PSA: Japanese Airbnb laws are changing after June 15, 2018

This is true in the US, but not true here. Tokyo actually has a housing surplus. The new law isn't about protecting renters in the sense that Airbnb is driving up the cost of housing, because it largely isn't. There are really two main reasons it went into effect.

1. Protect the hotel industry, especially in central Tokyo, Kyoto & other highly-trafficked tourist areas, and especially in advance of the Olympics

2. Protect locals from transients in/near their buildings

That's about it!

Really? Because I heard from friends in Osaka that the price of rentals had risen a lot in the last few years. From what I was given to understand the housing surplus tends to be in area where people don't want to live. It's a bit like pointing to Youngstown, OH and saying, there is plenty of cheap housing there, so San Francisco doesn't have any housing issues. And to be fair, Tokyo is enormous and stretches nearly out to Ome, and depending on how you define Tokyo, it can stretch even further. I've not heard from any friends who want to live in Central Tokyo about lots more affordable housing options.

I'm sure some of it is protectionism, because well that is par for the course in Japan, and fear of foreigners is definitely a thing, (anti-Chinese sediment is very strong at times from what I've seen) but I wouldn't be surprised if there is also some negative effects on prices and renters as well. One of the AirBnB articles talked about new condos in Osaka all being bought by people in China to be used for AirBnBs, which hits on both fear of foreigners and issues for residents.

And again, I stand by my belief, that if your AirBnB is not in compliance with local municipal laws as well as National laws, it's just a matter of time before it becomes a problem.
 
Really? Because I heard from friends in Osaka that the price of rentals had risen a lot in the last few years. From what I was given to understand the housing surplus tends to be in area where people don't want to live. It's a bit like pointing to Youngstown, OH and saying, there is plenty of cheap housing there, so San Francisco doesn't have any housing issues. And to be fair, Tokyo is enormous and stretches nearly out to Ome, and depending on how you define Tokyo, it can stretch even further. I've not heard from any friends who want to live in Central Tokyo about lots more affordable housing options.

I'm sure some of it is protectionism, because well that is par for the course in Japan, and fear of foreigners is definitely a thing, (anti-Chinese sediment is very strong at times from what I've seen) but I wouldn't be surprised if there is also some negative effects on prices and renters as well. One of the AirBnB articles talked about new condos in Osaka all being bought by people in China to be used for AirBnBs, which hits on both fear of foreigners and issues for residents.

And again, I stand by my belief, that if your AirBnB is not in compliance with local municipal laws as well as National laws, it's just a matter of time before it becomes a problem.
There is plenty of affordable (and new!) housing in all 23 wards. They build quickly & they build high. Not sure about Osaka but they have not, to my knowledge, imposed any additional restrictions beyond the 180 day limit, and none of the residents seem to be aggrieved enough to write into the news about it. The comments in the newspapers are generally along the lines of "we appreciate the government saving us from the scary foreigners" or "I am unable to continue renting out my place because I couldn't file all 627 forms in the 24 hours I was given to do so, but oh well, it can't be helped." I haven't really seen anyone concerned about housing prices, one way or the other.

Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in the sense that Chinese tourists have a pretty bad image with Japanese people. Anti-Korean sentiment is far worse in daily life, but that tends to be more of an issue for right-wing nationalists, whereas virtually everyone thinks Chinese tourists will make Godzilla look good in terms of the destruction they will bring upon Japan. They're not particularly fond of anyone - Korean, Chinese, American, British, whatever, even other Japanese people - being transient residents in a building they don't understand the culture of and don't consider as their home. When you move into a new building here, you are expected to introduce yourself to your neighbors (with a gift) and to register with the neighborhood association. This way, everybody knows who everybody else is & that they belong there. Tourists don't do that. Tourists could be anyone. Tourists don't know the neighborhood rules. Tourists don't even separate the trash! Tourists have got to go.

