Last updated: September 17, 2026
Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes how HOKKAIDO FIRSTHAND (“we,” “us,” or “this site”) may collect, use and protect information in connection with your visit to this website. It is written as a practical, plain-language notice for visitors rather than a claim of compliance with every possible law in every jurisdiction.
Information You Provide Voluntarily
When you submit our Contact form, we collect the information you provide, including your name, email address, optional subject, and message.
WordPress.com and Jetpack may also record technical information associated with a form submission, such as the submission time, IP address, and browser information, for security, spam prevention, and form administration.
Our Contact form is provided through Jetpack Forms. Submissions are stored in the WordPress dashboard and may generate a notification to the site administrator. Akismet may screen submissions for spam.
Please do not submit sensitive personal information through the Contact form, including financial account details, passport or other government ID numbers, medical information, or payment card details. This site is not designed to receive or store that kind of information.
Information Collected Automatically
This site is hosted on WordPress.com and uses Jetpack, a companion service from the same provider. As is typical for websites on this kind of hosting, WordPress.com and Jetpack may automatically process certain technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser and device information, referring and requested pages, timestamps, and cookie-related identifiers. This processing is a normal part of how the hosting platform operates the site, provides basic security, and compiles aggregated visit statistics (for example, page view counts); we do not operate a separate, independently installed analytics or advertising system on top of it.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
WordPress.com and Jetpack may use cookies or similar technologies to support essential site functionality, security, certain preferences, and aggregated measurement of how the site is used.
You can manage or block cookies through your browser settings. Doing so may affect how some parts of the site function. We do not currently operate a separate cookie-consent management system beyond what the hosting platform itself provides.
How Information Is Used
Where applicable, information described above may be used to:
- Respond to enquiries submitted through the site
- Operate, maintain and secure the site
- Understand general site usage at an aggregate level
- Improve travel content and site usability
- Detect and address abuse, spam or technical problems
- Meet applicable legal obligations
Third-Party Services and External Links
This site may link to hotels, booking platforms, transportation providers, tour operators, eSIM providers, retailers and other external services relevant to planning a trip to Hokkaido. Those third parties operate under their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review before providing them with any information. If a link happens to be an affiliate link (see our Affiliate Disclosure page), following it may allow that third party to set its own cookies or use its own tracking technology, independent of this site.
Embedded Content
If this site includes embedded content such as a map, video or social media post from another website, that content may behave as though you visited the external website directly — for example, it may collect data about you, use cookies, or track your interaction with the embedded content, according to that third party’s own policies. We do not claim that any specific embedded service is currently in use beyond what you can directly observe on the page you are viewing.
Data Sharing
We do not sell visitors’ personal information. Information may be processed by service providers that are necessary to host, secure, maintain or operate this site, such as our hosting provider. We may also disclose information where required by law, or where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect our rights, protect the security of the site, or prevent fraud or abuse. This is not an exhaustive guarantee that information is never shared — rather, it describes the general circumstances in which sharing may occur.
Data Retention
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose it was collected, including to meet legal obligations, resolve disputes, and maintain security. We do not apply a single fixed retention period to all information.
Data Security
We rely on reasonable measures, including those provided by our hosting platform, to help protect information associated with this site. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and we cannot promise absolute security.
Your Choices and Rights
Where applicable under your local law, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information you have submitted directly to this site. Any such request will be handled subject to applicable law, reasonable identity verification, and any technical or legal limitations that may apply. You can reach us through our Contact page.
Children’s Privacy
HOKKAIDO FIRSTHAND provides general travel information intended for a general audience and is not directed at, or designed to collect personal information from, children.
International Processing
This site is operated from Japan, and our hosting provider and other service providers may process information in countries other than the one you are visiting from. Where information is processed internationally, it is subject to the practices described in this policy and, where applicable, the policies of our service providers.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you can reach us through our Contact page.