Privacy Policy

1. Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect personal data like names, phone numbers, or IP addresses just for visiting the site. We do not set any first-party cookies on your device.

2. Analytics

We use Pirsch Analytics to understand how visitors use our site and to make Tattoo Friendly Onsen more useful and easier to navigate.

Pirsch is completely cookieless and stores no personal data. It tracks aggregated metrics including page views, bounce rate, referring sites, and anonymized click events on affiliate links and site interactions (such as opening filter panels). All data is aggregated and cannot identify individual users. Pirsch retains data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above.

Legal basis (EU/EEA):
• Legitimate interest – Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (site optimisation). Pirsch does not require consent as it sets no cookies and collects no personal data.

3. Error Monitoring

We use Sentry to automatically detect JavaScript errors that occur while you browse our site. This helps us identify and fix bugs to improve your experience.

Data collected when an error occurs includes:

• Error message and stack trace (technical details about what went wrong)
• Browser type and version
• The page URL where the error occurred

What we don't collect:

• No personally identifiable information (names, emails, IP addresses)
• No cookies are set by Sentry
• No browsing activity is tracked beyond the error event itself

Error data is stored in the US and retained for 30 days. You can review Sentry's privacy practices in their Privacy Policy.

Legal basis (EU/EEA):
• Legitimate interest – Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (maintaining site functionality and fixing errors). No consent is required as no personal data or cookies are involved.

4. Affiliate Disclosure

Tattoo Friendly Onsen is a personal project built to help tattooed travelers enjoy Japan's rich bathing culture with confidence. Some "Book now" links are affiliate links. If you click one and make a reservation, we may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. This support helps keep the site ad-free and funds ongoing research.

• Travelpayouts – When you click a booking link labeled "affiliate link," you are redirected through our partner, Travelpayouts. Travelpayouts then sets a referral cookie (up to 30 days) on the partner's domain (for example, Trip.com) so any reservation you make is correctly attributed to us.

Tattoo Friendly Onsen does not set or read these cookies—we receive only anonymous commission statistics, not your personal booking data. You can delete or block these cookies at any time via your browser settings.

5. Cookies

We do not set any first-party cookies. Our analytics provider (Pirsch) is completely cookie-free. The only cookies that may be set in connection with our site are affiliate partner cookies, described below.

You can delete or block any cookies at any time via your browser settings. For more details, see our Cookie Settings page.

Legal basis (EU/EEA):
• Embedded content (Google Maps) – Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR (your consent via explicit "Load Map" click).
• Affiliate cookies – Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in funding the site through commission). These cookies are set by third-party partners on their domains after you choose to click an affiliate link.

6. Contact Form

We offer a contact form on our "Contact Us" page, where you can submit:

• Name
• Email Address
• Subject (e.g., general inquiry, recommendations, partnerships)
• Message contents

When you submit the form, we collect and process the information you provide so we can:

• Respond to your questions, feedback, or partnership requests
• Assist with onsen recommendations or business listings

What we don't do with your data:

• We don't share your personal info with third parties (unless required by law)
• We don't use form data for marketing without additional consent

Third-party processor: Form submissions are processed via Web3Forms, which forwards your message to our inbox. Web3Forms states that it does not permanently store form submissions; server logs are periodically deleted.

Legal Basis (EU/EEA): Processing is based on our legitimate interest in responding to your inquiries (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

We retain your contact form data only as long as needed to address your request. After that point, we securely delete any identifying information.

7. Newsletter & Email Signups

If you choose to subscribe to our newsletter:

• We collect your email address to send occasional updates related to Tattoo Friendly Onsen.
• Your email is stored and processed through MailerLite, a GDPR-compliant email service provider.
• We do not sell or share your email address with third parties.
• You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in our emails or contacting us directly.

Legal Basis (EU/EEA): We collect and process your data based on your explicit consent at the time of signup.

We retain your email address until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

8. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

This website is not intended for children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect or store personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child has submitted personal data, we will delete the information as soon as possible.

9. Your Rights (EU/EEA Visitors)

If you are located in the European Union or EEA, you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction or deletion of your data
• Object to or restrict how we use your data
• File a complaint with a data protection authority

10. Security

We use HTTPS to encrypt data in transit and rely on secure third-party services (like Vercel and MailerLite) to store any personal information. While no system is 100% secure, we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy if we add new features, such as affiliate links, embedded content, or additional data collection.

The "Last Updated" date at the top will always reflect the latest version (March 5, 2026).