Effective Date: September 26, 2025
This Privacy Policy describes how Japanese Universe (the "Site," "we," "us," or "our") handles and uses information when you visit our website at https://japaneseuniverse.com/.
1. Information You Provide to Us Directly
When you interact with us through the contact form on the Site, you provide us with personal identifying information (PII) directly.
- Data Collected: We collect your name and email address.
- Purpose: We use this information solely to respond to your specific inquiry or request and to provide necessary customer support.
2. Information Collected Automatically (Cookies and Tracking)
We rely on third-party services, primarily Google, to operate, analyze, and monetize our Site. These services automatically collect certain data from you when you visit Japanese Universe.
A. Usage Data and Cookies
When you access the Site, our servers and third-party services automatically collect information that your browser sends. This Usage Data may include:
- Your computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address.
- Browser type and version.
- The pages of our Site that you visit.
- The time and date of your visit, and the time spent on those pages.
- Unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.
This data is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies (e.g., pixels, web beacons). Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us remember your preferences, track your activity, and are essential for displaying relevant advertising.
B. Data Collected by Google AdSense
Japanese Universe uses Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google uses cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our website or other websites.
- Purpose: The data collected by AdSense (including Usage Data, demographic data, and your interests) is used to enable personalized advertising and measure the effectiveness of the ads.
- Opt-Out: You may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google Ad and Content Network Privacy Policy at: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
3. How We Use the Collected Data
We use the collected data for the following purposes:
- To Respond to Your Inquiries: Use your submitted name and email address to address your specific questions or comments sent via the contact form.
- Operate and Maintain the Site: Ensure the website functions correctly and efficiently.
- Provide Advertising: Enable Google AdSense to display personalized, relevant advertisements and track their performance.
- Analyze Site Performance: Understand how visitors use the Site (e.g., which pages are popular) to improve content.
4. Disclosure and Data Retention
A. Disclosure to Third Parties
We do not sell your personal data in the traditional sense. However, the sharing of Usage Data with Google for purposes like analytics and advertising is considered a "sale" or "sharing" under some privacy laws (e.g., CCPA/CPRA).
We disclose your Usage Data to the following key third-party service provider:
- Google (AdSense and Analytics): Google’s use of information is governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
B. Data Retention
We will retain the personal information you submit via the contact form (name and email address) only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, including the time needed to resolve your inquiry and satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Usage Data collected by third parties is retained according to their respective policies.
5. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on your location, you have certain rights regarding your personal data. This includes all data provided via the contact form or collected automatically.
A. Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, you have the right to:
- The Right to Access: Obtain confirmation as to whether or not your personal data is being processed, and access to that data.
- The Right to Rectification: Have inaccurate personal data corrected.
- The Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request the deletion of your personal data (e.g., the name and email you submitted).
- The Right to Object: Object to the processing of your personal data.
- The Right to Data Portability: Obtain your personal data in a machine-readable format.
B. Rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to:
- The Right to Know: Request that we disclose the categories of personal information collected, the sources of that information, and the business purpose for collecting or sharing it.
- The Right to Delete: Request the deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
- The Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: You have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information (i.e., Usage Data collected via AdSense). You can exercise this right by:
- Adjusting your browser settings to refuse cookies.
- Visiting Google's Ad settings at https://adssettings.google.com/.
6. Children's Privacy
Our Site is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18 ("Children"). We do not knowingly collect personal information from Children. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your Child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately.
7. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us at our contact page.