Curating Japan (curatingjapan.info)

Established: April 16, 2025 | Last Updated: June 2, 2026

* This policy has been drafted with partial reference to the Personal Information Protection Act Amendment Bill adopted by the Japanese Cabinet on April 7, 2026. We will update this policy as necessary once the amendment is formally enacted, promulgated, and brought into force.

Forest Village Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website “Curating Japan” (https://curatingjapan.info, the “Site”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information in accordance with Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (“APPI”), applicable regulations, guidelines, and this policy.

1. Operator Information

Operator: Forest Village Inc.

Address: Oizumimachi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Contact: https://curatingjapan.info/contact/

2. Personal Information We Collect and How We Use It

We use the personal information we collect only to the extent necessary to achieve the purposes set out below.

For users located in the EU, UK, or other jurisdictions where data protection laws apply, we rely on appropriate legal bases such as consent, performance of a contract, legitimate interests, or compliance with legal obligations.

(1) Information You Provide Directly

Contact form: Name, email address, inquiry content, and any other information entered in the form → Used to respond to inquiries, verify identity, and send necessary communications.

(2) Information Collected Automatically

IP address, browser type and version, pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URL → Used for Site operation, improvement, and security.

(3) Information Collected via Cookies and Similar Technologies

Please refer to Section 4 (Cookies and Tracking Technologies) for details.

(4) Purposes of Use

Responding to inquiries and sending related communications
Improving content and analyzing usage trends (statistical analysis that does not directly identify individuals)
Detecting and preventing spam and unauthorized access
Managing and reporting affiliate program activity
Optimizing ad delivery (within the scope permitted by applicable law)
Complying with legal obligations

We will not use your personal information beyond the purposes stated above. If we need to use your information for a new purpose, we will notify or publicly announce it in advance.

3. Personal Information of Minors

The Site is not directed at individuals under the age of 16.
If a person under 16 provides personal information through the Site, we ask that they obtain the consent of a parent or legal guardian beforehand.
If we learn that we have collected personal information from a person under 16 without verified parental consent, we will promptly delete that information and, where appropriate, notify the legal guardian.
We handle personal information of individuals under 16 with the best interests of the minor as our primary consideration.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

(1) Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: Required for basic site functionality such as page rendering, security, and form submission.

Analytics Cookies: Used by Google Analytics (GA4) for statistical analysis of site usage.

Advertising Cookies: Google and other third-party ad vendors may use cookies to serve personalized ads based on your past visits to our Site.

Affiliate Cookies: Used to track conversions for affiliate programs such as Amazon and Booking.com.

(2) Managing and Opting Out of Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for analytics, ad delivery, and affiliate tracking. You may refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings; however, doing so may affect certain Site functionality.

If we introduce a cookie consent management tool in the future, we will provide instructions for managing your preferences on the Site.

Opt-out options:

Analytics opt-out:

Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Personalized ads opt-out:

Google Ad Settings https://adssettings.google.com/

Interest-based ads opt-out (third-party vendors) https://optout.aboutads.info/

(3) Web Skimming Prevention

We will consider and implement technical measures such as Content Security Policy (CSP) as necessary to prevent unauthorized collection of form input data (web skimming).

5. Biometric Information

We do not collect or use biometric data such as facial features, fingerprints, or voiceprints.

Should we ever need to handle such information in the future, we will publicly announce the relevant details in advance and follow all applicable legal procedures.

6. Third-Party Disclosure and Use of External Services

(1) Disclosure to Third Parties

We do not provide your personal information to third parties without your consent, except in the following cases:

Where required by law (e.g., a legally valid request from law enforcement)
Where necessary to protect a person’s life, body, or property and obtaining consent is not practicable
Where necessary to improve public health or promote the healthy development of children and obtaining consent is not practicable

(2) External Services We Use

We use the following external services for analytics, spam prevention, advertising, and server operations:

Google Analytics (Google LLC): Statistical analysis of site usage
Google AdSense (Google LLC): Ad delivery and ad performance measurement
Hosting provider: Server operations

We review the terms, privacy policies, and data protection commitments of each external service provider and use them only to the extent necessary for operating the Site.

