POLICY
Privacy Policy
Effective date: [to be set at publication]
Mashiko Scope ("this site", "we", "us", "our") is operated by Mashiko Labo (MASHIKO LABO), a general incorporated association established with funding from the Town of Mashiko, Tochigi, Japan. We are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through this site (mashikoscope.com), how we use it, and the choices and rights available to you.
We handle personal information in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information of Japan (APPI). For visitors located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we also describe below the legal bases for processing and your rights under the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
1. Business Operator (Data Controller)
Mashiko Labo (MASHIKO LABO) 799-2 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi 321-4217, Japan Contact: tour@mashikolabo.or.jp. The fastest way to reach us is the contact form on this site; we reply by email.
2. Information We Collect
Booking information: When you book a tour through the booking widget on this site, the booking system “JTB BÓKUN” (provided by JTB Corp.) collects, on our behalf, your name, email address, phone number, nationality, gender, date of birth, booked tour, participant details, and payment information. Credit card details are processed within JTB BÓKUN’s secure checkout and are not retained by us.
Inquiry information: When you use our contact forms (General / Agents & Business), we collect your name, email address, and the content of your inquiry.
Automatically collected information: When you browse this site, technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, and referrer may be collected through cookies and similar technologies (subject to your consent settings under Section 6).
3. How We Use Your Information
To process, manage, and confirm tour bookings, and to communicate with you about your tour (meeting point details, weather-related changes, etc.)
To respond to your inquiries
To operate, analyze, and improve this site and our tours
To comply with accounting, tax, and other legal obligations under Japanese law
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not send marketing emails unless you have given us separate consent to do so.
4. Legal Bases for Processing (for EEA/UK Visitors)
Where the GDPR applies, we process your personal data on the following legal bases: performance of a contract (processing your booking and providing your tour); legal obligation (retention of accounting and tax records); legitimate interests (operating and improving the site, ensuring security, and responding to inquiries); and consent (non-essential cookies such as analytics — you may withdraw your consent at any time).
5. Third-Party Services
We share personal information with trusted service providers only to the extent necessary to operate this site and provide our tours:
JTB BÓKUN — booking and payment management system. The service is provided and operated by JTB Corp., and bookings made on this site are processed by this system on our behalf. JTB’s privacy policy: https://www.jtbcorp.jp/jp/privacy/
STUDIO Inc. — hosting platform for this site
Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) — statistical analysis of site usage (based on your consent)
CookieYes — cookie consent management platform (stores your consent preferences)
YouTube (Google LLC) — embedded videos on this site. Cookies may be set when videos are played (subject to your consent settings)
In addition, we may disclose personal information where required by Japanese law or a legitimate request from public authorities, or where necessary to protect the safety of our guests, staff, or the public.
6. Cookies
This site uses cookies and similar technologies. Essential cookies are necessary for the site and the booking widget to function. Non-essential cookies (such as analytics) are used only with your consent, which you can give, refuse, or withdraw at any time via the cookie banner or the “Cookie Settings” link on this site. If you disable third-party cookies, you may not be able to complete a booking through the widget on this site — in that case, please book by email.
7. International Data Transfers
Your personal information is processed primarily in Japan. Japan has been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection (adequacy decision). Some of our service providers (such as Google) may process data in other countries, including the United States, under the safeguards described in their respective privacy policies.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above, including any retention periods required under Japanese tax and accounting law, after which it is securely deleted.
9. Your Rights
Under the APPI, you may request disclosure, correction, suspension of use, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you. If the GDPR applies to you, you additionally have the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and objection, the right to withdraw consent at any time, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your location. To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details in Section 1. We will respond within a reasonable period as required by applicable law.
10. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. Please note, however, that no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure.
11. Children's Personal Information
This site is not directed at children. Bookings for minor participants must be made with the involvement of a parent or guardian.
12. Changes to This Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. The latest version will always be posted on this page together with its effective date.