Privacy policy
1. Introduction
Tokuzoji Temple (Religious Corporation) (hereinafter "we," "us," or "the Temple") operates Zen Name (https://zenname.org/) (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal information when you visit, use, purchase from, or otherwise transact with the Service.
The Service operates on the platform provided by Shopify Inc., and certain personal information is also processed by Shopify.
By using the Service, you are deemed to have understood and acknowledged the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.
Note: Processing involving special category data is subject to your separate explicit consent (see Section 3).
2. Data Controller
For the purposes of applicable data protection law, we are the data controller of your personal information.
3. Personal Information We Collect
We may collect or process the following categories of personal information depending on how you use the Service, where you reside, and as permitted or required by applicable law.
3.1 Information You Provide Directly
Contact Information: name, email address, postal address, telephone number.
Order Information: contents of your order, plan selected, purchase amount.
Hearing Form Responses: the origin of your name, life story, values you hold dear, intended use of your Zen Name, and other information you voluntarily provide for the naming process.
Note: Hearing form responses may include "special category data" under Article 9 of the GDPR (information concerning religious beliefs or spiritual background). We process such information only on the basis of your explicit consent and solely for the purpose of providing the naming service. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
Payment Information: credit card number, payment method. (Payment information is processed by Shopify Payments; we do not directly store card numbers.)
Communications: inquiries and content of consultations regarding custom orders.
3.2 Information Automatically Collected
Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device ID.
Usage Information: access dates and times, pages viewed, referrer, in-site activity.
Cookie Information: information collected through cookies and similar technologies as set forth in Section 8.
4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)
Where the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR applies, we process personal information on the following legal bases.
| Legal Basis | Application |
|---|---|
| Performance of contract | Order processing, provision of the naming service, shipping arrangements, customer support. |
| Compliance with legal obligations | Retention of tax records, response to law enforcement requests. |
| Legitimate interests | Service improvement, fraud detection and prevention, security. |
| Consent | Marketing emails, non-essential cookies, processing of special category data. |
5. Purposes of Use of Personal Information
Service Provision: order processing, providing the naming service, delivery of digital data and hanging scrolls, sending previews.
Communications: order confirmation, preview confirmation, shipping notifications, responses to inquiries.
Service Improvement: analysis of usage, site optimization.
Security: fraud detection and prevention, account authentication.
Compliance with Legal Obligations: retention of tax records, response to legitimate law enforcement requests.
Marketing: sending promotional information only with your consent (which can be revoked at any time).
6. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information
We may share your personal information with third parties only in the following circumstances.
Shopify Inc.: for hosting the Service, payment processing, and order management.
Service Provider (DURATION Corporation): we have contracted administrative services (receipt, storage, and forwarding of mail; first-line customer support response) to DURATION Corporation under a service agreement. We share personal information to the extent necessary.
Shipping Carriers: DHL, FedEx, and similar carriers. Address and name are shared to the extent necessary for delivery of the hanging scroll.
Payment Provider: for processing payments through Shopify Payments.
Analytics Services: Google Analytics and similar. Anonymized site usage data is analyzed.
Legal Requests: where required by law, or in response to legitimate requests from law enforcement authorities.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for advertising purposes.
7. International Data Transfers
The Service operates on Shopify's infrastructure, and your personal information may be processed and stored on servers located in Canada, the United States, or other countries.
Transfers of personal data from the EEA (European Economic Area) or the United Kingdom are protected under the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) or equivalent UK mechanisms.
Cross-border transfers under Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information are likewise subject to appropriate safeguards.
8. Cookie Policy
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes.
| Type | Required / Optional | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Essential cookies | Required | Cart maintenance, payment processing, session management. Necessary for the basic functions of the site. |
| Analytics cookies | Optional | Analysis of site usage via Google Analytics and similar tools, with anonymization processing applied. |
| Marketing cookies | Optional | Not currently used. If used in the future, we will obtain your consent in advance. |
For customers in the EU, UK, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, we display a cookie consent banner to obtain prior consent for non-essential cookies.
9. Retention Period
Order Information / Transaction Records: retained for a minimum of 7 years in accordance with statutory retention obligations (under Japanese tax law).
Hearing Form Responses: retained for 3 years following the completion of the naming service (for dispute resolution, service quality verification, and response to re-production requests), then deleted.
Inquiry Contents: retained for 2 years following the completion of our response, then deleted.
Cookie Data: retained for a maximum of 13 months (in the case of Google Analytics).
Upon receipt of a deletion request from you, we will delete the information within a reasonable period, except for information required to be retained under legal obligations.
