Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2026-01-03
This Privacy Policy explains how Japan Knife Shop (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you visit or make a purchase from japan-knifeshop.com (the “Site”) or otherwise interact with us (collectively, the “Services”).

Controller / Business: Japan Knife Shop
Business address:
Room 606, Eiwa Oike Building
436 Sasayacho,
Higashi-iru, Higashinotoin-dori, Oike-dori,
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 604-8187
Japan
Contact: support@japan-knifeshop.com

If you are located in the European Economic Area (“EEA”), the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or certain U.S. states, you may have additional rights described below.

1) Personal information we collect

We collect personal information in the following ways:

A. Information you provide to us (Order / Customer Information)

When you make a purchase, attempt to make a purchase, create an account (if available), contact us, or otherwise provide information, we may collect:

  • Name
  • Billing address and shipping address
  • Email address and phone number
  • Order details (items purchased, order history, delivery preferences)
  • Customer support communications (messages and attachments you send to us)

Payment information: Payment card details are typically collected and processed directly by our payment providers. We do not store full payment card numbers on our servers.

B. Information collected automatically (Device / Usage Information)

When you visit the Site, we may automatically collect information about your device and how you interact with the Site, including:

  • IP address and approximate location derived from IP (e.g., country/region)
  • Browser type, device type, operating system, and time zone
  • Pages viewed, products viewed, clickstream data, and session duration
  • Referring websites or search terms used to reach our Site
  • Identifiers associated with cookies or similar technologies

C. Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (such as pixels, web beacons, and tags) to operate the Site, remember preferences, understand Site usage, and (where enabled) support marketing.

  • Essential cookies: needed for core Site functionality (e.g., cart, checkout, security).
  • Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it.
  • Marketing cookies: used to show relevant ads and measure advertising effectiveness (where enabled).

You can manage cookies through your browser settings. For general cookie information, you can also visit allaboutcookies.org. If you disable cookies, some Site features may not function properly.

2) How we use your personal information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

  • To provide and operate the Services (e.g., process orders, take payment, ship products, provide invoices/confirmations).
  • To communicate with you (e.g., order updates, customer support, responding to requests).
  • To prevent fraud and protect our Services (e.g., risk screening, security monitoring).
  • To improve and optimize the Site (e.g., analytics, troubleshooting, measuring performance).
  • To market our products where permitted by law and according to your preferences (e.g., newsletters or targeted ads, if enabled).
  • To comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax, accounting, customs documentation, and lawful requests).

3) Legal bases for processing (EEA/UK/Switzerland)

If you are in the EEA/UK/Switzerland, we process your personal information under the following legal bases, as applicable:

  • Contract: to fulfill your order and provide the Services you request.
  • Legitimate interests: to operate, secure, and improve our business and Services (e.g., fraud prevention, analytics, customer support).
  • Consent: where required (e.g., certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies, depending on your location and settings).
  • Legal obligations: to meet accounting, tax, customs, and other legal requirements.

4) How we share your personal information

We share personal information only as needed to provide the Services, operate our business, and comply with law. This may include:

Service providers (processors)

  • E-commerce platform: Shopify (hosting, checkout, order processing, and store operations).
  • Payment processing: payment providers you choose at checkout (e.g., card processors / PayPal), to process payments and prevent fraud.
  • Shipping and logistics: carriers and fulfillment partners (e.g., Japan Post, DHL) to deliver orders and provide tracking.
  • Analytics and performance: tools that help us understand Site usage and improve performance (if enabled).
  • Customer support tools: email/helpdesk systems used to manage communications (if applicable).

These providers are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to perform services for us and are required to protect it.

Legal and safety

We may disclose personal information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, respond to lawful requests (such as subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes), and to protect our rights, customers, and the integrity of our Services.

5) Behavioral advertising

We may use your personal information to provide targeted advertisements or marketing communications we believe may be relevant to you. You can learn more about online advertising at the Network Advertising Initiative: networkadvertising.org.

You may opt out of some targeted advertising using the links below:

6) Your rights and choices

A. EEA/UK/Switzerland rights

If you are located in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, you may have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction, deletion, or restriction of your personal information
  • Object to processing in certain circumstances
  • Request data portability (where applicable)
  • Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent (this does not affect processing already performed)

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

B. U.S. state privacy rights (where applicable)

Depending on your U.S. state of residence, you may have rights to:

  • Request access to personal information and receive details about our processing
  • Request deletion of personal information (subject to legal exceptions)
  • Request correction of inaccurate personal information
  • Opt out of certain targeted advertising or “sales/sharing” of personal information (as defined by applicable law)
  • Not be discriminated against for exercising your rights

Note: We do not sell personal information in exchange for money. Some advertising and analytics practices may be considered “sharing” under certain U.S. privacy laws. Where applicable, you can opt out using the controls described in this policy and any cookie banner/settings available on the Site.

To exercise any privacy rights, contact us at support@japan-knifeshop.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding. Authorized agents may submit requests where permitted by law.

7) International transfers

We are based in Japan, and our service providers may process personal information in countries other than your country of residence. Where required by law (including for EEA/UK transfers), we take steps designed to ensure an adequate level of protection for personal information, such as using appropriate contractual safeguards.

8) Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Services, fulfill the purposes described in this policy, comply with legal obligations (such as accounting and tax rules), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When you place an order, we will maintain your order information for our records unless and until you request deletion, subject to legal retention requirements.

9) Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information. However, no online service can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10) Children’s privacy

The Site is not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps.

11) Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (“DNT”) signal. Because there is no consistent industry standard for responding to DNT signals, we do not respond to them in a uniform way. You can manage cookies and tracking through your browser settings and, where available, any cookie preference tools on our Site.

12) Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post the updated version on this page and update the effective date above.

Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or would like to make a complaint, please contact us at support@japan-knifeshop.com.