Contest Top | Official Rules | A Full Prize List

Official Rules for the Visit Japan Year 2010 Contest
No Purchase Required to Enter or Win

Eligibility: The Visit Japan Year 2010 Contest (the "Contest") is open only to legal residents of United States who are thirteen (13) or older, except for residents of Maine, who must be eighteen (18) or older to enter. Employees of Japan National Tourism Organization or other companies associated with the Contest, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Contest is void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited.

Sponsor: The Contest is sponsored by Japan National Tourism Organization, One Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1250, New York, NY 10020 (the "Sponsor").

Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in the Contest constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

Entry Period: The Contest begins at 12:00:01 AM ET on September 1, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on November 30, 2009 (the "Entry Period"). Entries that are submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible.

Create an Entry: Write an essay or take a photo expressing "Why I want to or should visit Japan" (your "Entry"). Your Entry must meet each of the following requirements:

1. Essays should be no more than 2,010 characters, including spaces.
2. Photos must be submitted in JPEG format, must be no larger than 1MB in size, and may have a caption that is no longer than 201 characters, including spaces.
3. The Entry must not: (i) invade privacy rights or any other rights of any person, business, or group; (ii) depict any third party without his/her permission; (iii) be obscene or indecent; (iv) depict any risky behavior, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion; (v) contain defamatory statements; or (vi) include threats to any person, place, business, or group.
4. The Entry must not contain any copyrighted elements or trademarks other than elements owned by you. Any elements that appear in the Entry, must be entirely original, created and performed solely by you, or be in the public domain. Use of any elements that are not original or in the public domain may result in disqualification of the Entry, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion.

Submit your Entry: Once you have created an Entry that meets each of the requirements set forth above, visit www.japantravelinfo.com/2010 (the "Website") and follow the instructions to submit your Entry. There is a limit of one (1) Entry per person. Subsequent entries will be void.

Your Warranties and Representations: By submitting an Entry, you warrant and represent:

1. The Entry (i) is original to you, (ii) does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or any other rights of any third party, (iii) does not violate any law or regulation, (iv) has not previously been entered in any other Contest, and (v) has not been previously published in any medium.
2. If your Entry depicts any individual other than yourself, you have obtained permission from each such individual or, if that person is a minor, permission from that person’s parent or legal guardian, to grant the rights to the Sponsor described in the "Sponsor’s Rights to Entries" section below, and can make written copies of such permissions available to the Sponsor upon request.

Sponsor’s Rights to Entries: By submitting an Entry, you:

1. Irrevocably grant to the Sponsor, its agents, licensees, and assigns the unconditional and perpetual (non-exclusive) right and permission to copyright, reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, modify, create derivative works of, exhibit, and otherwise use the Entry as-is or as-edited (with or without using your name) in any media throughout the world for any purpose, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from you or any other party.
2. Forever waive any rights of copyrights, trademark rights, privacy rights, and any other legal or moral rights that may preclude the Sponsor’s use of your Entry, or require any further permission for the Sponsor to use the Entry.
3. Agree not to instigate, support, maintain, or authorize any action, claim, or lawsuit against the Sponsor on the grounds that any use of the Entry, or any derivative works, infringes any of your rights as creator of the Entry, including, without limitation, copyrights, trademark rights, and moral rights.

Selection of Potential Winners: After the Entry Period, a panel of judges selected by the Sponsor will evaluate all entries based on the judging criteria set forth below. The decisions of the Judges are final and binding. The odds of being selected depend on the relative performance of all entrants and the number of eligible entries received.

1. Essays: Essays will be evaluated based on the following criteria: (a) how well the essay is written; (b) how well the essay communicates the entrant’s desire to go to Japan; and (c) whether the essay conveys an original sentiment.
2. Photos: Photos and captions will be evaluated based on the following criteria: (a) how well the photo is taken; (b) how well the photo and caption match; (c) how well the photo with caption communicates the entrant’s desire to go to Japan; and (d) whether the photo with caption conveys an original sentiment.

Requirements of Potential Winners: Except where prohibited, each potential winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and a liability/publicity release within fourteen (14) days. If a potential winner fails to return the required documents in a timely manner or is otherwise ineligible to receive the prize, an alternate entrant may be selected in his/her place according to the procedures set forth above, if time permits.

Prizes for Essays: The following prizes are available for entrants who submitted essays. The prizes are listed in order from highest score to lowest score. Please see the "For All Prizes" section below for additional details.

