Data Privacy

What Information We Collect

We collect two categories of information: information you voluntarily provide, and anonymous technical data automatically collected when you browse the site.

Information You Provide Voluntarily

When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, the topic you selected, and your message. This information is sent to us via email and is used solely to respond to your inquiry. We don't add you to any mailing list. We don't use your email for marketing. We keep these emails for up to two years in case we need to reference a previous conversation, after which they're deleted.

If you purchase our downloadable PDF guide, we collect your name, email address, and payment information. Payment processing is handled by our third-party payment processor — we don't store your credit card details on our servers. We use your email to deliver the PDF and to send a receipt. That's it.

Anonymous Technical Data

Our web hosting provider automatically logs certain technical information when you visit nipponrain.com. This includes your IP address, browser type, the pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, and the referring website (if any). This data is anonymous and aggregated — we can't identify you personally from it. We use it to understand which articles are popular, diagnose technical problems, and improve site performance.

We use a minimal, privacy-focused analytics tool that collects anonymous usage data. No personal information is collected. No fingerprinting. No cross-site tracking. We specifically chose this tool because it doesn't use cookies for tracking and doesn't share data with third parties.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies for two purposes: essential site functionality and your cookie preference settings.

Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable basic features like page navigation and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and they cannot be disabled in our cookie settings.

Preference cookies allow the website to remember choices you make — specifically, your cookie consent preferences. These are stored only if you interact with our cookie banner. If you decline non-essential cookies, only the essential cookies remain active.

We do not use cookies for behavioral advertising, cross-site tracking, or profiling. We don't have advertising on our site, so there's nothing to personalize. We don't participate in any ad networks or data broker programs.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time by visiting our Cookie Settings page.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect in the following ways:

To respond to your inquiries: When you contact us through the form, we use your email address to reply. We don't use it for any other purpose.

To deliver purchases: If you buy our PDF guide, we use your email to send you the download link and receipt.

To improve our content: Anonymous analytics data helps us understand which articles are helpful and which need improvement. If many visitors are reading our packing guide but not our city guides, we know where to focus our efforts.

To maintain the site: Server logs help us identify and fix technical issues, monitor site performance, and prevent abuse.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling. We don't build user profiles. We don't segment visitors into marketing categories.

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We don't sell your personal data. We don't rent it. We don't trade it. We don't give it to advertisers or data brokers. Full stop.

We do share limited information with a small number of service providers who help us operate the website:

Web hosting provider: Our site is hosted on a commercial web hosting platform that processes server logs and delivers content to your browser. They have access to technical data (IP addresses, browser types) as part of providing hosting services. They don't have access to your contact form submissions or purchase data.

Payment processor: If you purchase our PDF guide, your payment information is processed by a third-party payment provider. We don't see or store your credit card number. The payment processor handles the transaction and sends us confirmation of payment along with your email address so we can deliver your purchase.

Email service: Contact form submissions are delivered to us via an email delivery service. They process the email but don't use your information for any other purpose.

All third-party service providers are contractually obligated to use your data only for the specific purpose of providing services to us and are prohibited from using it for their own purposes or sharing it further.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 24 months, then deleted. This allows us to reference previous conversations if you contact us again.

Purchase records: Retained for 7 years as required by tax and accounting regulations. This includes your name, email, purchase date, and amount paid. We do not retain payment card information.

Server logs: Retained for 30 days, then automatically deleted. These are purely technical logs with no personal identification.

Cookie preferences: Stored in your browser via localStorage and retained until you clear your browser data or change your preferences.

Your Data Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data. We respect these rights regardless of your location:

Right to access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Right to correction: If any information we hold about you is inaccurate, you can request that we correct it.

Right to deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information. We'll comply unless we're legally required to retain it (for example, purchase records for tax purposes).

Right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data. Since we only process data for essential operational purposes and don't do marketing, this right is largely not applicable, but we honor it anyway.

Right to data portability: You can request your data in a structured, commonly used format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@nipponrain.com. We'll respond within 30 days.

International Data Transfers

Nippon Rain Media LLC is based in the United States. Our web hosting and service providers may also be located in the US or other countries. When you use our website, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States.

The United States may not have data protection laws equivalent to those in your country (such as the GDPR in the European Union). However, we handle all personal data in accordance with the principles described in this policy regardless of where it's processed.

If you're located in the European Union, United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with data protection laws, your use of our website constitutes acknowledgment that your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States.

Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@nipponrain.com and we will delete the information promptly.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or website functionality. When we make changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we'll also post a notice on our homepage.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us About Privacy

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, want to exercise your data rights, or have concerns about how we handle your information, please contact us:

We'll respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.