(3) Affiliate Programs

The Site participates in affiliate programs including the Amazon Associates Program, the Booking.com Affiliate Partner Program, and programs through affiliate networks such as ValueCommerce, A8.net, AccessTrade, and Impact. If you make a purchase or reservation through a link on our Site, we may receive a commission. There is no additional cost to you.

This disclosure is made in compliance with Japan’s Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (Stealth Marketing Regulations, effective October 2023) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines.

7. Response to Personal Data Breaches

If a data breach, loss, or damage occurs and we determine it constitutes a reportable incident under APPI, we will take the following steps in accordance with applicable law:

Preliminary report: We will submit a preliminary report to the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) within approximately 3–5 days of becoming aware of the incident.
Full report: We will submit a full report within 30 days of becoming aware of the incident (or within 60 days if unauthorized access is suspected).
Individual notification: We will notify affected individuals of the facts of the breach and the measures taken in response.
Root cause analysis and implementation of preventive measures.

Not all security incidents trigger a mandatory reporting obligation. We assess each incident based on the nature and scope of the affected information and act in accordance with PPC guidelines.

8. Legal Compliance

We are committed to complying with APPI and monitoring developments in its amendment. Our efforts include:

Responding in good faith to guidance, recommendations, and orders from the Personal Information Protection Commission
Cooperating with on-site inspections and requests for documentation
Providing ongoing education to our staff on personal information protection
Regularly reviewing and improving the effectiveness of this policy

9. Your Rights

You have the following rights with respect to your personal information held by us:

Right of access: Request disclosure of personal information we hold about you
Right to rectification: Request correction, addition, or deletion of inaccurate information
Right to suspend use or erasure: Request that we stop using or delete your information
Right to stop third-party disclosure: Request that we stop sharing your information with third parties
Right to access third-party disclosure records: Request disclosure of records of third-party sharing
Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the inquiry page at https://curatingjapan.info/contact/. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days in principle.

Rights of individuals under 16 may be exercised by a parent or legal guardian on their behalf.

10. International Data Transfers

The Site is operated from Japan. External service providers we use may process your information in the United States or other countries.

When using these services, we review each provider’s privacy policy, data protection terms, and security measures, and take any necessary steps required under APPI.

For users accessing the Site from the EU, UK, or other regions subject to data protection regulations, we select service providers that have implemented appropriate transfer safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses).

Key external service providers and their processing locations (for reference):

Google LLC (GA4, Ads, AdSense): United States
Amazon.com, Inc. (Associates Program): United States
Booking.com B.V.: Netherlands

11. Security Measures

We implement the following measures to prevent unauthorized access, loss, destruction, or leakage of personal information:

Encrypted communications (SSL/TLS)
Access control and authentication management
Security reviews and vulnerability management as appropriate
Staff training on personal information protection

12. Retention Periods

Inquiry information: Retained for 3 years after the inquiry is resolved. Retention may be extended as necessary for legal disputes, statutory obligations, or legitimate business purposes.
Cookies and access logs: Retained for up to 2 years in accordance with applicable rules.

After the retention period expires, information is securely disposed of in a timely manner.

13. Embedded Content

Posts on the Site may include embedded content from services such as YouTube and Google Maps. This content functions as if you had visited those services directly and may involve data collection, cookies, and additional tracking by those providers.

14. Contact Form

The Site provides a contact form for inquiries.

When you submit the contact form, in addition to the information you enter, we may collect your IP address and browser information for spam and fraud prevention and security purposes.

The information collected is used to respond to your inquiry, verify your identity, send necessary communications, and prevent misuse.

15. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time in response to changes in laws or our business. We will notify you of significant changes through announcements on the Site.

The latest version of this policy will always be available at https://curatingjapan.info/privacy-policy/.

16. Contact

For questions, rights requests, complaints, or other inquiries regarding the handling of personal information, please contact us at:

Operator: Forest Village Inc.

Address: Oizumimachi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Inquiries: https://curatingjapan.info/contact/

Hours: Weekdays 13:00–17:00 (Japan Standard Time)

If you wish to file a complaint with the regulatory authority, please contact the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) at https://www.ppc.go.jp/.

Forest Village Inc. | Established: April 16, 2025 | Last Updated: June 2, 2026