I definitely agree that you should not stay in an unlicensed Airbnb. I mentioned a couple of times on the first page that the laws are different in every area/city/ward/etc & the host should know what the rules are for their particular rental. They should also be able to provide their license number. If they won't give it out "for privacy reasons," don't stay there. The license number needs to be posted publicly on the Airbnb page itself anyway if it is really a legal rental. You do not want to break the law here. It won't end well for you.
 
There is plenty of affordable (and new!) housing in all 23 wards. They build quickly & they build high. Not sure about Osaka but they have not, to my knowledge, imposed any additional restrictions beyond the 180 day limit, and none of the residents seem to be aggrieved enough to write into the news about it. The comments in the newspapers are generally along the lines of "we appreciate the government saving us from the scary foreigners" or "I am unable to continue renting out my place because I couldn't file all 627 forms in the 24 hours I was given to do so, but oh well, it can't be helped." I haven't really seen anyone concerned about housing prices, one way or the other.

Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in the sense that Chinese tourists have a pretty bad image with Japanese people. Anti-Korean sentiment is far worse in daily life, but that tends to be more of an issue for right-wing nationalists, whereas virtually everyone thinks Chinese tourists will make Godzilla look good in terms of the destruction they will bring upon Japan. They're not particularly fond of anyone - Korean, Chinese, American, British, whatever, even other Japanese people - being transient residents in a building they don't understand the culture of and don't consider as their home. When you move into a new building here, you are expected to introduce yourself to your neighbors (with a gift) and to register with the neighborhood association. This way, everybody knows who everybody else is & that they belong there. Tourists don't do that. Tourists could be anyone. Tourists don't know the neighborhood rules. Tourists don't even separate the trash! Tourists have got to go.

I definitely agree that you should not stay in an unlicensed Airbnb. I mentioned a couple of times on the first page that the laws are different in every area/city/ward/etc & the host should know what the rules are for their particular rental. They should also be able to provide their license number. If they won't give it out "for privacy reasons," don't stay there. The license number needs to be posted publicly on the Airbnb page itself anyway if it is really a legal rental. You do not want to break the law here. It won't end well for you.

I don't know, I've just heard the people I know in Osaka complain about how rents have gone up and at the same time, I've noticed Osaka is higher and higher on people's must-do list in Japan. I do know that people in Osaka are frustrated by people not using takyuubin (and I would not be surprised if this was true in Tokyo as well) and a lot of people staying in AirBnBs can't because they don't have the language skills to arrange drop-off and delivery and their hosts don't want to handle it either. A friend who just moved back to the US after living in Osaka for several years told me that the subways in Osaka currently have signs up warning about potential fines for people who bring "large" bags on the subway. As of May, no one has been fined yet, but when it starts, no one knows.

I've seen some Anti-Korean sentiment as well, but I admit I personally know about more anti-Chinese issues. Part of it has to do with my other hobbies. Getting OT, but there was recently a huge conflict when a Chinese buyer paid people to wait in line for him and bought all of the limited edition items for sale. Now, I do feel bad for people who missed out, but they also could have gotten in line as early as the paid people, and plenty of Japanese people buy crap to resell. I also think the company which created the item along with the department store where the items were sold deserve just as much ire as the Chinese buyer, since they could have done something about this but have not. (Both the company and department store are Japanese and the company's headquarters are located about 12 kms from the department store in question, so not a huge distance to make sure an employee was on hand.) In general, as an American, I don't feel I've dealt with as much anti-foreigner attitude, but I also know it is because I am a tourist and not a resident. About the worst I've had to deal with are some perverts, but I suspect that is more because I am a woman and less because I am foreign. I've also only ever stayed in the apartment of JET friends and any building that has a JET resident already, I think is not that shocked when another foreigner stays there.

