Terms of Service

Last updated: 10 November 2026 (version: policy-2026-11-10b)

Provider: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokyo Little Hands (“Tokyo Little Hands”, “we”, “us”)
Service: Babysitting service for inbound visitors to Japan (the “Service”)

1. Application

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) set out the conditions for using the Service.
By using the Service or making a booking, you (“you”, the “User”) agree to these Terms.

2. Service Description

• We arrange and dispatch English-speaking babysitters to the location you specify within Tokyo’s 23 wards (your hotel or other accommodation, or your home).
• The Service is intended primarily for children aged 2 to 12. The minimum booking is 1 hour, and extensions are charged in 30-minute units.
• The Service focuses on general childcare such as supervising children, playing with them, and helping them settle to sleep. We do not provide medical treatment, dangerous or high-risk activities, work at heights, supervision at beaches or pools without a lifeguard, or extensive housekeeping.
• Meals: We generally do not provide meals. Only where it is absolutely necessary and agreed in advance, we may offer limited assistance such as supervising pre-prepared meals or snacks that you provide.
• Indoor cameras: If you use indoor cameras during the booking, you must inform us and the sitter in advance, and you must not record in bathrooms or toilets.
• As a rule, one sitter cares for no more than three children at the same time, and only for siblings from the same family. You agree that one sitter may care for siblings at the same time. We do not care for children from different families at the same time. For four or more children, we send additional sitters.

3. Fees, Booking and Payment

• Fees are charged in US dollars (USD) and include tax. Amounts are rounded down.
• The standard rate is 30 USD per hour, with a minimum booking of 1 hour. A 5-hour package is available for 140 USD. Extensions are charged in 30-minute units at 15 USD per 30 minutes.
• A booking arrangement fee of 40 USD applies once per booking, regardless of the number of days.
• Transportation is 20 USD per sitter per day. The number of sitters is determined by the number of children: 1 sitter for 1–3 children, 2 sitters for 4–7 children, and 3 sitters for 8–9 children. Bookings for 10 or more children are arranged individually and are not covered by the standard fee schedule.
• Surcharges are assessed in Japan Standard Time (JST). Late-night care between 23:00 and 05:00 is 20 USD per hour, and each additional child is 12 USD per child per hour. A short-notice fee of 10 USD applies to each booked date that begins within 24 hours. A surcharge of 30% of the fee applies when any part of the booking falls within the New Year period from December 29 to January 3.
• Bookings that involve an overnight stay for the sitter are outside the standard price list and are quoted individually.
• Your booking is confirmed when payment is successfully completed through our designated online payment system. At that point, a contract is formed and we will provide the Service at the booked date and time. Payment processing fees and bank charges are your responsibility. If payment is not completed, the booking will be invalid.
• You agree to cooperate with identity verification, including uploading an image of a government-issued photo ID (for visitors, the passport photo page).

4. Cancellations

• Cancellation fees are based on the time between when we receive your cancellation and the scheduled start time of the booking:
  • Cancellation 48 hours or more in advance: no charge
  • Cancellation 24–48 hours in advance: 50% of the fee
  • Cancellation less than 24 hours in advance: 100% of the fee
  • No-show without notice: 100% of the fee
• For bookings covering multiple days or multiple time slots, the above rules apply separately to each day or time slot.
• Refunds are generally made using the same payment method used for the original payment. Payment processing fees and foreign exchange differences may not be refundable.
• Transport fees are included in the cancellation fee calculated above.

5. The Child’s Health

• This is a childcare service. We do not provide care for sick children.
• If any of the following applies we are unable to look after your child, so please let us know before the start time.
  • In the 24 hours before the start time, the child had a temperature of 38°C or higher, including a temperature brought down with fever-reducing medicine
  • In the 24 hours before the start time, the child vomited more than once, or had watery stools more than once
  • A doctor has diagnosed an infectious illness and the period for staying away from nursery or school has not ended
  • Someone staying in the same room has been diagnosed with infectious gastroenteritis with vomiting or diarrhoea, influenza, or COVID-19
• Please also tell us if the child has a temperature above 37.5°C before the start time. We will discuss it with you and may need to postpone the visit.
• If anything about the child’s condition concerns you, please take their temperature before the visit. If you do not have a thermometer, your hotel may be able to lend you one – please ask at the front desk. If taking a temperature is difficult, please check appetite, mood and whether the child is drinking, and tell us anything that concerns you.
• We will discuss it with you and may need to stop the visit if the sitter finds any of the following on arrival.
  • No energy, no appetite, not drinking, or appearing unwell
  • Coughing that interrupts speech or sleep, or breathing that looks laboured
  • A rash on a part that cannot be covered, or a weeping rash
• If the child becomes unwell during the visit, we will contact you and may need to end the visit early.
• When a visit is called off because the child is unwell, the following applies in place of Section 4. We deduct these amounts from what you have paid and refund the remainder.
  • You tell us before the scheduled start time: the arrangement fee and that day’s transport fee
  • The visit is stopped after the sitter arrives: the above plus one hour of the childcare fee
  • The visit ends early: the above plus the childcare fee for the time actually provided (a minimum of one hour)
• The arrangement fee is charged once per booking. If only some days of a multi-day booking are called off, we deduct only that day’s transport fee, and the childcare fee where applicable.
• Refunds are returned to the original payment method and typically take 5–10 business days to appear. Payment processing fees and foreign exchange differences may not be refundable.

