Privacy Policy

JapanSakura.live & tokyoseason.com

This Privacy Policy describes how JapanSakura.live (also accessible at tokyoseason.com) collects, uses, and shares information when you visit our website. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This site is a personal project providing real-time cherry blossom (sakura) bloom status across Japan, and we have designed it with minimal data collection in mind.

By using this website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the site.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information We Do Not Collect Directly

We do not operate any registration system, user accounts, or comment sections. We do not ask for your name, email address, phone number, or any other personally identifiable information (PII) as part of the normal use of this site.

1.2 Analytics Data (Cloudflare Web Analytics)

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand aggregate traffic patterns on this site. Cloudflare Web Analytics is a privacy-first analytics tool with the following key properties:

• It does not use cookies and does not set any cookies on your browser.
• It does not track individual users across sessions or websites.
• It collects anonymized, aggregated metrics such as page views, country-level location, referring URLs, and device type.
• No personally identifiable information is included in the data sent to Cloudflare.

For more details on how Cloudflare handles analytics data, please refer to Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

1.3 Local Storage (Browser Storage)

This site stores a small number of user preferences directly in your browser's localStorage. This is not a cookie — it is local to your device and is never transmitted to our servers. The data stored includes:

• Theme preference (dark or light mode)
• Language preference (Traditional Chinese, Japanese, or English)
• Miscellaneous UI state such as filter selections or view mode (map vs. grid)

You can clear this data at any time by clearing your browser's site data for this domain.

2. Third-Party Services

This website integrates with several third-party services to provide functionality. Each of these services operates under its own privacy policy, and we encourage you to review them.

2.1 Google AdSense (Planned)

We intend to use Google AdSense in the future to display advertisements. When enabled, Google AdSense may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve ads that are relevant to your interests based on your browsing history. Google may share this data with its partners in accordance with its own privacy policy.

When AdSense is active, you will be able to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings or by using the NAI opt-out tool. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

2.2 Leaflet.js & OpenStreetMap Tiles

Our interactive map is powered by Leaflet.js, an open-source JavaScript mapping library. Map tiles are served by OpenStreetMap contributors via the OpenStreetMap tile infrastructure. When you view a page with the map enabled, your browser will make requests to OpenStreetMap tile servers, which may log your IP address as part of standard server logging. See the OpenStreetMap Foundation Privacy Policy for details.

2.3 YouTube Embeds (Webcam Streams)

Some spots on this site feature live webcam streams embedded from YouTube. YouTube embeds are loaded on-demand only when you choose to play a video — they are not pre-loaded on page load. When a YouTube embed is activated, YouTube (a Google service) may set cookies and collect data as per Google's Privacy Policy. We use YouTube's privacy-enhanced embedding mode (youtube-nocookie.com) where supported to limit data collection prior to user interaction.

2.4 Google Tag Manager / Google Analytics

This site also uses Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager) to gather anonymized usage statistics such as session counts, page views, and geographic distribution. Google Analytics uses cookies to distinguish users. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

3. Cookies

A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a website. Below is a summary of how cookies are used on this site:

• First-party cookies: We do not set any first-party cookies ourselves. User preferences (theme, language) are stored in localStorage, not cookies.
• Analytics cookies (Cloudflare): Cloudflare Web Analytics does not use cookies.
• Analytics cookies (Google Analytics): Google Analytics sets cookies such as _ga and _gid to distinguish visitors and track session information.
• Advertising cookies (Google AdSense, future): When AdSense is enabled, it will set cookies to serve and measure personalized advertisements.
• Third-party media cookies: YouTube may set cookies when you interact with embedded video players.

Most modern browsers allow you to control or block cookies through their settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some features on this site (such as map tiles or video embeds).

4. External Links & Social Platforms

This website includes links and search shortcuts to external social media platforms and services, including but not limited to:

• Threads (by Meta)
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book / 小紅書)
• Yahoo! Japan
• TikTok
• Google Maps

When you click these links, you will be redirected to the respective platform. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external services. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before interacting with their platforms.

Please note that social search buttons on this site open pre-filled search queries on these platforms. We do not share any personal data with these platforms — the link simply opens their public search interface in your browser.

5. Data Sources & Bloom Status Content

The cherry blossom bloom status information displayed on this site is derived from aggregated analysis of publicly available content, including:

• Publicly visible posts on Threads, X (Twitter), Yahoo! Blogs, and Bluesky
• Official forecasts from Japanese meteorological and tourism agencies
• Publicly accessible webcam streams

We do not store or publish original posts, usernames, or any personally identifiable information from social media. Our system extracts aggregated signals (such as bloom stage keywords) to assess current bloom conditions, and presents only the synthesized result — not the underlying raw posts.

6. Children's Privacy

This website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through this site, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

7. Data Retention & Security

Since we do not directly collect personal data, there is no user data for us to retain or delete. Analytics data collected by third-party services (Cloudflare, Google) is retained according to their respective data retention policies.

We take reasonable technical measures to keep this site secure, including using HTTPS (TLS encryption) for all connections via Cloudflare.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights relating to personal data, including:

• The right to access information held about you
• The right to request correction or deletion of personal data
• The right to opt out of certain data processing activities
• Rights under GDPR (EU residents), CCPA (California residents), or other applicable laws

Since we do not collect personal data directly, most of these rights should be exercised directly with our third-party service providers (Google, Cloudflare) using their respective opt-out mechanisms described above.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: