Privacy Policy

1. About This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to the website japantravelcompass.com and any services offered through it (together, the "Site"). It explains how Japan Travel Compass ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use the Site.

By using the Site, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site. We may update this policy from time to time — the date at the top of the page always reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be noted prominently on the Site.

This policy should be read alongside the privacy policies of the third-party services we use, as those services process data under their own terms.

2. Data Controller

The data controller for japantravelcompass.com is:

• Japan Travel Compass
• Website: japantravelcompass.com

For privacy-related enquiries — including requests to access, correct, or delete your data — please use the contact details in Section 15.

3. Data We Collect

3.1 Data you provide directly

We do not operate a registration system, booking engine, or payment facility. We do not ask you to create an account or submit a form with your personal details. However, if you contact us by email or use the Sofia chat assistant, we may receive:

• Your name and email address (if you include them in your message)
• The content of your enquiry or chat messages
• Any other information you choose to share

Please do not include sensitive personal information (such as passport numbers, payment card details, or medical information) in chat messages or emails to us.

3.2 Data collected automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically by our analytics provider (Google Analytics via Google Tag Manager). This includes:

• Device and browser information — device type, operating system, browser type and version, screen resolution
• Usage data — pages visited, time spent on each page, navigation path through the site, links clicked
• Referral source — the website or search engine that brought you to us
• Approximate location — derived from your IP address, typically to city or region level; we do not collect your precise GPS location
• IP address — collected by Google Analytics but anonymised before storage; we do not store raw IP addresses ourselves

This data is aggregated and used only to understand how visitors use the Site. We cannot identify individual visitors from analytics data alone.

3.3 Data from the Sofia chat assistant

The Site includes Sofia, an AI-powered travel assistant built on the n8n platform. If you use the chat:

• Your messages are sent to our n8n cloud instance to generate a response
• A session identifier (a random string, not linked to your identity) is stored in your browser session to maintain conversation continuity
• Chat logs may be reviewed by us in anonymised form to improve Sofia's responses
• Chat data is not linked to your analytics data or shared with third-party advertisers

3.4 Data from third-party widgets

The Site includes a train search widget provided by HighSpeedTrains. When you interact with this widget, HighSpeedTrains may collect your search queries, IP address, and other usage data in accordance with their privacy policy. We do not receive or store the data collected by that widget.

Interactive maps on the Site are provided by OpenStreetMap and CARTO. These services may collect standard web request data (IP address, browser type) when map tiles are loaded.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use the data described above for the following purposes:

• Site improvement — understanding which guides, destinations, and features are most useful to visitors, so we can prioritise new content and fix problems
• Operating the chat assistant — processing your messages through Sofia to provide travel recommendations and answer questions
• Responding to enquiries — if you email us, we will use your contact details to reply
• Analytics and measurement — measuring the performance of the Site and our affiliate partnerships using aggregated, anonymised data
• Legal compliance — where required by applicable law, regulation, or court order
• Security and fraud prevention — detecting and preventing abusive or fraudulent use of the Site

We do not use your data for direct marketing. We do not sell your data to third parties. We do not use your data to make automated decisions that significantly affect you.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use the following categories of cookies:

5.1 Analytics cookies (Google Analytics)

Google Analytics sets cookies (including _ga, _gid, and _gat) to distinguish visitors and track usage patterns. These cookies do not contain personally identifiable information. Google Analytics data is processed by Google under their own privacy policy. We have enabled IP anonymisation so that the last part of your IP address is masked before storage.

5.2 Tag manager cookies (Google Tag Manager)

Google Tag Manager is used to manage and deploy analytics and marketing tags. GTM itself does not set cookies, but tags loaded through it (such as Google Analytics) may do so.

5.3 Functionality cookies

A session cookie is used by the Sofia chat widget to maintain conversation continuity within a single browsing session. This cookie contains only a random identifier and expires when you close your browser.

