Privacy notice

Information you choose to send

A contribution can include a location, observation date, message, public source URL, requested article title, credit name, credit URL and contact email. Photo submissions also include the image file and confirmations about ownership, identifiable people and commercial use.

Article requests can be anonymous. A contact email is required for a photo because the editor may need to confirm rights or location details. Do not send passwords, booking codes, identity documents, payment information or private addresses.

Why it is used

Submitted information is used to review a proposed correction or contribution, verify rights and location, ask a necessary follow-up question, document the editorial decision and handle a removal or rights request. A submission never becomes a verified public claim automatically.

Private review and publication

Submissions and original photo files remain private during review. If a photo is accepted, the publication copy can be resized, cropped, compressed, converted, stripped of metadata or blurred as described in the community contribution terms. Contact details are not printed beside the contribution.

A public Instagram or Google Maps link is treated as a lead. The linked image is not copied or rehosted merely because its URL was submitted.

Retention

• Pending submissions: up to 90 days.
• Accepted private submissions: up to 365 days while the publication and rights record is completed.
• Declined submissions: up to 30 days.
• A removal decision deletes the private photo and submitted content immediately.

A minimal decision record may be retained to document a rights or removal request: the reference, contribution type, status, terms version, timestamps, reviewer and private decision reason.

Site operation and external links

The site does not run an advertising tracker, newsletter sign-up or reader-account system. It uses Cloudflare Web Analytics to count browser-loaded pages and measure aggregate page performance. The analytics service does not set analytics cookies, use local storage or build a reader profile.

The analytics beacon is emitted only in public production document responses, and automatic SPA route tracking is disabled. It does not record page views for the Trip Planner, saved-trip Resume route, Passport management route or a locally personalised Home page.

The aggregate report helps separate browser visits from raw server requests, but it cannot prove that every recorded visit is a person. Hosting, security and analytics infrastructure can process the limited request and browser information needed to deliver, protect and measure the site. See the Cloudflare Web Analytics overview.

Official-source, map, social and affiliate links lead to other services. Their privacy practices apply after you leave Japan, Booked.

Language choices and translation

Selecting a language stores only that language code in this browser, under jb.language.v1. It is a functional preference, not an advertising identifier. It is not sent to advertisers or added to links. Blocking browser storage does not prevent the language links from working.

We use browser language preferences to suggest a published language. When no published language matches, a same-site, uncached request may use the country supplied by our existing hosting infrastructure as a fallback. This does not request GPS access or send location to another service. The page you explicitly opened is not automatically redirected.

Translations are prepared before publication, not sent to a translation service when you read a page. Each translated guide identifies the original and its source-check date separately from translation review. Clearing this site's browser data removes the language preference.

Outbound links and referral identifiers

The labelled links contain JapanBooked’s fixed publisher and campaign identifiers. We do not add your search text, trip plan, contact details or reservation information to these URLs. These link components do not embed advertiser impression pixels, tracking scripts or remotely loaded advertising banners.

Choosing a link leaves JapanBooked and connects your browser to the advertiser or its affiliate network. Those services can process your IP address and use tracking cookies under their own policies. Mobal describes a cookie and IP-based referral process; Rakuten Ticket currently uses an ordinary official link; LinkShare referral tracking is not active. A plain outbound link is not a promise of anonymous browsing after you leave this site.

See Mobal’s privacy policy, Rakuten Advertising’s services privacy policy and our affiliate disclosure. Other existing features and Cloudflare analytics keep the scope described above; this addition does not enable reader-level tracking.

Trip plans stored on your device

This trip is stored only in this browser on this device. It is not saved to a JapanBooked account or backed up online. It does not create a share link.

Clearing browser or site data, using another browser profile or device, or browsing privately can make this trip unavailable.

When the local trip controls are available, you can inspect a validated saved trip, export it as a JSON file, delete that trip and its related local records, or delete all JapanBooked trip data in that browser. This file contains trip details and may include sensitive personal information. Keep it private.

Deleting all JapanBooked trip data does not delete unrelated browser data. Local trip controls do not send the saved plan to a JapanBooked account.

Local travel preferences

If you explicitly create a travel Passport, its small set of pace and preference choices stays in this browser. It is separate from trip plans and is not uploaded to a JapanBooked account.

You can manage local Passport data, including inspecting, exporting or removing it even when new Passport creation is unavailable.

Access, correction and removal

Use the contribution form and choose an article or field note. Title it “Privacy request” or “Rights or removal request”, and include the relevant page URL or contribution reference. The editor may need enough information to confirm that the request concerns your submission.