1. One (1) winner will receive round-trip Japan Airlines economy class tickets for two (2) to Japan, a certificate for a three-night stay for two (2) at the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo, and two (2) JR East Passes (five-day, Ordinary). The approximate retail value ("ARV") of the prize is $5,100. Travel must be completed by December 31, 2010.
2. One (1) winner will receive a Monograms 2010 Tokyo & Kyoto Vacation for two (2), including accommodations for three (3) nights in each Tokyo and Kyoto, sightseeing, ground transportation, breakfast each morning, and transfer between cities. ARV: $4,198. Airfare is not included. Travel must be completed by December 31, 2010.
3. One (1) winner will receive round-trip Continental Airlines economy class tickets for two (2) to Japan and a certificate for a two-night stay for two (2) at the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel. ARV: $4,000. Travel must be completed by December 31, 2010.
4. One (1) winner will receive a certificate for a two-night stay for two (2) at the Prince Hotel Park Tower Tokyo. ARV: $1,300. Airfare is not included. Stay must be completed by June 15, 2010.
5. One (1) winner will receive a Mt. Fuji – Hakone 1 Day Tour by Nippon Travel Agency for two (2). ARV: $290. Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included. Tour must be completed by December 15, 2010.
6. One (1) winner will receive a Mt. Fuji –Hakone 1 Day Tour by Motorcoach Throughout by JTB for two (2). ARV: $286. Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included. Tour must be completed by December 31, 2010.
7. One (1) winner will receive a Tokyo Morning Tour by JTB for two (2). ARV: $110. Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included. Tour must be completed by December 31, 2010.
8. Five (5) winners will each receive a $100 Discount by IACE Travel for Air Tickets to Japan. The discount must be used by December 31, 2010.
9. Ten (10) winners will receive Japan-related goods selected by the Sponsor. ARV: $30.

Prizes for Photos: The following prizes are available for entrants who submitted photos. The prizes are listed in order from highest score to lowest score. Please see the "For All Prizes" section below for additional details.

1. One (1) winner will receive round-trip All Nippon Airways economy class tickets for two (2) to Japan, a certificate for a three-night stay for two (2) at the Hotel New Otani (Tokyo), and two (2) JR East Passes (five-day, Ordinary). ARV: $4,670. Travel must be completed by December 25, 2010.
2. One (1) winner will receive round-trip United Airlines economy class tickets for two (2) to Japan provided by H.I.S. USA and a certificate for a two-night stay for two (2) at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Certificate. ARV: $3,890. Travel must be completed by June 30, 2010.
3. One (1) winner will receive two (2) Delta Airlines certificates and a certificate for a one-night stay for two (2) at the Gran Pacific Le Daiba. ARV: $1,880. Travel must be completed by June 30, 2010.
4. One (1) winner will receive a certificate for a two-night stay for two (2) at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa. ARV: $890. Airfare is not included. Stay must be completed by June 15, 2010.
5. One (1) winner will receive a Mt. Fuji – Hakone 1 Day Tour by Motorcoach Throughout by JTB for two (2). ARV: $286. Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included. Tour must be completed by December 31, 2010.
6. One (1) winner will receive a Tokyo Morning Tour by JTB for two (2). ARV: $110. Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included. Tour must be completed by December 31, 2010.
7. One (1) winner will receive a Tokyo Grand Full Day Tour (with Lunch) for one (1) by Kintetsu International. ARV: $90. Airfare and hotel accommodations are not included. Tour must be completed by December 31, 2010.
8. Five (5) winners will each receive a $100 Discount by IACE Travel for Air Tickets to Japan. The discount must be used by December 31, 2010.
9. Ten (10) winners will receive Japan-related goods selected by the Sponsor. ARV: $30.

For all Prizes: Any prize details not specified above will be determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. Travel companions may be required to sign a liability and publicity release prior to travel. Prizes are not transferable and must be accepted as awarded. No cash or other substitution may be made, except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. The winner is responsible for any and all other costs and expenses not listed above. In some cases, travel and hotel accommodations are not provided. Prizes may be reported as income to a winner and the winner will be responsible for payment and reporting of all applicable taxes associated with the receipt of a prize

Privacy and Publicity: All information submitted by entrants in the Contest will be used for purposes of the Contest and treated in accordance with the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy on the Website. Except where prohibited, participation in the Contest constitutes an entrant’s consent to the Sponsor’s use of his/her name, likeness, voice, opinions, biographical information, and state of residence for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.

General Conditions: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules or (b) select Contest Winners according to the Judging Criteria from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In the event of a dispute as to any online entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter will be deemed to be the participant. The "authorized account holder" is the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. The Contest is subject to all applicable laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, its officers, directors, employees, and agents (the "Released Parties") from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) any technical errors that may prevent an entrant from submitting an entry; (b) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Contest, or the processing of entries; or (f) injury, death, or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt of any prize. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Released Parties’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Released Parties be liable for attorney’s fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in New York. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of New York or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than New York.

Results: Winners will be posted on the Website.