business days from the day after the request.
    3. 12.3 Video (YouTube etc.) and social media posts (Instagram etc.) are not changed after publication.

  13. 13. Withdrawal

    1. 13.1 If you withdraw an ad for your own reasons, tell us in writing.
    2. 13.2 Fees paid for an ad withdrawn while it is running are not refunded.

  14. 14. Cancellation fees

    1. 14.1 Sponsored articles: free if no costs have been incurred and no research, preparation or writing has started. Otherwise, as a percentage of the fee:
      1. (a) Research or preparation started: 25%
      2. (b) Article draft started: 50%
      3. (c) 7 days before the publication date: 75%
      4. (d) 1 day or less before the publication date: 100%
    2. 14.2 Produced video and social content (Instagram reels and carousels produced by us, YouTube mid-rolls, YouTube sponsored videos): free before planning starts; after that, by stage reached:
      1. (a) Planning started: 25%
      2. (b) Outline, storyboard or script delivered: 50%
      3. (c) Filming done: 75%
      4. (d) Finished cut or post delivered: 100%
    3. 14.3 Other ads, cancelled before publication:
      1. (a) 30 or more days before the start date: 0%
      2. (b) 14 or more days before: 10%
      3. (c) 7 or more days before: 25%
      4. (d) 2 or more days before: 50%
      5. (e) 1 day or less before: 100%
    4. 14.4 When one item in a package or multi-product order is cancelled, the fee is calculated on that item's list price (before tax).

  15. 15. Copyright and use of content

    1. 15.1 We own the copyright and other intellectual property in the articles, photos, images, video and other content we produce, including unused and unedited footage and photos from a shoot. Material you supply remains yours.
    2. 15.2 You may repost and share the finished, published content on your own website and social media accounts as ordinary (unpaid) posts, free of charge, with a credit to our channel (e.g. "Tokyo Cheapo").
    3. 15.3 The following uses are paid extras, allowed only when written on the order form or agreed by us in writing (email is fine), at the prices in the extras schedule:
      1. (a) Selecting and preparing unused or unedited footage and photos from a shoot, for your own ordinary posts: charged by time (day rate, half-day minimum).
      2. (b) Running our content as your own paid advertising (including partnership ads): per piece of content, for up to six months.
      3. (c) Extended licence (other media, internal use, other countries or regions; we keep the copyright): 33% of the product's list price.
      4. (d) Copyright assignment: 50% of the product's list price; only for content made without stock footage, stock images or licensed music.
    4. 15.4 We cannot supply or license material showing people who did not consent to be filmed, or containing third-party music, performances or other elements we have no right to pass on.

  16. 16. No exclusivity

    We do not grant exclusivity. Other advertisers, including your competitors, may appear on the same page or in the same video, post or newsletter. A pinned native ad buys one slot on the chosen page, not the page; a page carries up to three pinned slots.

  17. 17. Our responsibility

    1. 17.1 If we fail to deliver an ad as ordered for reasons within our control, we provide a re-run or an extension of equal value. We refund the affected part of the fee only if neither is possible.
    2. 17.2 Except in cases of our wilful misconduct or gross negligence, our liability under the contract is limited to direct and ordinary loss, and capped at the fee you paid for the ad that gave rise to the claim.
    3. 17.3 We are not liable for delay or interruption caused by events outside our control, including natural disasters, network or server failures, and changes, outages or takedowns on Google, Instagram, YouTube or other platforms.

  18. 18. Disputes

    Anything not covered by these terms, or any question about how they are read, will be settled by good-faith discussion between you and us.

  19. 19. Governing law and jurisdiction

    These terms and the contract are governed by Japanese law. The Tokyo District Court has exclusive jurisdiction at first instance over any dispute arising from them.

  20. 20. Self-serve event listings

    This clause applies to event listings ordered through our online listing form, in addition to the clauses above. Where it differs from them, this clause applies to those orders.

    1. 20.1 Submitting the listing form places an order. The preview shown in the form before you submit is your approval of the listing content (clause 3).
    2. 20.2 We may make stylistic, formatting and length edits before and after publication (clause 3.4). Factual errors (dates, times, venue, prices, links) you report after submission will be corrected. Other change requests after submission are not accepted.
    3. 20.3 We invoice on submission. Payment is due 2 working days after submission. If you need different payment terms, contact us before the due date; alternative terms apply only once we confirm them in writing (email is enough).
    4. 20.4 If payment has not been received 2 working days after the due date and no alternative terms have been agreed, the order is cancelled, the invoice is voided, no cancellation fee is charged and the listing is not published.
    5. 20.5 Once you have paid, or alternative terms have been agreed, the cancellation fees in clause 14.3 apply, calculated from the listing's publication date (for premium listings, the first featured day).
    6. 20.6 Free listings are published at our discretion and on condition that your official event page links to the listing.
    7. 20.7 Working days exclude weekends and Japanese public holidays.
    8. 20.8 We may decline any listing, before or after submission, that does not meet our editorial standards or is not suitable for our readers, for example events that are not open to the public, or listings that are misleading or promote unlawful activity (clauses 1.2 and 3.4). If we decline a paid listing, the invoice is voided or any payment is refunded in full.
    9. 20.9 Images you supply must be your own or licensed for this use (clause 11.3). They must be landscape and at least 1200px wide, and must not be flyers, posters or AI-generated images. We may crop, replace or decline any supplied image (clause 4). This does not entitle you to cancel the order or to a refund.

Orders placed before the effective date are governed by the terms in force when they were placed.