Cookie Policy

Understanding Cookies

This Cookie Policy explains how Hibiki Voice and Guitar ("we," "our," or "us") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website and platform. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit our website. They help us provide you with a better experience by remembering your preferences, analyzing site performance, and delivering relevant content.

This policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy, which provides comprehensive information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal data. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with this policy. You can withdraw consent at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences or browser settings.

Types of Cookies We Use

We employ different categories of cookies to provide and improve our services:

Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our website and cannot be disabled. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, user authentication, lesson booking processes, and access to secure areas. Without these cookies, services you have requested cannot be provided. These cookies do not store personally identifiable information.

Performance and Analytics Cookies: These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, including which pages are visited most often, time spent on pages, error messages, and navigation patterns. This data helps us improve website functionality, identify technical issues, and optimize user experience. The information collected is aggregated and anonymous.

Functionality Cookies: These cookies remember choices you make to provide enhanced features and personalization. They may remember your language preference, login credentials, lesson format preferences, and customization settings. These cookies help create a more personalized experience without storing sensitive personal information.

Targeting and Advertising Cookies: With your consent, we may use cookies to deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness. These cookies track your browsing activity across websites to build a profile of your interests. They help us show you content that may be of interest and limit the number of times you see the same advertisement.

First-Party and Third-Party Cookies

First-party cookies are set directly by our website and are used to facilitate core functionality, remember your preferences, and analyze site usage. We have full control over these cookies and the data they collect. First-party cookies are essential for providing our lesson booking services and maintaining platform security.

Third-party cookies are set by external service providers and partners that we work with. These may include analytics providers (such as Google Analytics), payment processors, social media platforms, and advertising networks. While we carefully select our third-party partners and require them to maintain appropriate security standards, these cookies are governed by the privacy policies of the respective third parties. We recommend reviewing their privacy policies to understand how they use your information.

Specific Cookies in Use

Below is a detailed list of the primary cookies used on our platform:

hibiki_session: Duration: Session cookie (expires when browser closes). Purpose: Maintains your login session and enables you to navigate between pages without repeated authentication. Category: Strictly Necessary.

cookie_consent: Duration: 12 months. Purpose: Stores your cookie preference choices to remember whether you have accepted or rejected non-essential cookies. Category: Strictly Necessary.

user_preferences: Duration: 12 months. Purpose: Remembers your language selection, lesson format preferences, and interface customization settings. Category: Functionality.

_ga, _gid, _gat: Duration: 2 years, 24 hours, 1 minute respectively. Purpose: Google Analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use our site, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve user experience. Category: Performance and Analytics.

booking_draft: Duration: 7 days. Purpose: Saves your lesson booking details if you exit before completing the booking process, allowing you to resume where you left off. Category: Functionality.

Cookie Duration and Persistence

Cookies have different lifespans depending on their purpose and type:

Session Cookies: These temporary cookies exist only while you actively browse our website. They are automatically deleted when you close your browser. Session cookies are primarily used for authentication, maintaining your booking workflow, and ensuring secure navigation through our platform.

Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a specified period, ranging from days to years, even after you close your browser. They remember your login status, preferences, and settings for future visits. Persistent cookies enhance convenience by eliminating the need to repeatedly enter information or adjust settings. You can manually delete persistent cookies through your browser settings at any time.

Purpose and Benefits of Cookie Use

We use cookies to enhance your experience and improve our services in several ways. Cookies enable essential website functionality, including secure login, booking processes, and payment transactions. They help us remember your preferences so you don't have to re-enter information on every visit.

Analytics cookies provide insights into how our platform is used, helping us identify areas for improvement and optimize performance. They show us which features are most popular, where users encounter difficulties, and how we can enhance the overall user experience. This data-driven approach allows us to make informed decisions about platform development and service improvements.

Additionally, cookies help us deliver relevant content and communications. They enable personalization of lesson recommendations based on your interests and learning goals, ensure you see announcements and updates that are relevant to you, and help us provide better customer support by understanding your interaction history with our platform.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have control over how cookies are used on your device. When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept all cookies or select only necessary cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by adjusting settings in our cookie consent tool, accessible through the cookie banner or your account settings.

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. Browser-level cookie controls typically allow you to block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, or delete cookies after each browsing session. However, blocking or deleting certain cookies may impact your ability to use some features of our platform, such as staying logged in or completing lesson bookings.

