Legal
This policy explains what personal information FuturePinecone collects when you book a walk, contact us or browse this site, and how we use, store and protect it.
01
FuturePinecone ("we", "us", "our") is a walking and cultural tour studio operating in Japan, with its registered office at 2-25-2 Toyotamanaka, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 176-0013. We are the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy. If you have any question about how your data is handled, you can reach us at hello@futurepinecone.com or on 03-5946-5006.
02
We collect information you give us directly, such as your name, email address, phone number, the dates you wish to walk and any accessibility or dietary notes you share when planning a route. When you use our website we also collect limited technical information automatically, including your device type, browser, approximate location derived from your IP address and the pages you view. We do not ask for and do not knowingly collect more information than we need to deliver the service you requested.
03
We use your personal information to confirm and manage your bookings, to prepare routes suited to your request, to answer your enquiries, to send service messages about walks you have booked and, where you have agreed, to send occasional updates about new routes. We also use aggregated, non-identifying technical information to understand which pages are useful and to keep the site reliable and secure. We do not use your information to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
04
We process your information where it is necessary to perform a contract with you, such as fulfilling a booking; where we have a legitimate interest, such as keeping records and improving our routes, provided that interest is not overridden by your rights; where you have given consent, such as for marketing emails or non-essential cookies; and where we are required to by law, such as retaining tax records. Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
05
We share personal information only when necessary. This may include payment processors who handle your transaction, booking and email tools that help us communicate with you, and professional advisers such as accountants. These providers act on our instructions under written agreements and may not use your information for their own purposes. We may also disclose information where required by law or to protect the safety of our guests and guides. We never sell your personal information.
06
Some of the service providers we rely on may store or process data outside Japan. Where information is transferred internationally, we take steps to ensure it receives a level of protection consistent with this policy and applicable law, including through contractual safeguards with the receiving party. If you would like more detail about the safeguards used for a particular transfer, please contact us.
07
We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy. Booking and transaction records are generally retained for the period required by tax and accounting law. Enquiry correspondence is kept for a reasonable period in case you contact us again. Marketing preferences are kept until you unsubscribe. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.
08
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access, including encrypted connections, restricted access to personal data and regular review of our providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to reduce risk and to respond promptly should an incident occur. Where the law requires, we will notify you and the relevant authority of a qualifying data breach.
09
Depending on your location, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to ask us to correct inaccurate information, to request deletion, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to receive a copy of information you provided in a portable format. You may also withdraw consent where processing relies on it. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below; we may need to verify your identity before responding.
10
Our services are intended for adults, and children taking part in a walk do so under the responsibility of an accompanying adult. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children without the involvement of a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has provided us with information without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it.
11
FuturePinecone is a Japanese business, and the personal information you share with us is handled under Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI). We use your details only to arrange the walk you booked, to send the meeting point and guide’s name, and to reply to your messages. We do not give them to the shops, workshops or tea houses we visit on a route.
If you would like to see what we hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted, email hello@futurepinecone.com, call 03-5946-5006, or write to 2-25-2 Toyotamanaka, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 176-0013. Please mention the date of your walk so we can find the record quickly. We will check that the request comes from you and answer within fourteen days.
12
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. When we make material changes we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you directly. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you stay informed about how we handle your information.
13
If you have questions, requests or complaints about this policy or our handling of your personal information, please write to FuturePinecone, 2-25-2 Toyotamanaka, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 176-0013, email hello@futurepinecone.com or call 03-5946-5006. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.