Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how KUMANO KODO NOW by KUMAPHONE (“we”, “our”, “the service”), operator of kumanokodo-now.com, handles information when you use this website. By using the site you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information we collect

• Language preference: your choice of English or Japanese is stored only in your browser (local storage). It is not sent to us.
• Location: we access your device location only when you actively choose to post a trail note or to show your current position on the map. Your location is used to place your post and display your position. It is processed at the time of use and we do not build a profile of your movements.
• Posts you submit: the text and the location of any trail note you submit are published publicly. No account or personal name is required — posts are anonymous.
• Technical data for abuse prevention: when you submit a post, limited technical signals (such as a network address and timing) are used transiently to prevent spam and abuse (rate limiting). They are not used to identify you personally.
• Server logs: our hosting provider keeps standard access logs for security and reliability.

2. Your posts are public and shared with the Tanabe Community Board

Trail notes you submit appear publicly on this site’s map and are also published on the Tanabe Community Board as “Kumano Kodo NOW”. Because posts are public records shared with the community, you cannot edit or delete them yourself. If you need a post removed, contact us or use the report function and we will review it.

3. Third-party services

We rely on the following services to operate the site. Their handling of data is governed by their own policies:

• Cloudflare — hosting, edge functions, translation (Workers AI) and caching.
• Tanabe Community Board / Supabase — where community posts are stored and displayed.
• Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) — weather forecast and rain radar data.
• OpenStreetMap — map tiles.
• Google Fonts and Font Awesome (CDN) — fonts and icons.
• Google Analytics — aggregate website usage measurement (see “Cookies and analytics” below).

4. Translation

To make local posts readable for international hikers, post text may be machine-translated (for example into English) and cached. Machine translation can contain errors; the original text remains the authoritative version.

5. Cookies and analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand aggregate usage of the site (such as page views and general region). It sets a cookie and collects standard, non-identifying usage data. We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site advertising tracking, or sell your data. Aside from analytics, we use only functional browser storage (such as your language preference) needed for the site to work. You can opt out by blocking cookies in your browser or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

6. Children

This site is intended for general audiences and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

7. Your choices

You can use most of the site without sharing your location — location is requested only for posting and the “show my location” feature. You can decline the location permission, choose not to post, and clear your browser storage at any time.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date above reflects the latest revision.

9. Contact

For privacy questions or removal requests, contact us at hello.hechinaka@gmail.com