Privacy policy

Who we are

Hachioji Guide is operated by Luke Allen, a sole trader based in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. We are responsible for your personal information. You can contact us at luke@ulprus.com.

What we collect

• Booking details: your name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number (if you give it), the tour, date and group size.
• Details that help us plan your day: things you choose to tell us, such as interests, children's ages, fitness, accessibility needs or dietary requirements. Health and dietary details are only used to keep you safe and comfortable on the tour, and only with your consent.
• Payment information: payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number. We receive confirmation of payment and limited details such as the card brand and last four digits.
• Messages: emails or messages you send us.
• Photos: photos taken of you during a tour, which we share with you after the tour.
• Website data: basic technical information such as your browser type and IP address, kept by our hosting provider in server logs. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

How we use it

• To take and manage your booking, including payment, confirmations and reminders.
• To plan and run your tour safely, and to contact you about it (for example, a weather decision).
• To send you the photos from your tour.
• To answer your questions and handle refunds or complaints.
• To keep the accounting and tax records Japanese law requires.

We will only use your photos on our website or social media if you give us your written consent first, and you can withdraw that consent at any time. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not send marketing emails unless you ask to receive them.

Legal bases (UK and EU visitors)

We use your information because it is needed to perform our contract with you (your booking), because the law requires it (tax records), because you have consented (health or dietary details, and photos used publicly), or for our legitimate interests in running and improving a small business, in ways you would reasonably expect.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only with service providers who help us run the business:

• Stripe, to process payments.
• Our email and messaging providers, to send confirmations and keep in touch.
• Our website hosting provider, to run this website.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it. Some of these providers process data outside Japan, for example in the United States or the EU. Where they do, we rely on their contractual and security commitments to protect your information to the standard required by the APPI and the GDPR.

How long we keep it

We keep booking and payment records for as long as Japanese tax law requires (currently up to seven years). Other information, such as messages and planning notes, is deleted within one year of your tour unless you ask us to keep it. Tour photos are deleted from our systems within 90 days of being sent to you, unless you have consented to us using them.

Your rights

You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it, delete it, or stop using it. Email luke@ulprus.com and we will respond within the time the law allows. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission or, if you are in the UK or EU, to your local data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office).

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including using secure, encrypted services for payments, email and storage, and limiting access to what is needed to run your tour.

Children

Children are welcome on our tours, but bookings must be made by an adult. We only collect information about children (such as their age) from the adult making the booking.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed. Significant changes will be highlighted on this page.