I 100% agree with you and appreciate the fact you have shared some of the individual municipalities and their much stricter interpretations. I honestly can't think of how an airBnB can get around restrictions like the ones in say Shibuya unless possibly it's a free standing unit, so there are fewer neighbors to bother. I just think this is something that needs to be emphasized repeatedly because it just so messes up your travel plans to have someplace cancel on you 2 weeks to 10 days out. AirBnB is currently saying in their press release that they are canceling and giving people 10 days notices and then sending them to JTB and there just can be very very limited accommodations available. So instead of your awesome place in Shibuya for $125 night, now you're paying that and staying somewhere completely different or paying more than double that for the Cerulean. And AirBnB other than the full refund is being rather cagey about what they are willing to pay towards additional accommodation. I guess if you're not really picky about where you stay in Tokyo that's fine, but I confess, I've been to Japan enough that there are areas I like to stay in and areas I like to avoid. There are places I am willing to give a try to and others that are just not convenient for my purposes. I've had people push me to use AirBnB repeatedly and right now, I am so glad I did not use them for my trip because I arrive during that period when reservations are currently being canceled for!
 
I don't know, I've just heard the people I know in Osaka complain about how rents have gone up and at the same time, I've noticed Osaka is higher and higher on people's must-do list in Japan. I do know that people in Osaka are frustrated by people not using takyuubin (and I would not be surprised if this was true in Tokyo as well) and a lot of people staying in AirBnBs can't because they don't have the language skills to arrange drop-off and delivery and their hosts don't want to handle it either. A friend who just moved back to the US after living in Osaka for several years told me that the subways in Osaka currently have signs up warning about potential fines for people who bring "large" bags on the subway. As of May, no one has been fined yet, but when it starts, no one knows.

I've seen some Anti-Korean sentiment as well, but I admit I personally know about more anti-Chinese issues. Part of it has to do with my other hobbies. Getting OT, but there was recently a huge conflict when a Chinese buyer paid people to wait in line for him and bought all of the limited edition items for sale. Now, I do feel bad for people who missed out, but they also could have gotten in line as early as the paid people, and plenty of Japanese people buy crap to resell. I also think the company which created the item along with the department store where the items were sold deserve just as much ire as the Chinese buyer, since they could have done something about this but have not. (Both the company and department store are Japanese and the company's headquarters are located about 12 kms from the department store in question, so not a huge distance to make sure an employee was on hand.) In general, as an American, I don't feel I've dealt with as much anti-foreigner attitude, but I also know it is because I am a tourist and not a resident. About the worst I've had to deal with are some perverts, but I suspect that is more because I am a woman and less because I am foreign. I've also only ever stayed in the apartment of JET friends and any building that has a JET resident already, I think is not that shocked when another foreigner stays there.

I 100% agree with you and appreciate the fact you have shared some of the individual municipalities and their much stricter interpretations. I honestly can't think of how an airBnB can get around restrictions like the ones in say Shibuya unless possibly it's a free standing unit, so there are fewer neighbors to bother. I just think this is something that needs to be emphasized repeatedly because it just so messes up your travel plans to have someplace cancel on you 2 weeks to 10 days out. AirBnB is currently saying in their press release that they are canceling and giving people 10 days notices and then sending them to JTB and there just can be very very limited accommodations available. So instead of your awesome place in Shibuya for $125 night, now you're paying that and staying somewhere completely different or paying more than double that for the Cerulean. And AirBnB other than the full refund is being rather cagey about what they are willing to pay towards additional accommodation. I guess if you're not really picky about where you stay in Tokyo that's fine, but I confess, I've been to Japan enough that there are areas I like to stay in and areas I like to avoid. There are places I am willing to give a try to and others that are just not convenient for my purposes. I've had people push me to use AirBnB repeatedly and right now, I am so glad I did not use them for my trip because I arrive during that period when reservations are currently being canceled for!
The place we found is in Shibuya and is a home, not an apartment. The host has a blog post with pictures and updates as they applied for their license. They also have an actual picture of the license.
 


The place we found is in Shibuya and is a home, not an apartment. The host has a blog post with pictures and updates as they applied for their license. They also have an actual picture of the license.

Here is the problem Haley, *I* am assuming that the municipal law in Shibuya doesn't affect standalone structures, but honestly, *I* don't know, my Japanese isn't that good and I have my doubts that yours is either. It's a risk. If the law specifically for Shibuya is *ALL* rentals, you are still at risk. It might not happen before your trip or even during your trip, but you are taking a risk and one I know I would not want to take if I had other options.

