Last updated: July 2026
Read Japan is written and run by one person. Hosting, domains, and the time it takes to write don’t pay for themselves, and affiliate commissions help cover that.
Here’s what that means in practice, and what it doesn’t:
I only link to things I’ve actually used, owned, or would recommend to someone I know. A commission has never made me recommend something I don’t believe in, and it never will. If I’m writing about a teapot from my mother’s cupboard, it’s because it matters to me — not because there’s a payout attached.
An affiliate link never costs you anything extra. The price you pay is the same whether you use my link or go directly to the seller.
I’ll always tell you when a link is an affiliate link. You shouldn’t have to guess.
Advertising
This site may also display ads served by third-party advertising networks. Those ads are chosen by the network, not by me, and their presence isn’t an endorsement.
Items I sell directly
I occasionally sell vintage Japanese items — the kind of Showa-era objects I write about — through online marketplaces. Where I link to something I’m selling myself, I’ll say so plainly. That’s not an affiliate relationship; that’s just me, selling a teapot.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you’d like to know whether a specific link is an affiliate link, ask me. I’ll tell you straight.