At a Glance

• We collect only the data needed to operate the site, respond to inquiries, and improve the reader experience.
• We use Google Analytics 4, Google AdSense (when activated), and affiliate-network cookies from Klook, GetYourGuide, Sakura Mobile, NINJA WiFi, trip.com, Viator, MagicalTrip, and others.
• We do not sell personal information. We never have, and we have no plans to.
• You can opt out of personalized advertising, request a copy of your data, or request deletion at any time.
• Contact: through the Contact form.

Who We Are

Go Japan Now (gojapannow.jp) is an independent Tokyo-based multilingual travel media operated by the same publisher across five languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. For more about the organization, see our About page.

In this policy, “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Go Japan Now. “You” refers to any visitor to the website, regardless of geographic location or language version used. This policy applies to the entire gojapannow.jp domain across all five language subpaths.

Information We Collect

Information you provide voluntarily. When you fill out the Contact form, we receive the name, email address, message subject, and message body you submit. The Contact form is protected by Cloudflare Turnstile to prevent automated abuse — Cloudflare may collect basic technical signals (IP, browser fingerprint, behavior) for that purpose. We do not have an account system, so we do not collect passwords, addresses, payment information, or similar account data.

Information collected automatically. Like virtually every website, our hosting infrastructure logs basic technical information when you visit: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and timestamp. These logs are retained for security and abuse prevention and are typically purged within 90 days. Our content delivery and caching layers may store similar information for shorter periods.

Information collected by third parties. The site uses analytics, advertising, and affiliate-tracking services provided by third parties. These services set their own cookies and collect their own data subject to their own privacy policies. The most important ones are listed in Section 5 below.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes only:

• Operating the site: serving pages, preventing abuse, maintaining security, fixing technical problems.
• Responding to inquiries: answering your messages and following up if needed.
• Editorial improvement: understanding which content is useful so we can update the most-read guides first.
• Affiliate attribution: tracking referrals from our links to operator websites so we receive commissions on completed purchases.
• Advertising (when active): if and when Google AdSense or similar networks are enabled, serving advertisements relevant to your interests.
• Legal compliance: meeting requirements under applicable Japanese, EU, US, and other laws.

We do not use your data for automated decision-making with legal or similarly significant effects, and we do not perform profiling that would meaningfully affect you.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (local storage, pixels) for the following purposes:

You can control cookies through your browser settings (most browsers allow blocking or deleting cookies category by category). Disabling strictly necessary cookies may break some site functionality such as language preference persistence. Disabling advertising or analytics cookies has no effect on the content you can read.

Third-Party Services We Use

Google Analytics 4. Used for anonymous traffic measurement. Data is processed by Google LLC subject to Google’s Privacy Policy. You can opt out installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Google AdSense (when enabled). If and when AdSense is activated on this site, Google and its certified third-party vendors may use cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) to serve advertisements based on your prior visits to this site and other sites. You can opt out of personalized advertising at Google Ads Settings or by visiting aboutads.info. Third-party vendors used by Google AdSense are listed in Google’s Help Center.

Affiliate networks. We participate in affiliate programs with Klook, Sakura Mobile, GetYourGuide, NINJA WiFi, trip.com, Viator, MagicalTrip, and others. When you click an affiliate link on our site, the partner sets a tracking cookie used to attribute any subsequent purchase to Go Japan Now. The price you pay is unaffected. Full details of these partnerships are on our Affiliate Disclosure page.

Cloudflare Turnstile. Used on the Contact form for spam and bot protection. Cloudflare processes basic technical signals as described in the Cloudflare Privacy Policy.

Hosting. The site is hosted by xServer (Xserver Inc., Japan). Server logs are stored on Japan-based infrastructure.

How We Share Information

We do not sell, trade, rent, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. The only situations in which information leaves Go Japan Now are:

• Service providers: the third parties listed in Section 5 (analytics, advertising, affiliates, hosting, abuse prevention), each acting under their own privacy policies and contractual obligations.
• Legal requirements: if required by law, court order, or government request that we believe in good faith is valid.
• Protection of rights: to investigate or prevent fraud, abuse, security incidents, or violations of our terms.
• Business transfer: if Go Japan Now is acquired, merged, or its assets transferred, the new owner would inherit the data subject to this policy (or to a successor policy that protects your rights at least as well).

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: ask us to fix inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: request that we delete your data (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Restriction: ask us to stop or limit the processing of your data.
• Portability: receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent: where processing is based on your consent, withdraw that consent at any time.
• Complain: file a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Specifically for California residents under the CCPA: you have the right to know, the right to delete, the right to opt out of sale (we do not sell your data), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights. For Japanese residents under the APPI (個人情報保護法): you have equivalent rights to access, correction, and deletion of your personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us through the Contact form. We will respond within 30 days (or sooner where required by law).

Children’s Privacy

Go Japan Now is intended for adult travelers (18 years or older). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in jurisdictions where that is the applicable age, such as some EU member states). If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Data Retention and Security

We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected: contact messages are typically retained for two years for reference and follow-up; server logs are typically purged within 90 days; analytics data is retained according to Google Analytics 4’s default retention settings (currently 14 months).

We protect personal information using industry-standard measures: HTTPS encryption for all traffic, restricted access to administrative interfaces, strong authentication for admin accounts, and regular software updates. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, but we work to apply commercially reasonable protection.

International Data Transfers

Go Japan Now is operated from Japan, and our primary servers are located in Japan. However, some of our third-party services (Google, Cloudflare, affiliate networks) operate global infrastructure, which means your data may be transferred to and processed in other countries including the United States and the European Union. These transfers are conducted under the legal frameworks each provider relies on (such as Standard Contractual Clauses for EU data).

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable law. Material changes will be highlighted at the top of this page, and the “Effective date” at the start of this policy will be updated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how your data is handled, please contact us through our Contact form. We aim to respond within three business days (Japan time).

For related information, see also our About page and Affiliate Disclosure.