Terms of Use
Last updated: October 28, 2026
By using purefalcontrail.com you accept these Terms. If you disagree, please don't use the Site.
1. Ownership
Texts, design and code are owned by Pure Falcon Trail or its licensors. Photos are used under the Pexels License and remain subject to it. You may share links and quote short excerpts with attribution; republishing whole articles requires written permission.
2. For information only
Our content is general information. Opening times, ticketing and access change — always check official sources before travelling. See the Disclaimer.
3. Use of the Site
Don't misuse the Site, attempt unauthorised access, scrape at scale or disrupt its operation.
4. Third-party links
We aren't responsible for external websites we link to.
5. Liability
To the extent permitted by law, the Site is provided "as is" and we are not liable for losses arising from its use.
6. Changes
We may update these Terms at any time; continued use means acceptance.
7. Visiting the places we write about
Many buildings on the Site are working temples, shrines, museums or homes. Shirakawa-go's farmhouses are lived in; Naoshima's galleries use timed tickets; some temple gardens ban tripods or photography inside halls. Our stories describe architecture, not visiting rights. Follow the rules on site, respect private property and residents' privacy, and do not fly drones where it is prohibited. We are not responsible for what happens on a trip planned from our pages.
8. Corrections
Architectural history is argued over, and opening hours change. If you think a story is wrong, write to us. We check corrections against official or published sources and update the story, noting significant changes at the end of the article.
9. The Trail Letter
Signing up means you agree to receive the newsletter about twice a month. You can leave at any time with the link in each issue.
10. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. The Tokyo District Court is the court of first instance for disputes, unless consumer law where you live gives you another forum.
11. Route notes
Our trails string several places into one route: Himeji and the art islands of the Seto Inland Sea, or Shirakawa-go and on to Kanazawa. Travel times, ferry links and walking distances in a route note are estimates, checked when the story was written. Ferries to Naoshima follow seasonal timetables and stop in rough weather. Mountain roads to Shirakawa-go can close or need chains in winter. Plan with the operator's current timetable and leave slack in the day. We can't refund tickets, rooms or transport booked on the strength of a route note.
12. Photos and captions
Most photos on the Site come from Pexels. Some show a similar building or a neighbouring valley rather than the exact place; when that matters, the caption says so. Don't present our crops and captions as your own photographs of a site. If you took a photo we use and want a different credit or want it removed, email us and we'll act within a few working days.
13. What you send us
When you send a photo, a correction or a route tip, you confirm you have the right to share it. You keep the copyright. You let us use it on the Site and in the Trail Letter, credited the way you ask, and you can ask us to take it down later. We may shorten tips for clarity. We don't pay for submissions.
14. Stories change
Pure Falcon Trail is a small independent project. Stories get revised, merged or retired: a museum closes for renovation, a building comes down, a trail no longer makes sense. We try to keep old links working, but we don't promise that a page will stay online, unchanged, for any fixed period. We may pause the Site or the Trail Letter for maintenance without notice.
15. Teaching and commercial use
Schools, tour operators and guidebook writers are welcome to link to our trails. If you want to print a story as a class handout, or quote more than a short excerpt in a commercial guide, write first and say what you need. We usually say yes for teaching and agree a credit line for the rest.
16. Steps, gravel and stairs
Where we know them, we mention the climbs on a trail: the steep stairs inside Himeji's keep, the gravel lanes and steep viewpoint path at Shirakawa-go, the long underground passages at Chichu. These notes are a starting point, not an access survey. Facilities change and conditions shift with weather and crowds, so check with the venue if access matters to you.