And quite honestly, it seems to me a little odd that you have recommended AirBnBs in Tokyo to another user when you 1) don't know the restrictions in specific municipalities and what will or will not apply to rentals (and I don't know about you, but I would feel terrible if I recommended something and then the person got completely screwed over and either had a cancellation a few days out or ended up with a visit from the police.) and 2) you've never been to Japan. You don't even know if your AirBnB is going to work out or how happy you will actually be since you've never been there. Places, even places with good reviews, can be disappointing. Someone I met through Japan Guide just came back saying how much they didn't like their AirBnB on Naoshima. They talked about it not being terribly clean. I am sure they picked somewhere with decent reviews.

Saying an AirBnB is in Shibuya and near a station can mean a lot of things. You could be near Sasazuka Station on the Keio line or Yoyogi-Uehara Station on the Odakyu. Both are I am sure perfectly safe and lovely locations, but they're not the same thing as being in what most tourists think of as Shibuya, though both are in Shibuya and are stations in Shibuya. In my experience in the more touristy parts of Shibuya, I don't remember any stand alone houses, just lots of shops, restaurants, and apartments. Sasazuka is only 11 minutes from Shibuya 109 by train... if you make the right connections and don't get lost making said connections.

I have stayed in Setagaya-ku in a house in Meidaimae, and while if I was going to live in Tokyo, that would be a top area, it's not all that convenient as a tourist and I stayed there because my friend was letting me stay there for free. It's like I've also stayed out in Nishi Kokubunji and Nishi Ogikubo, which are also nice areas, but not somewhere I would pay to stay unless I was looking at somewhere to live in Tokyo.

Last June, my friends in Osaka told me people in Kansai were pissed about suitcases on local transport. And I've personally seen some pretty crazy stuff, like the Australian family wanting to bring 2 36"+ suitcases on a local Kyoto bus to get to their AirBnB, and that is just really disruptive for people who live in a city. Most local trains aren't made for taking large bags on and unless you are traveling is the middle of the day, local trains can get pretty crowded. May 2018, there are now signs up talking about fines, who is to say that by Spring of next year there will not be discussions of fines for taking bags on local transport in Tokyo.

Since you're not looking to travel until close to a year from now, I would personally wait until at least the end of the Summer before booking anything with AirBnB just to see how everything plays out. Again, I read the AirBnB press release, and while everyone is getting full refunds and help making new reservations and a credit towards an AirBnB experience, getting anything more than that is up to the discretion of AirBnB and I would want to know how this is going to play out before using their service or recommending it to others.
 
Here is the problem Haley, *I* am assuming that the municipal law in Shibuya doesn't affect standalone structures, but honestly, *I* don't know, my Japanese isn't that good and I have my doubts that yours is either. It's a risk. If the law specifically for Shibuya is *ALL* rentals, you are still at risk. It might not happen before your trip or even during your trip, but you are taking a risk and one I know I would not want to take if I had other options.

And quite honestly, it seems to me a little odd that you have recommended AirBnBs in Tokyo to another user when you 1) don't know the restrictions in specific municipalities and what will or will not apply to rentals (and I don't know about you, but I would feel terrible if I recommended something and then the person got completely screwed over and either had a cancellation a few days out or ended up with a visit from the police.) and 2) you've never been to Japan. You don't even know if your AirBnB is going to work out or how happy you will actually be since you've never been there. Places, even places with good reviews, can be disappointing. Someone I met through Japan Guide just came back saying how much they didn't like their AirBnB on Naoshima. They talked about it not being terribly clean. I am sure they picked somewhere with decent reviews.

