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ABOUT · EDITORIAL POLICY

About Local Japan and our editorial policy

Who publishes Local Japan, how we research and review visitor guidance, how we use AI, and how to request a correction.

Last reviewed:

RESPONSIBILITY

Who is responsible for this site?

Local Japan is an editorial service of Sofuca, operated by Sofuca LLC. The Local Japan editorial team is responsible for the order, explanation, language and review boundary of each guide. Airports, transport operators, public authorities, venues and other source owners remain responsible for current operational facts.

Publisher
Sofuca
Operator
Sofuca LLC
Policy reviewed

OUR PROMISE

What we promise readers

01

Decisions before volume

We begin with the question a traveller must answer, not with a list of places. A short action layer comes before deeper context.

02

Sources beside claims

Change-sensitive details return to the public authority, operator, venue or other organisation responsible for them. We show check dates and avoid presenting missing data as proof that a service does not exist.

03

A calm view of Japan

We explain why a custom, food or system matters without treating one experience as a rule for everyone in Japan. The aim is familiarity, not exoticism.

04

Access is part of quality

Keyboard use, screen readers, readable language, mobile layouts and recovery paths are considered during publishing, not added after the article is finished.

EDITORIAL WORKFLOW

How an article is made and maintained

  1. 1. Define the travel moment

    We identify whether the page is for planning, arrival or a problem happening on site, then write the first useful decision.

  2. 2. Separate stable and changing facts

    History and cultural context can be editorial. Schedules, fares, weather, disruptions, opening hours and access conditions keep an official same-day boundary.

  3. 3. Review the complete page

    We check title fit, usefulness, concrete situations, reading depth, sources, navigation, search metadata, AI readability and accessibility.

  4. 4. Publish dates and triggers

    The page shows when source facts and article quality were checked. A content, official-source or safety-guidance change can reopen review before the planned date.

CONNECTED DATA

How Sofuca data is used

BASE supplies stable entities and verified ServicePoints. Localip supplies dated local records. Weather snapshots have a freshness limit. Editorial text explains how to decide; connected data states what was verified and when. These layers are not silently merged.

AI · MEDIA

How we use AI and generated media

AI may assist research organisation, drafting, translation checks, code and original editorial images. It is never treated as an official source, proof of a live condition or evidence of human native-speaker review. Published travel claims keep a responsible source and review boundary. Generated editorial images explain a theme or composition; they do not document a real sign, route, facility or same-day scene unless a caption explicitly says otherwise.

LANGUAGES

Language quality

English and Japanese contain the full catalogue. Korean, Traditional Chinese for Taiwan and Simplified Chinese for mainland China begin with a smaller travel-critical library. AI language quality review checks meaning, naturalness, on-site usability, terminology and safety. Human native-speaker review is shown only when it actually occurred.

SOURCE BOUNDARY

What Local Japan cannot confirm

Local Japan cannot guarantee today’s timetable, fare, capacity, ingredient, accessibility route, medical availability, weather, disaster status or entry requirement. Use the linked official source on the day you act. Emergency numbers are reserved for genuine emergencies.

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CORRECTIONS

Corrections and feedback

If a verified place looks wrong, use the report control on that place when available. For an editorial, translation or accessibility issue, send the page URL, the exact passage and the reason through Sofuca’s inquiry page. Sign-in may be required there. We compare the report with the responsible official source before changing a factual claim.

Open Sofuca inquiry