Terms of Use

These terms describe how you may use Misty River Valley, a small independent blog about riverside landscapes and garden conditions in Japan. By reading the blog you agree to them. They are meant to be read, so we have kept the language plain and the list short.

What the blog is

Misty River Valley publishes general writing about how river valleys, shade, moisture, wind and the seasons shape gardens and countryside. The four articles on the blog, on river valley ecology, garden microclimates, seasonal change and morning mist, are observations and explanations written for curious readers. They are not scientific papers, field surveys or official reports, and they do not describe any one named place unless the text says so.

Not professional advice

Nothing on the blog is horticultural, engineering, legal or meteorological advice. If you plan a planting scheme, change the drainage of a plot, work near a watercourse or make a decision that costs money, ask a qualified local person who can see the site. Garden conditions in Japan differ greatly between Hokkaido, the Pacific coast, the mountain interior and the southern islands, and an example that fits one region may not fit yours.

Weather, rivers and personal safety

Mist, heavy rain and rising water change quickly. The blog is not a forecast and never a warning service. Before you walk beside a river, cross a low path or visit a valley in poor visibility, check the official forecasts and warnings issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency and by the local authority, and follow their instructions. Never enter a swollen river or a flooded path to take a photograph or to observe something we have described.

Photographs

The photographs are illustrations of garden and landscape atmosphere. They were not taken to document the places named in the articles and may show gardens, ponds or courtyards that are not in Japan or not beside a river. Their descriptions say what is visible in each picture, not where it was taken. Please do not treat a photograph as evidence of the conditions at a particular location or on a particular date.

Accuracy

We take care to write plainly and to avoid claims we cannot support, and we use cautious words such as "may" and "often" where conditions vary. Even so, nature writing simplifies, and mistakes can happen. If you notice an error, please tell us at info@mistyrivervalley.com and we will correct the page. We do not promise that every article is complete or current.

Copyright and reuse

The text and layout of the blog belong to Misty River Valley. You are welcome to read, print for personal use and share the link to any article. You may quote a short passage if you name the blog and link back to the page it came from. Please do not copy whole articles, republish them as your own, or feed them to a service that offers them elsewhere without our written agreement. Third-party photographs and fonts remain the property of their owners and are used under their own licences.

No products, prices or paid placement

The blog sells nothing. There are no products, bookings, prices, subscriptions or paid listings, and no affiliate links, sponsored articles or advertising. Because nothing is offered for sale, there is no purchase to make and no notice under the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions is needed. If we ever begin to offer something, we will say so clearly on the page where it appears and publish the required information before it goes live.

Links to other websites

The blog may link to outside sites, for example to an official weather agency. We choose such links with care, but we do not control those sites and are not responsible for what they publish or how they treat your information. Reading them is at your own discretion.

Availability of the site

We try to keep the blog online, but we may change it, move pages or take it offline for maintenance without notice. We do not promise uninterrupted access.

Limits of our responsibility

The blog is provided as general information. To the extent the law of Japan allows, we are not liable for loss that results from relying on an article, from a decision made after reading it, or from the temporary unavailability of the site. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability for our own intentional acts or gross negligence.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms when the blog changes. The version on this page is the current one, and continuing to use the blog after a change means you accept the new version.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of Japan. If a dispute cannot be settled by talking, it will be handled by the competent courts of Japan.

Contact

For questions about these terms, write to info@mistyrivervalley.com, call +81 88-429-1740, or send a letter to 2-19-8 Terashimahoncho-nishi, Tokushima, Tokushima 770-0831, Japan. Our handling of personal information is described in the privacy and cookie policy.