Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 September 2026

This policy explains what information Signpost Japan (signpostjapan.online) collects when you visit, why, and what you can do about it. We collect as little as we can.

Who we are

Signpost Japan is an independent website run from Tokyo, Japan. For anything about your personal information — including a request for the operator’s name and address — write to editor@signpostjapan.online and we will reply without delay.

When you read the site

We use Google Analytics 4, provided by Google, to understand which pages are read and how visitors find us. It uses cookies and records things such as the pages you view, how long you stay, the kind of device and browser you use, and your approximate location (city or region). It does not give us your name or contact details, and according to Google it does not log or store IP addresses. Google processes this information for us; see how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

You can block these cookies in your browser settings, or install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

If you visit from the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before setting analytics cookies or loading the Travelpayouts script described below. You can change your choice at any time with the cookie settings button that appears on every page.

Our affiliate network

Our pages load a small script from Travelpayouts, the affiliate network through which we work with many of our booking partners. It confirms to Travelpayouts that this website is ours, lets them report which of our pages lead to bookings, and can turn ordinary links to partner sites into affiliate links. It sets a cookie and keeps a small value in your browser’s storage to recognise your visit, and your browser sends Travelpayouts your IP address and browser details. If you visit from the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, the script loads only after you accept cookies, and it does not load for anyone who chooses Reject in Cookie settings.

Fonts and profile pictures

Our pages load typefaces from Google Fonts and the author’s profile picture from Gravatar, a service run by Automattic. To show them, your browser connects to those services, which receive your IP address and browser details. We receive nothing from these requests.

When you leave a comment

If you comment on an article, we store the name, email address and website you enter, together with your IP address and browser user agent, to help detect spam. Your email address is never shown publicly. Commenters’ profile pictures come from Gravatar, which receives a scrambled string made from your email address (a hash) to check whether you have a Gravatar profile.

If you tick the box to save your details, your name, email address and website are kept in cookies on your device for about a year, so you do not have to type them again.

When you email us

If you write to us, we keep your message and email address so that we can reply and, where it is relevant, correct our guides. We do not add you to any mailing list.

When you click a link to a partner

Some links on this site go to partners such as booking sites for tours, hotels, eSIMs and car rental. When you click one, the partner may set its own cookie so that it can tell you came from Signpost Japan and pay us a commission if you book. That cookie is set by the partner and is covered by the partner’s privacy policy, not this one. We receive reports of commissions — for example, what was booked and its value — but not your name, contact details or payment information.

Share buttons

The share buttons under our articles are ordinary links. Nothing is sent to the social networks unless you click one.

Advertising

We do not show display advertising at the moment. If we start, we will update this page first.

Cookies

Where your information goes

Google, Automattic and Travelpayouts may process information in other countries, including the United States. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with anyone else except where the law requires us to.

Your rights

You can ask us what personal information we hold about you — for example, a comment you left or an email you sent — and ask us to correct or delete it. Write to the address above. If you are in the European Economic Area or the UK, you also have rights under the GDPR and UK GDPR, including the right to object to how we use your information and to complain to your local data protection authority. We handle personal information in line with Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy, we update the date at the top of this page.