1. What Are Cookies and Similar Technologies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit our website. They help us provide you with a better browsing experience by remembering your preferences, analyzing how you use our site, and enabling certain functionality.

Similar technologies include web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs), local storage objects, and other tracking technologies that serve similar purposes in enhancing your user experience and helping us understand how our services are used.

These technologies are widely used across the internet and are essential for many website functions. They allow websites to recognize your device and remember information about your visit, making your browsing experience more efficient and personalized.

2. Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and cannot be disabled in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions you take that amount to a request for services:

• Session Management: Keep you logged in during your visit and maintain your session state across different pages
• Security Cookies: Protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and ensure secure transmission of data
• Shopping Cart Functionality: Remember items you've added to your cart and maintain cart contents between sessions
• Form Data Preservation: Preserve information you've entered in forms to prevent data loss during navigation
• Load Balancing: Distribute website traffic across our servers to ensure optimal performance
• Cookie Consent: Remember your cookie preferences and consent choices

Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously:

• Website Analytics: Track page views, bounce rates, time spent on pages, and user navigation patterns
• Error Reporting: Identify and diagnose technical issues, broken links, and system errors
• Performance Monitoring: Monitor website loading times, server response times, and overall site performance
• A/B Testing: Test different versions of our pages to improve user experience and conversion rates
• Heat Mapping: Understand how users interact with page elements through click and scroll tracking
• Search Analytics: Analyze internal search queries to improve our content and navigation

Functional Cookies

These cookies enhance your experience by remembering your preferences and providing personalized features:

• Language and Region Settings: Remember your preferred language and regional settings
• Display Preferences: Save your choices for text size, color themes, and layout preferences
• Accessibility Features: Remember accessibility settings and assistive technology preferences
• Recently Viewed Items: Keep track of products and pages you've recently viewed for easy access
• Comparison Tools: Remember items you've selected for comparison across different pages
• Live Chat Preferences: Maintain chat session continuity and remember your communication preferences

Marketing and Advertising Cookies

These cookies help us deliver relevant advertisements and measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns:

• Targeted Advertising: Show relevant ads based on your interests, browsing behavior, and demographics
• Retargeting Campaigns: Display ads for products you've viewed or shown interest in across other websites
• Campaign Attribution: Track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns and advertising spend
• Social Media Integration: Enable sharing functionality and track social media engagement
• Cross-Device Tracking: Recognize you across different devices for consistent advertising experience
• Conversion Tracking: Measure how our advertising leads to purchases, sign-ups, and other desired actions

3. Third-Party Cookies and Services

We work with trusted third-party services that may set their own cookies on your device. These partners help us provide better services and analyze our website performance:

Analytics and Performance Services

• Google Analytics: Comprehensive website traffic analysis, user behavior tracking, and conversion measurement
• Google Tag Manager: Efficient management of tracking codes and marketing tags
• Hotjar: User experience analysis through heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback collection
• New Relic: Application performance monitoring and error tracking

Payment and E-commerce Services

• Stripe: Secure payment processing and fraud prevention for credit card transactions
• PayPal: Alternative payment processing and buyer protection services
• PayPay: Japanese digital payment integration and transaction processing

Customer Support and Communication

• Zendesk: Customer service chat functionality and support ticket management
• Intercom: Live chat features, customer messaging, and user engagement tools
• Mailchimp: Email marketing campaigns and newsletter management

Marketing and Advertising Platforms

• Google Ads: Search and display advertising campaigns and conversion tracking
• Facebook Pixel: Social media advertising and audience targeting
• LinkedIn Insight Tag: Professional network advertising and B2B campaign tracking

4. Cookie Duration and Lifecycle

Cookies have different lifespans depending on their purpose and type:

Session Cookies (Temporary)

These cookies are temporary and are automatically deleted when you close your browser. They're used for:

• Shopping cart functionality during your browsing session
• Form data preservation while navigating between pages
• Security authentication and session management
• Temporary preferences and settings during your visit

Persistent Cookies (Stored)

These cookies remain on your device for a specified period or until manually deleted:

• Short-term (1-30 days): User preferences, recent searches, and temporary settings
• Medium-term (1-12 months): Analytics data, performance metrics, and user behavior patterns
• Long-term (1-2 years): Marketing preferences, advertising identifiers, and cross-device recognition

5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

Cookie Banner and Preference Center

When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie banner that allows you to:

• Accept All Cookies: Enable all cookie categories for the full website experience
• Reject Non-Essential Cookies: Only allow essential cookies required for basic functionality
• Customize Your Preferences: Choose which categories of cookies you want to allow
• Learn More: Access detailed information about our cookie practices

Browser-Based Cookie Management

You can also manage cookies directly through your browser settings:

• Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
• Mozilla Firefox: Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data

Mobile Device Cookie Management

For mobile browsers and devices:

• iOS Safari: Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies
• Android Chrome: Chrome Menu > Settings > Site Settings > Cookies
• Mobile Apps: Cookie preferences can be managed within the app settings

6. Impact of Disabling Cookies

Disabling certain types of cookies may affect your experience on our website:

Essential Cookies (Cannot be Disabled)

These cookies are necessary for basic website functionality. Blocking them may prevent:

• Account login and authentication processes
• Shopping cart and checkout functionality
• Form submissions and data preservation
• Security features and fraud protection
• Access to member-only areas and personalized content

Non-Essential Cookies (Can be Disabled)

Disabling these cookies may result in:

• Less personalized browsing experience and generic content
• Repeated requests for language and preference settings
• Less relevant advertising and promotional content
• Limited analytics insights for website improvement
• Reduced functionality in interactive features and tools
• Inability to track your progress through multi-step processes

7. Cookie Security and Data Protection

We implement robust security measures to protect cookie data and ensure your privacy:

• Encryption: Sensitive cookie data is encrypted using industry-standard protocols
• Secure Transmission: Cookies are transmitted over secure HTTPS connections
• Access Controls: Strict limitations on which systems and personnel can access cookie data
• Data Minimization: We only collect and store cookie data that is necessary for specified purposes
• Regular Audits: Periodic reviews of our cookie practices and security measures
• Vendor Management: Careful selection and monitoring of third-party cookie providers
• Compliance Monitoring: Regular assessment of compliance with privacy laws and regulations

8. International Cookie Transfers

Some of our cookie data may be processed by third-party services located outside of Japan. When this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place:

• Adequacy Decisions: Transfers to countries with adequate data protection levels
• Standard Contractual Clauses: Legal agreements ensuring appropriate data protection
• Certification Programs: Participation in recognized privacy certification schemes
• Privacy Shield: Compliance with international privacy frameworks where applicable

9. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this cookie policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements:

• Notification Methods: Email alerts, website banners, and in-app notifications
• Advance Notice: At least 30 days' notice for material changes affecting your rights
• Version Control: Clear indication of policy version and effective dates
• Change Summary: Highlights of significant modifications for easy understanding

Continued use of our website after policy updates constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. If you disagree with changes, you may adjust your cookie preferences or discontinue using our services.

10. Contact Information and Support

If you have questions about our cookie policy, need assistance managing your preferences, or want to report concerns:

11. Additional Resources and Tools

For more information about cookies and online privacy, we recommend these resources:

• All About Cookies: www.allaboutcookies.org - Comprehensive cookie information and management guides
• Your Online Choices: www.youronlinechoices.com - Industry opt-out tools and privacy resources
• Network Advertising Initiative: www.networkadvertising.org - Advertising industry self-regulation and opt-out tools
• Digital Advertising Alliance: Consumer choice tools for interest-based advertising
• Browser Privacy Settings: Direct links to privacy settings for major browsers