10. Your Rights (by Region)
10.1 All Customers
- The right to request access to your personal information held by us.
- The right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- The right to request deletion of your personal information (except where retention is required by legal obligation).
- The right to unsubscribe from marketing emails (via the unsubscribe link in each email).
10.2 Residents of the EU / EEA / United Kingdom (GDPR / UK GDPR)
In addition to the above, you have the following rights.
Right to data portability: the right to receive a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to restrict processing: the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Right to object: the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to withdraw consent: the right to withdraw your consent at any time with respect to processing based on consent.
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country of residence.
10.3 California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), you have the following rights.
- The right to know the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected about you in the past 12 months.
- The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for purposes of targeted advertising.
We do not "sell" your personal information as defined under the CCPA.
Right to non-discrimination: we will not treat you adversely for exercising any of these rights.
10.4 Residents of Brazil (LGPD)
Under the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD), in addition to the rights set forth in 10.1 and 10.2 above, you have the right to request anonymization, blocking, or deletion of your data, and the right to obtain information concerning your consent.
10.5 Residents of Australia and New Zealand (Privacy Act 1988 / Privacy Act 2020)
Under the Australian Privacy Act, you have the right to access and correct your personal information. Complaints may be lodged with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to access and correct your personal information. Complaints may be lodged with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand.
10.6 Residents of Canada (PIPEDA)
Under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial laws (including Quebec's Law 25), you have the following rights.
- The right to request access to your personal information held by us.
- The right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- The right to withdraw consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information.
- The right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC).
10.7 Residents of Mexico (LFPDPPP)
Under the Mexican Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties (LFPDPPP), you have the following ARCO rights.
Acceso (Access): the right to request access to your personal data held by us.
Rectificación (Rectification): the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Cancelación (Cancellation): the right to request the deletion of personal data.
Oposición (Objection): the right to object to processing of personal data for certain purposes.
Complaints may be lodged with the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information, and Personal Data Protection (INAI).
10.8 Residents of Argentina (LPDP)
Under the Argentine Personal Data Protection Law (Ley 25.326), you have the right to request access, rectification, and deletion of your personal data. Complaints may be lodged with the Agency for Access to Public Information (AAIP).
10.9 Residents of Other Countries and Regions
For residents of countries or regions not listed above, we respect rights concerning personal information under the laws of your country of residence. Please contact us at the email address below to exercise your rights.
How to Exercise Your Rights: to exercise any of the above rights, please contact us by email at zenname@tokuzoji.or.jp. We will respond within 30 days.
11. Personal Information of Minors
The Service is not directed to persons under the age of majority in their country of residence. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 16.
12. Security
We implement technical and organizational measures—including SSL/TLS encryption, Shopify's security infrastructure, and access controls—to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and absolute security cannot be guaranteed.
13. Data Breach Notification
If a data breach occurs (unauthorized access, information leakage, etc.) involving your personal information and we determine that it poses a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take the following actions.
- Notify the supervisory authority within 72 hours as a general rule, in accordance with Articles 33 and 34 of the GDPR, the UK GDPR, and applicable national data protection laws.
- Notify you without undue delay.
- Where notification to the Personal Information Protection Commission and to the individual concerned is required under Article 26 of the Japanese Act on the Protection of Personal Information, we will promptly fulfill that obligation.
The notification will include the nature of the breach, the categories of personal information affected, the likely consequences, and the measures we have taken or intend to take.
14. Relationship with Shopify
The Service operates on the platform provided by Shopify Inc. Shopify processes your information in accordance with its own privacy policy. For details, please refer to Shopify's Consumer Privacy Policy (https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy).
15. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as a result of operational, business, legal, or regulatory changes.
If there are material changes (for example, the addition of new purposes of use, expansion of third-party recipients, or significant impacts on your rights), we will actively notify you via your registered email address prior to the effective date and, where necessary, request your renewed consent. Minor changes may be communicated by posting on the site.
16. Contact
For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, please contact us at the details below.
Zen Name (Tokuzoji Temple, Religious Corporation)
Representative: Nobuaki Aiba (Representative Director of Tokuzoji Temple)
Administrative Manager: Shinjiro Nakamura (Administrative Operations Manager)
Address: 4F Oumonkai Bldg. II, 2-10-7 Shibadaimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0012, Japan
Phone: +81-3-6453-0792 (Weekdays 10:00–17:00 JST)
Email: zenname@tokuzoji.or.jp
Website: https://zenname.org/