Hi there!  Welcome to   A Gaijin Life, where I share stories, tips, and insights to help foreigners navigate life in Japan. I’m so glad you’re here!

Your privacy is important to me, and I want to be upfront about how your information is handled.

This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and how it’s used. If you ever have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Who I Am

I’m Annie, the person behind A Gaijin Life. This blog is a personal project aimed at sharing experiences and providing helpful content. You can find me at https://www.agaijinlife.com

If you have questions or concerns about privacy, feel free to email me at annie@agaijinlife.com.

What Personal Data We Collect and Why

We only collect information that helps improve your experience on the site or lets me connect with you when needed. Here’s a breakdown:

Comments

When you leave a comment, we collect the details you share (like your name, email address, and your comment) and your IP address. This helps us manage the site, prevent spam, and ensure a friendly and safe community.

Media

If you upload images to the site (for example, in comments), please avoid including location data (EXIF GPS) in the files. Other visitors can download and extract this information from the images you upload.

Contact Forms

When you fill out a contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. Here’s why:

• To respond to your inquiries or feedback.
• To understand your needs and improve the blog’s content.
• Occasionally, to ask for your input on site improvements or future topics.
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We don’t use your contact form submissions for marketing purposes, and we only keep the information for as long as necessary to address your concerns, usually about six months. After that, it’s deleted.

Cookies

If you leave a comment on the site, you can opt to save your name, email address, and website in cookies. This saves you from re-entering the same details when you comment again. These cookies last for one year.

We also use cookies to analyze how people use the site, which helps me improve the content and make your experience better. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.

Analytics

To understand how the site is performing, I use Google Analytics, which provides anonymous data like which pages are visited and how long visitors stay. This helps me make the site better for everyone. If you’d prefer not to be tracked, Google offers an opt-out browser add-on.

Who Do I Share Your Data With

We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. However, I do share limited anonymized data with trusted services that help me run the site:

• Google Analytics: For tracking site performance.
• Web Hosting Provider: To keep the website online and functioning.

Each of these services has its own privacy policy to ensure your data is protected.

How Long Will I Keep Your Data

• Comments: Indefinitely, unless you ask me to delete them.
• Contact Form Submissions: Six months.
• Analytics Data: Two years.
• Cookies: One year.

Your Rights Over Your Data

You have the right to control your data. If you’ve left a comment or contacted me through the site, you can request a copy of the data I have about you or ask me to delete it. Just send an email to annie@agaijinlife.com, and I’ll take care of it.

Where Your Data Goes

Sometimes, data may be stored on servers outside your country (for example, with my hosting provider). I ensure all services meet strict privacy standards to protect your data, even if it is stored outside Japan.

How I Protect Your Data

Your privacy is a top priority, and I take the following measures to keep your data safe:

• Using SSL encryption to secure data transfers.
• Regularly updating the site and its plugins for security.
• Restricting access to personal data.

What Happens If There’s a Data Breach?

If something ever goes wrong (though I work hard to prevent this), here’s what I’ll do:

1. Notify affected users within 72 hours.
2. Report the breach to the relevant authorities.
3. Fix the issue quickly and take steps to prevent it from happening again.

What Data Do I Receive from Third Parties

Sometimes, I might receive anonymized user data from services like Google Analytics. No personally identifiable information is included.

Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

I don’t use any automated systems to make decisions about you or create profiles based on your data.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in how I manage the site or comply with new laws. Any updates will be posted here, so please check back occasionally. Changes take effect immediately once published.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please feel free to email me at annie@agaijinlife.com. I’m here to help.

Thanks for trusting A Gaijin Life and for being part of this community. Your privacy matters to me, and I’ll do my best to protect it.