Saying an AirBnB is in Shibuya and near a station can mean a lot of things. You could be near Sasazuka Station on the Keio line or Yoyogi-Uehara Station on the Odakyu. Both are I am sure perfectly safe and lovely locations, but they're not the same thing as being in what most tourists think of as Shibuya, though both are in Shibuya and are stations in Shibuya. In my experience in the more touristy parts of Shibuya, I don't remember any stand alone houses, just lots of shops, restaurants, and apartments. Sasazuka is only 11 minutes from Shibuya 109 by train... if you make the right connections and don't get lost making said connections.

I have stayed in Setagaya-ku in a house in Meidaimae, and while if I was going to live in Tokyo, that would be a top area, it's not all that convenient as a tourist and I stayed there because my friend was letting me stay there for free. It's like I've also stayed out in Nishi Kokubunji and Nishi Ogikubo, which are also nice areas, but not somewhere I would pay to stay unless I was looking at somewhere to live in Tokyo.

Last June, my friends in Osaka told me people in Kansai were pissed about suitcases on local transport. And I've personally seen some pretty crazy stuff, like the Australian family wanting to bring 2 36"+ suitcases on a local Kyoto bus to get to their AirBnB, and that is just really disruptive for people who live in a city. Most local trains aren't made for taking large bags on and unless you are traveling is the middle of the day, local trains can get pretty crowded. May 2018, there are now signs up talking about fines, who is to say that by Spring of next year there will not be discussions of fines for taking bags on local transport in Tokyo.

Since you're not looking to travel until close to a year from now, I would personally wait until at least the end of the Summer before booking anything with AirBnB just to see how everything plays out. Again, I read the AirBnB press release, and while everyone is getting full refunds and help making new reservations and a credit towards an AirBnB experience, getting anything more than that is up to the discretion of AirBnB and I would want to know how this is going to play out before using their service or recommending it to others.
Alright
 
Here is the problem Haley, *I* am assuming that the municipal law in Shibuya doesn't affect standalone structures, but honestly, *I* don't know, my Japanese isn't that good and I have my doubts that yours is either. It's a risk. If the law specifically for Shibuya is *ALL* rentals, you are still at risk. It might not happen before your trip or even during your trip, but you are taking a risk and one I know I would not want to take if I had other options.

And quite honestly, it seems to me a little odd that you have recommended AirBnBs in Tokyo to another user when you 1) don't know the restrictions in specific municipalities and what will or will not apply to rentals (and I don't know about you, but I would feel terrible if I recommended something and then the person got completely screwed over and either had a cancellation a few days out or ended up with a visit from the police.) and 2) you've never been to Japan. You don't even know if your AirBnB is going to work out or how happy you will actually be since you've never been there. Places, even places with good reviews, can be disappointing. Someone I met through Japan Guide just came back saying how much they didn't like their AirBnB on Naoshima. They talked about it not being terribly clean. I am sure they picked somewhere with decent reviews.

Saying an AirBnB is in Shibuya and near a station can mean a lot of things. You could be near Sasazuka Station on the Keio line or Yoyogi-Uehara Station on the Odakyu. Both are I am sure perfectly safe and lovely locations, but they're not the same thing as being in what most tourists think of as Shibuya, though both are in Shibuya and are stations in Shibuya. In my experience in the more touristy parts of Shibuya, I don't remember any stand alone houses, just lots of shops, restaurants, and apartments. Sasazuka is only 11 minutes from Shibuya 109 by train... if you make the right connections and don't get lost making said connections.

I have stayed in Setagaya-ku in a house in Meidaimae, and while if I was going to live in Tokyo, that would be a top area, it's not all that convenient as a tourist and I stayed there because my friend was letting me stay there for free. It's like I've also stayed out in Nishi Kokubunji and Nishi Ogikubo, which are also nice areas, but not somewhere I would pay to stay unless I was looking at somewhere to live in Tokyo.

Last June, my friends in Osaka told me people in Kansai were pissed about suitcases on local transport. And I've personally seen some pretty crazy stuff, like the Australian family wanting to bring 2 36"+ suitcases on a local Kyoto bus to get to their AirBnB, and that is just really disruptive for people who live in a city. Most local trains aren't made for taking large bags on and unless you are traveling is the middle of the day, local trains can get pretty crowded. May 2018, there are now signs up talking about fines, who is to say that by Spring of next year there will not be discussions of fines for taking bags on local transport in Tokyo.

