Last updated: January 2026
We use cookies. Everyone does. But we try to use as few as possible, and we give you control over the ones that aren't essential. This page explains what cookies are, which ones we use, and how you can manage your preferences. We believe that you should understand what data is being collected about you and have the ability to control it. That's why we built our own cookie system rather than just using whatever analytics platform everyone else uses.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that websites store on your computer or device. They help websites remember things about your visit, like your preferences, what's in your shopping cart, or whether you've seen a particular message before. Cookies are not programs. They can't run code or access files on your device. They're just text. They were invented in 1994 by a programmer at Netscape who just wanted to make shopping carts work, and now they're the subject of international regulations. The internet is weird.
Local storage is similar to cookies. It's a way for websites to store data in your browser. We use local storage to remember your cookie preferences, which means we don't need to show you the cookie banner on every visit. This is a better approach than cookies for this particular task because local storage is more reliable and doesn't get sent to our server with every request. Your preference stays in your browser, where it belongs.
Essential Cookies
These are necessary for the website to function properly. Without them, some features wouldn't work. We use essential local storage to remember your cookie consent choice so we don't show you the banner on every visit. This is technically necessary for the site to comply with cookie regulations, which makes it genuinely essential rather than just convenient. We also use it to remember if you've dismissed the cookie banner, so we don't annoy you with it repeatedly.
We don't use essential cookies for tracking, analytics, or advertising. They exist solely to make the site work correctly and to respect your privacy choices. If you clear your browser data, you'll see the cookie banner again. That's normal. It just means your preference was stored locally and got cleared along with everything else.
Reading Stats
These cookies help us understand how people use our site. They track which pages are visited, how long people stay, and which links are clicked. This information is anonymous. We can't identify individual users from this data. We use it in aggregate form to understand what content is popular and where we should focus our efforts. When we see that a lot of people are reading our Golden Gai guide, we know that topic resonates with our audience. When a page has low engagement, we look at whether it needs improvement.
Reading Stats cookies are disabled by default. You have to explicitly enable them by clicking "Sure" on our cookie banner or by toggling the "Reading Stats" option in the settings. If you don't enable them, we don't collect this data. It's that simple. We respect your choice, whatever it is. We built the system this way because we believe analytics should be opt-in, not opt-out.
The analytics data we collect includes page views, time on page, scroll depth, and click events. We do not collect your IP address, browser fingerprint, or any other identifier that could be used to track you across sessions. We do not share this data with third parties. We use it only to improve our content. The data is stored in our own system, not sent to Google or any other analytics platform.
Partner Links
These cookies are used when you click on affiliate links to partner sites. If you click a link to a hotel booking site, rail pass vendor, or other travel service, a cookie may be placed to track that you came from Sora Cast. If you make a purchase on that site within a certain timeframe (usually 30 days), we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is how affiliate marketing works, and it's a standard practice across the internet.
Partner Link cookies are disabled by default. You have to explicitly enable them. If you don't, affiliate links still work, but we won't earn commission from your purchases. We're fine with that. We want you to have control over your data. We only work with partners whose services we genuinely use and recommend. We do not participate in affiliate programs for products or services we haven't tried ourselves. When we include an affiliate link, we disclose this relationship. Transparency is important to us.
How to Manage Your Preferences
When you first visit our site, you'll see a cookie banner at the bottom of the page. You have three options:
Sure — This enables Reading Stats and Partner Links. It helps us understand what content works and earns us commission if you book through our links. We appreciate it, but there's no pressure. This is the "help us out" option. It doesn't cost you anything and it makes our lives easier.
No Thanks — This disables all non-essential cookies. You'll still see the site perfectly. We just won't know you were here, and we won't earn commission if you book through our links. Totally fine. This is the "leave me alone" option, and we respect it completely.
Settings — This opens a modal where you can toggle individual cookie categories on or off. You can enable Reading Stats but disable Partner Links, or vice versa. Or disable everything. It's up to you. This is the "I want fine-grained control" option, and we built it for people who care about this stuff.
You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the "Settings" button on the cookie banner. If you've already dismissed the banner, clear your browser's local storage for soracast-jp.com and the banner will reappear. We know that's not the most elegant solution, but we're a small team and we built what we could.
How to Disable Cookies in Your Browser
You can also disable cookies entirely through your browser settings. Here's how for the most common browsers:
Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data > Block all cookies (not recommended)
Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Enhanced Tracking Protection > Strict
Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Block all cookies
Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies > Block all cookies
Blocking all cookies may cause some websites to not work properly. We recommend using our cookie settings to control what data we collect rather than blocking all cookies globally. Our site will work fine with all non-essential cookies disabled. The essential ones are, well, essential, but they don't track you.
Third-Party Cookies
We do not use third-party cookies for advertising, social media widgets, or cross-site tracking. Our site does not contain Facebook Like buttons, Twitter embeds, or any other social media widgets that could track you. We don't use Google Analytics or any other third-party analytics service. The only cookies on our site are ones we set ourselves. We built our own analytics system specifically so we wouldn't have to send your data to Google.
Our hosting provider processes server logs as part of normal operations, which includes your IP address and pages visited. We do not have direct access to these logs and do not use them for any purpose. Our hosting provider's privacy practices are governed by their own policies. We chose our hosting provider specifically because they have a strong privacy policy and don't sell user data.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this cookie policy from time to time. Changes will be noted with an updated date at the top of this page. We won't notify you of changes because we don't collect email addresses from general visitors. Check this page periodically if cookie practices are important to you. The date at the top tells you when we last updated this policy.
Our Philosophy on Cookies
We believe that collecting data about website visitors should be transparent, optional, and minimal. Most websites collect far more data than they need, often without clear disclosure. We built our cookie system from scratch specifically to avoid this. We don't use Google Analytics because we don't want Google tracking our readers. We don't use social media widgets because we don't want Facebook knowing what pages you visit. We don't display ads because we don't want ad networks building profiles of our audience. The internet has enough surveillance already. We're not adding to it.
This approach means we have less data than other websites. We can't tell you exactly how many people visited a specific page, or where they came from, or how long they stayed. We can only see aggregate numbers when someone opts in to Reading Stats. We're okay with that. We'd rather have less data and more trust. If you have questions about our cookie practices, contact us at hey@soracast-jp.com.