As tourism to Japan continues its upward trajectory, more people are staying at private vacation rentals brokered by sites like AirBnB. That’s causing tension with residents, at least one of whom decided to take matters into their own hands in Tokyo recently.
As reported by Asahi Shimbun and FNN, someone has been putting up a slew of signs in the neighborhood – written in Japanese, English, and Chinese – opposing foreigners renting apartments in one building as short-term vacation rentals. One English sign reads, “We are deadset against your staying at this vacation rental.”
Local residents interviewed by reporters say they regularly deal with loud noises coming from the apartments of the three-story building late at night. Security cameras have also caught travelers smoking outside and throwing their butts on the ground. (Smoking in public outside of designated areas is against the law in Tokyo.)
No one told us this would be a rental!
Why all the anger? It turns out the situation is complicated. Besides the noise and garbage complaints, residents say they feel like they were conned.
The practice of home vacation rentals, or 民泊 (minpaku) in Japanese, has long been controversial. In response to complaints from citizens years back, Japan passed new regulations on minpaku in June 2018. Under the new law, an owner who wants to rent a house or apartment has to submit a notice first to their local city hall. Authorities will then dole out a registration number, which has to be displayed prominently somewhere on the building. This number must also be included in all online rental listings.
With Japan projected to receive over 40 million visitors in 2025, vacation rental stays are more popular than ever. There are currently 25,000 registered minpaku properties in Japan – an all-time record.
The law gives municipalities a lot of leeway in regulating short-term private rentals. In Tokyo, for example, Chuo, Koto, and Meguro City, among many others, only allow them to operate on weekends. Others, like Chiyoda, allow them to operate from private residents without restriction but restrict their operation in other areas.
The building in question is properly registered for short-term stays. However, it was built on the understanding of residents that it would be a regular apartment building.
New owners bought the building and registered it as a vacation rental last year. However, they never communicated with residents or sought acknowledgment for turning it into a minpaku facility. That’s left many in the neighborhood with a bad taste in their mouths.
Should you consider an AirBnB rental in Japan?
The apartment building owner refused to talk to reporters about the complaints. FNN interviewed foreign lodgers, one of whom brushed off the complaints.
“So long as it doesn’t impact me, I don’t care,” they said before walking away.
That raises the question: Should you consider a private residence stay on your trip to Japan?
On the one hand, many travelers think it feels more “real” to stay in a regular Japanese neighborhood among people going about their daily lives. It also exposes you to an area outside the usual tourist traps you might not have ventured into otherwise.
On the other hand, you may get your fair share of dirty looks – or, in this case, outright opposition. Incidents of tourists behaving badly make the news here on a weekly basis, which is causing increasing tensions between tourists and locals. As this story shows, you may unintentionally find yourself as a bit character in a local drama.
I’ve done AirBnB stays before I moved here and enjoyed them. However, if I had to do it again, I’d probably stick to a hotel, traditional ryokan, or extended-stay residence. The novelty isn’t worth the tension it might cause.
If you do stay in a short-term rental, do your best not to make your fellow vacationers look bad. Obey all local laws and keep the noise down, particularly at night. Remember that it may be your vacation – but it’s everyone else’s workday.
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