Since you're not looking to travel until close to a year from now, I would personally wait until at least the end of the Summer before booking anything with AirBnB just to see how everything plays out. Again, I read the AirBnB press release, and while everyone is getting full refunds and help making new reservations and a credit towards an AirBnB experience, getting anything more than that is up to the discretion of AirBnB and I would want to know how this is going to play out before using their service or recommending it to others.
I find this very rude to Haley R., she did not mean any harm :(
 


I booked Air b&B because a friend recommended me to do it normally i book hotels well the day after this the new law came out..I know 80% of bookings taken down mine was but luckily they got licence yesterday they said over 3,000 had applied in last 2 weeks so scrambling to get them processed.On the listings at the bottom will be licence number and Air B&B cant list them if no number. I know several people lost the bookings because hosts didnt get licence not easy to get one.
 
I booked Air b&B because a friend recommended me to do it normally i book hotels well the day after this the new law came out..I know 80% of bookings taken down mine was but luckily they got licence yesterday they said over 3,000 had applied in last 2 weeks so scrambling to get them processed.On the listings at the bottom will be licence number and Air B&B cant list them if no number. I know several people lost the bookings because hosts didnt get licence not easy to get one.
Thank you for posting this. I haven't talked to our expected host in Shibuya lately. I just went and looked at her home's description and she does have their license number listed at the bottom.
 
Haley thats good your booking safe.they are going to cancel all bookings without licence by June 29th .Glad yours is ok they also have to list licence on the property .I think its awful to have this happen ,
 
Haley thats good your booking safe.they are going to cancel all bookings without licence by June 29th .Glad yours is ok they also have to list licence on the property .I think its awful to have this happen ,
I agree with you, but I guess there isn't anything we can do about it. We've actually never done an AirBnB, but I thought it would be a cool way to stay in our first out-of-the-country trip.
 
Hi Haley i havent done Air B&B before i booked it because friend said they always use them .On other trips to Japan i have stayed in Hotels but thought it would be nice to try something different. My host kept me posted several times and if they had not got it this week would have cancelled.We go in July so was a bit of a worry if its good will use again .I see you have quite a while until you go .How long are you going and how long staying ?I lived and worked in Tokyo before having my 3 kids if you have anything i can help with let me know glad to help if i can .
 
Hi Haley i havent done Air B&B before i booked it because friend said they always use them .On other trips to Japan i have stayed in Hotels but thought it would be nice to try something different. My host kept me posted several times and if they had not got it this week would have cancelled.We go in July so was a bit of a worry if its good will use again .I see you have quite a while until you go .How long are you going and how long staying ?I lived and worked in Tokyo before having my 3 kids if you have anything i can help with let me know glad to help if i can .
We are going to Japan for about two weeks. We will be in Tokyo for 4-5 days
 
Just giving my experience:

12 days before our trip our host still had not put their listing back up. We took advantage of Airbnb's proactive email to cancel instead of waiting for 10 days prior for the automatic cancellation because the inventory of properties was pretty slim. As soon as we cancelled we received the 100% coupon and $100 experience coupon. Booking the new property was no problem except that we switched areas (Shibuya to near Ginza/Tokyo Station) and it was more expensive but because of the coupon we ended up paying less than we originally we're going to spend (Original was ~$600 and new was ~$1100) which was a nice benefit. The new listing had their registration number listed in the posting. We also have booked an experience with the coupon no problems.
 
We also had to cancel our AirBNB in Tokyo for next month’s trip. Once I saw how many listings were affected I contacted my host proactively. They basically said they didn’t think they could get licensed in time and that we should cancel. I received the full refund, the 100% coupon ($1640) and $100 experience coupon.

My husband was wary of even the presumably legal listings at this point so we booked an apart-hotel and will use the coupon for another trip.
 

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