Privacy policy

Last updated: 4 October 2026

Kotodama Letters is run by Shu Works (Hidehiko Mizuno), a small business in Japan ("we", "our", "us"). This policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit our website, join our waitlist or subscribe, and how we use and protect it.

1. Information we collect
- Waitlist and emails: your email address and your email preferences.
- Orders: your name, mailing address, billing address, email address, and phone number if you provide it at checkout.
- Notes you send us: for example, a change of address or a request to leave out the scent.
- Payments: payments are handled by Shopify Payments or PayPal. We never see or store your full card details.
- Browsing data: when you use our site, Shopify collects standard device information (such as IP address, browser type and the pages you visit) through cookies, so the store works and we can understand how it is used.

2. How we use your information
- To prepare, address and mail your monthly letter.
- To manage your subscription, take payments and send order and mailing emails.
- To send our newsletter and launch news, if you have agreed to receive them.
- To answer your questions and look into letters that haven't arrived.
- To prevent fraud and keep our store secure.

Your mailing address is used only to address your envelopes. If we ever ask a partner to help with making or packing letters, we will not give them your name or address.

3. Who we share it with
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with services we need to run Kotodama Letters:
- Shopify (our online store, Shopify Subscriptions for billing, and Shopify Email for our newsletter)
- Shopify Payments and PayPal (payments)
- Japan Post (your letter carries your name and address so it can be delivered)
- YouTube (some of our pages show embedded videos, and YouTube may set its own cookies when you play them)
- Authorities, only when the law requires it

4. Where your information is processed
We are based in Japan, and your information is handled in Japan and in the countries where our service providers, such as Shopify, operate. We protect it as described in this policy wherever it is processed.

5. Security and how long we keep it
We use the security provided by Shopify, including encrypted connections, and we limit who can see your information. We keep your information while you are a subscriber and afterwards only as long as needed for the purposes above or to meet legal and tax record-keeping requirements.

6. Your choices and rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of the personal information we hold about you,
- correct information that is wrong or out of date,
- delete your information, except what the law requires us to keep.
You can unsubscribe from our emails at any time with the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of each email. To make a request, email us and we will reply within 30 days. Depending on where you live (for example the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada or a US state), you may also have further rights under local privacy laws, including the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

7. Children
Our store is for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13 (under 16 in the UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

8. Changes
We may update this policy. The date at the top shows the latest version.

9. Contact
Shu Works (Kotodama Letters)
Email: letters@shu-works.art
Our full business details are in our Legal Notice and Contact Information.