Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Velvet Pine Horizon is a small reading site, and it collects very little about you. This page explains, in plain terms, what personal information passes through the site, who handles it, and what you can ask us to do about it. We write it with Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) in mind, because the site is run from Akita, Japan.
Who is responsible
The operator of this site is Velvet Pine Horizon. You can reach us at the address below. The name of the person who answers privacy requests is given by email on request.
Velvet Pine Horizon
1-10-11 Sanno, Akita, Akita 010-0951, Japan
Email: info@velvetpinehorizon.com
Phone: +81 18-374-5122
What we collect, and when
Reading the articles does not require you to give us anything. We do not run accounts, comments, a shop or advertising, and we have not installed analytics or tracking scripts. Personal information reaches us only in these ways:
- The contact form. If you use it, we receive the name, email address, subject and message that you type. Please keep health details and other sensitive information out of your message.
- The newsletter form. If you ask to join the list, we receive your email address and, if you choose to give it, your first name.
- Direct email or phone. If you write to the address above or call us, we keep what you send and what we answer.
- Technical data. Whenever a page is loaded, the server that hosts the site and the services described below can see the visitor's IP address, the time, the page requested and the browser type. We do not set up reports on this data and do not routinely review it.
The topic quiz works entirely inside your browser. Your answers are not sent to us or to anyone else, and they are gone when you close or reload the page.
Why we use it
We use personal information for these purposes only:
- to read and answer the messages you send us;
- to send the newsletter to people who asked for it, and to remove people who ask to leave;
- to correct a page when someone reports a mistake;
- to keep the site working and to deal with misuse, for example spam sent through the forms;
- to meet legal duties, if a law or an authority requires it.
We do not use the information for advertising, profiling or automated decisions, and we do not sell it.
Who else handles your data
FormSubmit (form relay)
Both forms send their data to formsubmit.co, a third-party service that turns the form into an email and delivers it to our mailbox. The data therefore passes through FormSubmit's systems before it reaches us. FormSubmit is not a part of Velvet Pine Horizon, it works under its own privacy policy, and it is run outside Japan. We have not verified in which country it stores or processes data, or what data-protection rules apply there, so please read its policy before you use a form. If you would rather not use it, email us directly instead.
Google Fonts
Our pages display text in the DM Sans and Inter typefaces, which your browser loads from Google's servers (fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com). When that happens, Google receives your IP address and basic browser details. We do not receive any of that information from Google.
Hosting provider and email
The files of this site sit with a hosting provider, and the mailbox that receives your messages is kept with an email provider. Both can technically process the data described above in the course of providing their service. We do not pass your information to any other company or person unless you ask us to, or unless the law requires it.
Because FormSubmit, Google and our providers may be located outside Japan, your information can be handled in other countries. By using a form you accept that.
How long we keep it
We have not set a fixed retention period. In practice we keep a message for as long as it takes to deal with it and for a reasonable time afterwards in case you write again, and we keep a newsletter address until you ask us to remove it. We delete or anonymize information that we no longer need. If you want something deleted sooner, tell us.
Security
The forms send data over an https address, and we try to look after the mailbox sensibly. Even so, no email or internet transmission can be guaranteed secure, and we cannot make promises about the systems run by FormSubmit, Google or other providers. Please do not send anything you would not be comfortable having read by a third-party mail relay.
Your rights
Under the APPI you may ask us to tell you what personal data about you we hold, to correct it if it is wrong, to stop using it or to delete it. To make a request, email info@velvetpinehorizon.com from the address you used, say which page or form you used, and what you want done. We may ask you to confirm your identity before we act, to avoid giving your information to someone else. We will answer without undue delay.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled a request, you can also contact Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission.
Children
The site is written for adults. If you are young, please ask a parent or guardian before you send us any personal information.
Changes to this policy
If the way the site handles information changes, for example if we add analytics or a different form service, we will update this page and the date above before the change takes effect. Our Cookie Policy describes what your browser stores, and our Terms of Use cover the rest of the rules for the site.