Privacy Policy

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, our hosting provider (Vercel) automatically collects standard server log information, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system and device type
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring URL
• Date and time of access

Information stored locally

We use your browser’s local storage (localStorage) to save your favorite ryokans and user interface preferences. This data is stored only on your device and is not transmitted to our servers.

Information we do not collect

We do not collect email addresses, names, payment information, or any other personally identifiable information. We do not require account registration or login to use our website.

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve our website
• Analyze site usage and performance
• Display your saved favorite ryokans
• Ensure security and prevent abuse

Essential cookies

We use essential browser storage (localStorage) to save your favorites and preferences. These are necessary for core site functionality and cannot be disabled without affecting your experience.

Affiliate tracking

Most accommodation links on this site are affiliate links. They run through Travelpayouts or Stay22, which pass the click on to the booking site — today Booking.com, Agoda or Expedia — with an identifier that tells them the booking came from us. Where a property has its own booking page we also show an Official button; that one carries no identifier and earns us nothing. If a booking follows, we are paid a commission by the booking site. You pay the same price either way.

The identifier we attach records which property page and which language you came from. It does not contain your name, email address or any account you may hold with the booking site. What those sites do once you arrive is governed by their own policies — Travelpayouts, Stay22, Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia.

You can turn this off. Use the Cookie settings link in the footer and switch the affiliate partners off: your click then goes to the booking site without our identifier. You reach the same page and pay the same price; we simply are not paid for it.

Our own record of outbound clicks

When you follow one of those links we also write a row of our own, so we can tell real readers from automated traffic and check that the links are working. It holds the network prefix of your IP address (the first three groups — a /24 for IPv4, a /48 for IPv6), a one-way hash of the full address salted with the date, the country your request came from, your browser’s user-agent, the Accept and Accept-Language headers it sent, the three Sec-Fetch headers that say how the navigation was made, the page you clicked from, which property and booking site the click was for, and what our redirect decided to do with it. We do not store the full IP address, and none of it is joined to a name or an email address.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 and Vercel Analytics to see which guides are read and how people move through the site. Before you choose, Google Analytics may receive cookieless page-view and activity signals; it only uses analytics cookies after you accept. Vercel Analytics page views run by default. Microsoft Clarity, which records anonymised session replays, stays off until you turn it on. Sentry, which receives a report when a page fails, is not one of them: those reports are made by our server, and your browser never sends anything to Sentry, so Cookie settings has no switch for it. What such a report can contain is set out below.

Each analytics service can be changed individually using Cookie settings in the footer. Rejecting analytics disables further Google Analytics measurement, including cookieless pings, but it cannot recall signals already sent. If you later turn off Microsoft Clarity, it ends its session and clears its cookies while continuing a limited cookieless mode. You can also use Google’s own opt-out add-on for Google Analytics.

Their policies: Google, Vercel, Microsoft and Sentry.

Embedded content

Our site embeds videos from TikTok and Instagram. These embeds may set their own cookies and collect data according to their respective privacy policies. We do not control the data these platforms collect.

Managing cookies

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website, including the ability to save favorites.

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personally identifiable information to third parties beyond what is described in this policy.

Japan Rated Stays is a participant in the Booking.com affiliate program. This means we may earn a commission when you book accommodations through links on our site, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial content or which properties are listed. A property is listed only if it holds a MICHELIN Key, is a member of Relais & Châteaux, or is a member of The Ryokan Collection; those lists are kept by those organisations, not by us.

For visitors from the European Economic Area

If you are located in the EU/EEA, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent at any time

For visitors from California (CCPA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, request deletion of personal information, and opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.

For visitors from Japan (APPI)

We comply with Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (個人情報保護法). The purpose of any data usage is disclosed in this policy.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

• Browser local storage data: retained until you clear your browser data
• Server logs: retained for up to 90 days
• Analytics data: retained per the default settings of the analytics provider

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including HTTPS encryption for all data in transit. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Our website is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@japanratedstays.com