Advisor for RENOVATION, REPAIR, REAL ESTATE and CONSTRUCTION for foreigners living in Japan

What’s MINPAKU “Vacation rentals in Japan”?

REAL ESTATE
目次

What’s the difference in between a guesthouse or a vacation rentals in Japan.

 

民泊 [MINPAKU]:

Vacation rental, Bed & Breakfast. Renting out a room in a detached house or apartment to provide lodging services to travelers and business travelers.  It has got easier for even an individual owner to start the accommodation business without getting an 旅館営業許可 [RYOKAN EIGYOU KYOKA] (りょかんえいぎょうきょか) “accommodation license”.  This is newly categorized accommodation style regally so that local people can easily start a vacation rental business. It has to be given permission from the public health center. But paperwork is much easier than normal accommodation businesses such as a hotel, ryokan or hostel. And initial investment should be also much cheaper than them. You can search for this type of accommodation by Booking.com or Air B&B. You can make a booking through Airbnb , Vrbo [Expedia Group] , Vacation  Stay [Rakuten Group] or STAY JAPAN

– STAY JAPAN is an accommodation searching site specialized in a farm stay, which is called 農家民泊 [NOUKA MINPAKU]

– VACATION STAY is an accommodation searching site including many Minpaku properties. Especially a number of resort properties are listed on the site.

STAY JAPAN
Vacation Stay
Pro(s) Con(s) Minimum of stay
  •  The traveler can experience the local life that you can’t get in a hotel (Accommodation license is not permitted in the residential area)
  • You can choose from a variety of room types, including apartments and houses. (If it is an apartment, it should be 分譲マンション[BUNJO MANSION]  or 賃貸マンション[CHINTAI MANSION]. )
  • Not only furniture and appliances but also linen and bath amenities will be equipped.
  • No need paperwork ( leasing contract )
  • In Airbnb, you may have to submit your ID depending on a property, but it’s not that complicated of a process like Monthly or Weekly Mansion.
  • In either an apartment or a single-house, there are no opportunities to meet other guests to communicate like a guesthouse.
  • You may find a property with an owner, but it should be very rare. You are supposed to receive a key without seeing anyone else.
 住宅宿泊事業法 [JYUTAKU SYUKUHAKU JIGYOU HOU]: 1 night国家戦略特区法 [KOKKA SENRYAKU TOKKU HOU]: 2 nights (It differs depending on the district.)

 

 

 
NOTE:
A new law 住宅宿泊事業法 [JYUTAKU SYUKUHAKU JIGYOU HOU] regulating private lodging businesses took effect in 2018 to cope with a shortage of accommodations amid a growing number of foreign tourists. The law allows anyone to lease their rooms for up to 180 days a year if they register with their local government in advance. Before starting this law, many individual owners had rented out their house or apartment illegally.
国家戦略特区法 [KOKKA SENRYAKU TOKKU HOU]took effort in 2013. According to this law, foreign tourists will be allowed to stay in the National Strategic Special Zone for a period of time (3 to 10 days) specified by ordinance based on a lease contract. Ohta Ward of Tokyo
Pref., Osaka Pref. Osaka City, Kita-Kyusyu City of Fukuoka Pref. Niigata City, Chiba City are assigned to National Strategic Special Zone.