6. Regular Care

• “Regular Care” means a contract for repeated use at a pace of at least once a week. The first contract assumes at least four visits, and it then continues on a monthly basis.
• Fees for Regular Care are charged in US dollars (USD) and include tax. Amounts are rounded down.
  • Base fee: 27 USD per hour (the 5-hour package does not apply)
  • Additional child: 10 USD per child per hour
  • Transportation: 10 USD per sitter per day
  • Extensions are charged in 30-minute units at 15 USD per 30 minutes (as in Section 3)
  • The surcharges for late-night care (23:00–05:00), the New Year period (December 29 to January 3) and any booked date that begins within 24 hours are the same as in Section 3
• An arrangement fee of 40 USD is charged once when Regular Care starts. After that, 40 USD is charged per request when you ask to change your regular sitter, or when, with your agreement, we arrange a different sitter for an additional request. No arrangement fee is charged when we change the sitter for our own reasons.
• We aim for the same sitter (your “main sitter”) to continue caring for your children, but we do not guarantee it. If your main sitter cannot take an additional request, we may offer a different sitter. You may decline, and no fee is charged in that case.
• The fees for the first four visits and the arrangement fee are paid in advance through our designated online payment system when the contract is made. After that, we send the amount for the next month’s scheduled visits around the 20th of each month, payable in advance. Each month’s bookings are confirmed when payment is completed. If payment is not completed by the due date, the next month’s bookings are not confirmed.
• To make a lasting change to the days or times, or to stop Regular Care, please contact us at least seven days before your next scheduled visit. Cancellations made after that point follow Section 4 for each visit.
• Cancellation of each visit follows Section 4. If a visit could not take place for our own reasons, we refund the fee for that visit in full. If you decline a different sitter we offered, we do not charge for that visit.
• If Regular Care ends before the first four visits are completed, we do not charge the difference from the standard fees. Cancelled visits are handled under the previous paragraph.
• The arrangement fee is refunded if the first visit could not take place for our own reasons, or if you cancel the contract at least 48 hours before the first scheduled visit. Otherwise, the arrangement fee is not refunded.
• Matters not covered by this Section are governed by the other provisions of these Terms.

7. Intellectual Property

All text, images, logos, and other content on our website and in connection with the Service belong to us or to the rightful owners. You may not copy, reproduce, repost, or otherwise reuse any content without permission.

8. Prohibited Conduct

• You must not:
  　(1) provide false or misleading information;
  　(2) force the sitter to provide care in dangerous or unsanitary conditions;
  　(3) resell or misuse the Service for commercial purposes;
  　(4) harass, threaten, or abuse sitters, or engage in discriminatory behavior;
  　(5) ask the sitter to perform work outside the scope of the Service without our prior consent;
  　(6) solicit, introduce, or enter into a direct contract with a sitter without going through us.
• For one (1) year from the first date of use, you must not enter into direct arrangements with a sitter outside our Service. If you breach this rule, you agree to pay us liquidated damages of JPY 500,000 or 50% of the total value of your direct transactions with the sitter, whichever is higher.

9. User’s Responsibility to Compensate

If, in connection with your use of the Service, you cause damage to a third party, you are responsible for resolving the matter at your own cost and risk and for keeping us free from any loss or liability.

10. Disclaimer and Force Majeure

• We are not responsible for delays or failures in providing the Service due to events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, large-scale communication or transport disruptions, power outages, or venue restrictions.
• In the event of a sudden illness, accident, or other emergency during the Service, the sitter may take necessary steps such as basic first aid, calling emergency services (e.g., 119 or 110), or accompanying the child to a medical facility. Unless we act with willful misconduct or gross negligence, we are not liable for any resulting loss.
• Any actual costs arising from emergency response (such as transport and medical expenses) are your responsibility.

11. Changes to the Service and Terms

We may change or discontinue the Service or these Terms when necessary, without prior notice. Any changes to the Terms take effect when they are posted on our website.

12. Guidelines and Policies

Our safety guidelines, FAQ, cancellation policy, and other rules published on our website form part of these Terms and apply together with them.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with the Service or these Terms will be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Tokyo District Court or the Tokyo Summary Court.

Contact

Tokyo Little Hands (Kabushiki Kaisha Tokyo Little Hands)
info@tokyo-lh.com