Privacy and transparency

Privacy and cookies policy

Last updated: 6 May 2026

1. Data controller

The controller of the data collected through plan-japan.com is its owner personally. Electronic contact address: available on the contact page.

2. What data we collect and why

Plan Japan collects only anonymous or pseudonymous usage data necessary for the operation of the service:

Planner data: the budget, dates, number of people, cities and interests you enter are processed on the server to generate the itinerary and, if you save it, stored in our database linked to an anonymous numeric identifier (UUID). They are not linked to any personally identifiable data.
Browsing data: IP address (anonymised), browser type and pages visited, collected automatically by the server and by the third-party tools described below. They are used for usage analysis and service improvement.
Cookie consent: your choice about optional cookies is collected via Google's certified consent message (CMP), which stores your decision so as not to ask you again. It contains no personally identifiable data.

We do not collect your name, surname, postal address, phone number or any payment data.

3. Cookies: what they are and which we use

Cookies are small files that a website can store in your browser. Plan Japan uses two types: technical (necessary for operation) and optional (analytics and advertising).

Technical cookies (always active)

Cookie / key	Purpose	Duration
`rj_itinerary_history`	Remembers the itineraries you have saved to show you your history (first-party cookie, only itinerary identifiers, no personal data)	Until you clear your browser data
PHP session cookies	Maintain the state between the steps of the planner (Step 1 → 2 → 3)	Browser session

Optional cookies (only with your consent)

Provider	Purpose	Duration
Google AdSense	Display personalised ads based on your browsing history and interests. Google may combine this information with other data it holds about you.	Up to 13 months
Google (advertising)	Ad performance measurement, fraud prevention and frequency capping	Up to 13 months

Third-party advertising: Plan Japan uses Google AdSense to display ads. Google, as a third-party provider, uses cookies to serve ads based on users' previous visits to this and other websites. You can disable Google's use of cookies in Google's ad settings or at aboutads.info. For more information see Google's privacy policy. Consent for these cookies is requested via Google's consent message (CMP certified under the GDPR); you can review or change your choice from the "Cookie preferences" link in the footer.

Flight search: in some guides we show a flight search provided by Travelpayouts (Aviasales), an external affiliate service. It is a functional tool that lets you compare and book flights; when loaded it may set its own third-party cookies to attribute any bookings generated. For more information see Travelpayouts' privacy policy.

4. Legal basis for processing

The processing of technical data is based on the legitimate interest of the owner to ensure the operation of the service (art. 6.1.f GDPR). The use of optional cookies takes place only with your prior consent (art. 6.1.a GDPR), which you can revoke at any time from the cookie preferences in the footer.

5. International data transfers

Google LLC, the AdSense provider, may transfer data to servers located outside the European Economic Area. These transfers are covered by the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission and by the EU–US Data Privacy Framework. More information in Google's privacy policy.

6. Data retention

Saved itineraries are kept in our database indefinitely while the service is active, since they are not linked to any personal identity. Anonymised browsing data is kept for a maximum of 14 months. Planner session data is deleted when you close the browser.

7. Your rights

In accordance with the GDPR, you have the right to:

Access: request what data we hold about you.
Rectification: correct inaccurate data.
Erasure: request the deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
Restriction: request that the processing of your data be restricted.
Portability: receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interest.
Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise these rights, get in touch through the contact page. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority.

8. Modifications

The owner reserves the right to update this policy at any time. Changes will be published on this same page with the update date indicated at the top. Continued use of the Site after the publication of changes implies acceptance of the updated policy.