Browser-Specific Cookie Controls

Each major browser provides tools to manage cookies. Here's how to access cookie settings in popular browsers:

Google Chrome: Navigate to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data. Here you can block third-party cookies, delete cookies, or see all cookies and site data.

Mozilla Firefox: Go to Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data. Firefox offers standard, strict, and custom tracking protection levels.

Safari: Select Preferences > Privacy. Safari provides options to block all cookies, allow cookies only from websites you visit, or always allow cookies.

Microsoft Edge: Access Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data. Edge allows you to block third-party cookies and manage cookie exceptions.

For mobile browsers, cookie settings are typically found in the browser's settings menu under privacy or security options. Consult your browser's help documentation for detailed instructions specific to your version.

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers offer "Do Not Track" (DNT) settings that send a signal to websites requesting not to track your browsing activity. Currently, there is no industry-wide standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals, and interpretation varies among service providers.

We respect your privacy preferences and are committed to providing transparency about our data practices. While we do not currently alter our cookie usage based on DNT signals, we provide robust cookie preference controls through our consent banner and offer detailed information about our tracking practices in this policy. You can always manage your cookie preferences directly through our platform or your browser settings.

Web Beacons and Pixel Tags

In addition to cookies, we may use web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs) on our website and in emails. These are tiny graphics with unique identifiers that function similarly to cookies and help us understand user behavior.

Web beacons allow us to track whether emails have been opened, which links were clicked, and whether content was forwarded. On our website, web beacons help us analyze page visits, measure campaign effectiveness, and improve content delivery. Unlike cookies, web beacons are not stored on your device but are embedded in web pages and emails. They typically work in conjunction with cookies to provide comprehensive usage information.

Mobile Application Tracking

If you access our services through a mobile application, we may use mobile-specific tracking technologies in addition to or instead of cookies. These include mobile device identifiers, in-app analytics tools, and push notification tokens.

Mobile tracking helps us understand app performance, identify crashes or errors, analyze feature usage, and deliver personalized experiences. You can control mobile tracking through your device settings, including limiting ad tracking, resetting your advertising identifier, or disabling analytics. Mobile tracking preferences are separate from website cookie settings and must be managed independently through your device's privacy controls.

Third-Party Analytics Services

We use third-party analytics services, primarily Google Analytics, to collect and analyze information about website usage. These services use cookies and similar technologies to gather data about your interactions with our platform, including pages viewed, time spent, click patterns, and referral sources.

Analytics data helps us understand user behavior, identify popular features, detect technical issues, and make data-driven improvements to our services. The information collected by analytics services is typically aggregated and anonymized. However, if you're concerned about analytics tracking, you can install browser extensions such as the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent data collection by Google Analytics.

Consequences of Disabling Cookies

While we respect your right to control cookie usage, disabling certain cookies will impact your experience on our platform. Without strictly necessary cookies, you will be unable to log into your account, complete lesson bookings, process payments, or access secure areas of our website.

Disabling functionality cookies means you'll need to repeatedly enter your preferences, select your language, and reconfigure settings with each visit. Without analytics cookies, we lose valuable insights into how to improve our platform, potentially resulting in a less optimized user experience for everyone. Blocking advertising cookies may result in seeing more irrelevant advertisements, though it won't increase the total number of ads displayed.

We encourage you to carefully consider which cookies you disable to ensure you can effectively use our services while maintaining your desired level of privacy.

International Data Transfers Through Cookies

Some of our third-party service providers that set cookies on our website are located outside of Japan. When cookies collect information, that data may be transferred to and processed in other countries, including the United States and European Union member states.

We ensure that all international data transfers comply with applicable data protection laws and that appropriate safeguards are in place. Our third-party providers are required to maintain security standards consistent with our privacy practices. When you consent to cookies, you acknowledge and accept that your information may be processed internationally in accordance with this policy and our Privacy Policy.

Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or business operations. When we make significant changes, we will notify you through a prominent notice on our website or by email, as appropriate.

The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when it was most recently revised. We encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed about how we use cookies. Your continued use of our website after policy updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you disagree with changes, you may adjust your cookie preferences or discontinue using our services.

Contact Us About Cookies

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding our use of cookies, please contact us:

Email: privacy@tovrenbrook.com
Phone: +81 3-5521-0730
Mail: Hibiki Voice and Guitar, 2 Chome-10-4 Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan

We will respond to cookie-related inquiries within 5 business days. Our team is available to help you understand our cookie practices, adjust your preferences, or address any concerns about tracking technologies on our platform.