Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

Drink in Japan (drinkinjapan.jp) helps travelers and residents discover bars, izakayas, breweries, sake cellars, whisky distilleries, and other drinking establishments across Japan. We recognize that your preferences in beverages and nightlife are personal, and we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy outlines the data we collect, why we collect it, and how you can manage your information when using our platform.

By continuing to use Drink in Japan, you agree to the data practices described here. If you disagree with any aspect of this policy, we ask that you stop using the website.

1. Information We Collect

We strive to collect only what is necessary to help you find the best drinking spots in Japan. Below are the categories of data we may collect:

1.1 Local Storage Data

To provide a personalized experience without requiring account registration, Drink in Japan stores certain preference data directly in your browser. This data stays on your device:

• Bookmarked Venues: When you save a bar, brewery, or izakaya to your favorites, its identifier is stored locally for quick retrieval.
• Drink Preferences: If you filter by drink type (sake, craft beer, whisky, shochu, wine, cocktails), these selections are remembered for future visits.
• Venue Search History: Your recent searches by area, drink category, or price range are cached in local storage to streamline repeated lookups.
• Price Range Settings: Your preferred price range filters (budget-friendly, mid-range, premium) are stored locally to maintain consistent search results.

1.2 Usage Data

Our servers and analytics tools automatically collect standard technical data during your visit:

• IP address and inferred geographic region
• Browser type, version, and preferred language
• Device type (mobile, tablet, desktop) and operating system
• Pages viewed, including specific bar and brewery listing pages
• Time spent browsing venue details, drink menus, and price information
• The website or search query that referred you to Drink in Japan

1.3 Map and Location Data

Our interactive maps help you locate bars and breweries near your current position or a specified area. If you grant browser-level location permission, your approximate coordinates are shared with our mapping service provider to display nearby venues. We do not store your precise location on our servers.

1.4 User-Provided Data

When you reach out via our contact or report form — for example, to flag an incorrect address, suggest a venue, or report outdated opening hours — we collect the information you choose to share, including your email address and message.

2. How We Use Your Information

Drink in Japan uses collected data for the following purposes:

• Present relevant bars, breweries, and drinking venues based on your location and filter preferences
• Preserve your bookmarked venues and drink category preferences between sessions
• Understand which drink categories, regions, and price ranges are most searched to improve our listings
• Keep venue information accurate, including hours, menus, and seasonal availability
• Respond to user reports about venue details and process listing correction requests
• Protect against automated scraping, abuse, or unauthorized access to our venue database
• Produce aggregate insights about drinking culture tourism trends in Japan (no individual identification)

3. Third-Party Services

Drink in Japan integrates with a small number of external services to deliver its functionality:

4. Cookies and Local Storage

Drink in Japan employs cookies and local storage as follows:

• Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics places cookies to differentiate visitors and measure engagement with bar and brewery pages. These expire after 2 years of inactivity.
• Local Storage — Bookmarks: Your saved bars, izakayas, and breweries are persisted in browser local storage. This data remains until you manually clear it.
• Local Storage — Drink Filters: Your preferred drink types (e.g., nihonshu, craft beer, highball), price range, and area filters are saved locally.
• Local Storage — Recent Searches: Your recent venue search queries are cached for convenient re-access.

You may clear local storage at any time through your browser settings or developer tools. Blocking cookies will limit our ability to measure site usage but will not prevent you from browsing venue listings.

5. Age-Related Considerations

Drink in Japan provides information about establishments that serve alcoholic beverages. While we do not sell alcohol or verify the age of our visitors, our content is intended for individuals of legal drinking age. In Japan, the legal drinking age is 20 years old. We encourage all visitors to drink responsibly and comply with local laws.

6. Data Retention

Our data retention practices vary by data type:

• Analytics data: Kept in Google Analytics for up to 14 months before automatic deletion or aggregation.
• Server logs: Retained for up to 30 days for security monitoring and troubleshooting.
• Contact submissions: Stored for up to 12 months to handle venue correction requests and follow-up communications.
• Local storage data: Under your direct control — persists on your device until you choose to remove it.

7. Your Rights

Under applicable privacy laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), you may have the following rights:

• Access the personal data we process about you
• Correct inaccurate or outdated personal data
• Request erasure of your personal data
• Restrict or object to specific data processing activities
• Receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent for consent-based processing at any time
• File a complaint with a relevant data protection authority

Because Drink in Japan primarily stores personalization data in your browser, you can directly manage most of your data by clearing local storage. For server-side data inquiries, contact info@drinkinjapan.jp.

8. International Data Transfers

Drink in Japan operates from Japan with hosting infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region. Certain third-party providers, including Google and Vercel, may transfer and process data in jurisdictions outside Japan, such as the United States. These transfers rely on safeguards like Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to maintain adequate data protection standards.

9. Children's Privacy

Given that Drink in Japan features content related to alcoholic beverage establishments, our website is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 years of age. If you believe a minor has submitted personal data through our site, please notify us at info@drinkinjapan.jp so we can delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect changes in our services, data handling practices, or legal obligations. Material updates will be indicated by a revised “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We recommend checking this page from time to time, especially before sharing any personal information through our contact forms.

11. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, data access requests, or to report a venue listing issue on Drink in Japan, please get in touch:

• Email: info@drinkinjapan.jp
• Website: drinkinjapan.jp

We endeavor to respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 days.