I tried answering the question about upgrading classes below.

https://universe-club.jp/help/questions/view/6913 It isn’t the difference between the admission fee and the annual membership fee (from the second year onward). It’s the difference between the admission fees for Gold and Standard. Since it’s an admission fee, your next annual fee payment will be due one year after the date you upgrade. If you join as a Standard member and upgrade to Gold after 11 months, you can remain a member for 23 months total (11 + 12) by paying the Gold admission fee. I think that’s a very reasonable fee structure. If you’re torn between the two, there’s no real downside to joining as a Standard member.