Last updated: November 9, 2026
Japan Spirit Guide (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit https://japanspiritguide.com and how we use it.
Who we are
Our website address is https://japanspiritguide.com. Japan Spirit Guide is an independent website that shares information about Japanese shrines, temples, and spiritual culture for travelers.
Information we collect
We collect only a limited amount of information:
- Comments: If you leave a comment, we collect the name, email address, and message you enter in the comment form. We also collect your IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.
- Gravatar: An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be sent to the Gravatar service to check whether you have a profile picture. Gravatar’s privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/. After your comment is approved, your profile picture may be visible to the public next to your comment.
- Contact messages: If you contact us by email or through a contact form, we use the information you provide only to reply to you.
Cookies
We use cookies to make the site work and to improve your experience.
- If you leave a comment, you may choose to save your name, email address, and website in cookies so you do not have to enter them again. These cookies last for one year.
- If you log in to the site (administrators and authors only), we set cookies to save your login information and display preferences. Login cookies last for two days, and screen option cookies last for one year.
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect how some parts of the site work.
Affiliate links and third-party services
Some links on this site are affiliate links. When you click on one, the partner website (for example, a tour booking platform, hotel booking site, or online store) may set its own cookies to track the referral. We do not control these cookies. Please read the privacy policy of each partner site for details. For more information, see our Affiliate Disclosure page.
Analytics and advertising
We may use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use the site (for example, which pages are most popular). These tools may collect information such as your IP address, device type, browser, and pages visited. This information is used only to improve the site.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content such as videos, images, or maps from other websites. Embedded content behaves in the same way as if you had visited the other website. These sites may collect data about you, use cookies, and track your interaction with the embedded content.
Who we share your data with
We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with the services needed to run the site, such as our web hosting provider, spam detection services, and analytics tools. If you request a password reset (for registered users), your IP address is included in the reset email.
How long we keep your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are kept indefinitely so that follow-up comments can be recognized and approved automatically. Other data, such as contact messages, is kept only as long as needed to respond to you.
Your rights
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, or ask us to delete it. This does not include data we must keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes. To make a request, please contact us at live.with.the.universe@gmail.com.
Children’s privacy
This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was last changed.
Contact
If you have questions about this policy, please contact us at live.with.the.universe@gmail.com.