Japan’s minpaku 180-day cap: what guests should know

The 180-day minpaku cap applies to homes registered under Japan’s Private Lodging Business Act. It does not apply to every apartment, hotel or Airbnb listing.

If you are considering a long stay in a private lodging, ask which licence or registration the property uses and whether it can host you for your full stay. A booking lasting a month or more doesn't automatically become a residential tenancy or stop counting as lodging.

What the cap measures

The official minpaku portal explains that each registered lodging can host guests on no more than 180 days, counted from noon on 1 April to noon on 1 April the following year. One night counts as one day. This isn't a January-to-December allowance.

It counts the days guests stay, not the number of bookings. Splitting one continuous stay into several bookings doesn't create extra available days. Ask the business whether it has enough days left to host your whole stay. You cannot check this from your booking alone because other guests’ stays also use up its allowance.

Local restrictions can further limit availability

The Private Lodging Business Act allows local governments to restrict where and when these lodgings operate, under conditions set by the law. The national cap therefore isn't a promise that a particular address can host on any 180 days it chooses.

Check the relevant ward's current information if the business cannot explain an availability restriction. The rules can differ by address, so a restriction at one property may not apply at another.

Keep the host's written confirmation that it can accommodate your full stay with your reservation.

What the cap can mean for pricing

A host with year-round fixed costs has fewer nights in which to recover them when operating days are limited. That can help explain a quote, but it won't tell you what any particular home should cost.

Consider an illustrative annual fixed cost of ¥1,800,000. Spread across 180 occupied nights, that is ¥10,000 per night before cleaning and other costs. Spread across 120 occupied nights, it is ¥15,000. With fewer occupied nights, each night needs to cover more of the fixed costs.

This example assumes the host wants bookings to cover all of those annual costs. A host who also lives in the home may be seeking only a contribution toward them.

A permit, a notification and a lease are different

The licensing comparison explains which permission to check with your host. A home registered under the Private Lodging Business Act has a registration number, while a hotel or inn has a permit. Some areas also allow “special-zone” private lodging, where the host needs the local authority's approval. If the host says it uses this scheme, ask for that approval document. A residential lease is a different arrangement, so check the agreement as well as the advertised length of stay. Listings sometimes use “minpaku” loosely, so the word alone does not tell you which permission the property has.

Ask the host for the registration or permit number for the type of accommodation they offer. Homes registered under this minpaku scheme have a registration number beginning with M. A property with a hotel permit uses a different form of permission and need not have an M number. Its absence alone does not mean the property is illegal. Look up the number in the official register and check that the record identifies the address and the business responsible for the lodging.

If you cannot resolve a discrepancy with the host or booking platform, contact the local authority responsible for lodging before paying. If you cannot find the property in one online search, ask the office to help check the record before drawing a conclusion.

Before confirming a longer stay

Ask what would happen if the business could not host you for all the agreed nights. Would it refund the unused nights, find you another place to stay, or both? Keep its answer and the permit or registration details with the cancellation policy.

Compare the total cost, including fees, with a suitable monthly apartment. Check which agreement you would sign for each option. Paying for 30 nights does not remove the cap if the property is registered under the Private Lodging Business Act.