5.4 Third-party cookies

The HighSpeedTrains widget and affiliate partner links may set their own cookies when you interact with them. These are governed by the respective partners' privacy policies.

5.5 Managing cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. Useful resources:

• Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on
• Your browser's privacy or cookie settings (usually found under Settings → Privacy)
• Browser extensions such as uBlock Origin for broader tracking protection

6. Data Sharing

We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — we use Google (analytics), n8n (chat infrastructure), Cloudinary (image hosting), and CARTO/OpenStreetMap (maps). Each processes data only as necessary to provide the service to us, under contractual data processing agreements.
• Affiliate partners — when you click an affiliate link to Expedia, HighSpeedTrains, or Firebird Tours, those companies may receive a referral identifier along with standard web request data. We do not pass your personal details to affiliates.
• Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Japan Travel Compass, our users, or others.
• Business transfers — if Japan Travel Compass is acquired or merged with another entity, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party for their own marketing purposes.

7. Affiliate Links & Disclosure

Japan Travel Compass contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link to a partner site (such as Expedia, HighSpeedTrains, or Firebird Tours) and make a purchase or booking, we may receive a small commission. This comes at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate commissions help us maintain the Site and produce free travel content. Our editorial decisions are made independently — we only recommend products and services we genuinely believe are useful to travellers.

Our current affiliate partners include:

• Expedia — hotel bookings in Japan
• HighSpeedTrains — Japan rail tickets and passes
• Firebird Tours — guided tours to Japan

Each partner operates under their own privacy policy. We encourage you to review those policies before making a booking.

8. Data Retention

We retain data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

• Google Analytics data — retained for 14 months (the default Google Analytics retention period), after which it is automatically deleted
• Chat logs (Sofia) — retained for up to 90 days for quality improvement purposes, then deleted
• Email correspondence — retained for as long as necessary to resolve your enquiry, and for a reasonable period thereafter in case of follow-up queries
• Browser session cookies — deleted when you close your browser

Where we are required by law to retain data for a longer period, we will do so. We do not store personally identifiable information on our own servers beyond what is described above.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the information we hold against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. These include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our Site
• Use of reputable, industry-standard service providers (Google Cloud, n8n Cloud) with their own security certifications
• Limited access to any data we do hold

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your interaction with us is no longer secure, please use the contact form below.

10. International Data Transfers

Our service providers may process data in countries outside your own, including the United States. Where data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we rely on appropriate safeguards such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• The EU–US Data Privacy Framework (where applicable)

Google LLC, which operates Google Analytics and Tag Manager, participates in the EU–US Data Privacy Framework. n8n GmbH is a European company (Germany) and processes data within the EEA.

11. Your Rights

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

Rights under GDPR (EU and UK residents)

• Right of access — you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure — you may ask us to delete your personal data ("right to be forgotten"), where no overriding legal ground exists for retaining it
• Right to restrict processing — you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability — you may request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
• Right to object — you may object to processing based on our legitimate interests
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing

Rights under other laws

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information is collected and the right to opt out of its sale. We do not sell personal information.

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of the above rights, please use the contact form at the bottom of this page. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In the EU, this is your national supervisory authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

12. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please get in touch via the contact details in Section 15 and we will promptly delete such information.

If you are between 13 and 18 years old, please ensure you have parental permission before using the chat assistant or contacting us by email.

13. Third-Party Websites

The Site contains links to third-party websites, including our affiliate partners. Once you leave japantravelcompass.com, this privacy policy no longer applies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Key third-party privacy policies:

• Google Privacy Policy (Google Analytics, Tag Manager)
• HighSpeedTrains Privacy Policy
• Expedia Privacy Policy
• Firebird Tours Privacy Policy
• n8n Privacy Policy (Sofia chat)
• Cloudinary Privacy Policy (image hosting)
• CARTO Privacy Policy (maps)

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

For significant changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify users, for example by placing a prominent notice on the Site. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please get in touch:

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 30 days.