\n<\/p>\n
Known for its buzzing commercial and entertainment district, Shinjuku has around 4,000 short-term rentals, according to the ward’s official website. That is nearly 10 percent of Japan’s total.<\/p>\n
But its large residential population has become increasingly exasperated with tourists who fail to properly dispose of rubbish, smoke where they are not supposed to and make too much noise.<\/p>\n
A Shinjuku official supervising holiday rentals told AFP that the district was “planning to revise the current ordinance… to ban private lodging” in residential zones and areas near schools.<\/p>\n
“As the number of private lodging businesses has risen, complaints and troubles around them have increased,” the official said on customary condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
More than 50 percent of short-term rentals in Shinjuku face a ban under the new rules, he said, adding that the plan would formally be announced by the Shinjuku mayor on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The policy will only apply to existing rentals, the official said. It is likely to result in the closure of around 2,000 properties, including an unknown number on Airbnb.<\/p>\n
Japan aims to attract 60 million foreign tourists by 2030, up from 42 million in 2025, but overtourism has emerged as a major challenge.<\/p>\n
Residents of Japan’s former imperial capital Kyoto and other hotspots have expressed annoyance at selfie-taking crowds as well as traffic congestion and soaring land prices.<\/p>\n
In Shinjuku, the number of complaints over vacation rentals increased by around 40 percent in the fiscal year to March, the official said.<\/p>\n
“Many complaints are about the violation of trash disposal rules while others include smoking and trespassing,” he said.<\/p>\n
American tourist Luke Jemison, 24, told AFP that the rules “make sense, because of noise”.<\/p>\n
Masaru Sato, a Shinjuku resident in his 70s, said “many foreigners, including operators of private lodgings, don’t follow local rules”.<\/p>\n
“This area gets dirty because the way they dispose of trash is very messy,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n
AFP has contacted Airbnb for comment. Several hosts in Shinjuku declined interviews when contacted by AFP.<\/p>\n
In July, the Japan Tourism Agency gave municipalities the right to regulate short-term lodgings if “a tranquil living and educational environment” is under threat or if they “hinder the maintenance of a permanent population and local community”.<\/p>\n
Kyoto is also considering a ban on short-term lodging, but only for new rentals within residential and industrial areas.<\/p>\n
Other global cities have cracked down on private lodgings available through online rental platforms.<\/p>\n
That is partly due to overtourism concerns, but also because some residents say home-sharing websites for tourists deprive locals of apartments for long-term rent and push up prices for homes remaining on the market.<\/p>\n
Barcelona, one of Europe’s most-visited cities, aims to ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2029 to ease a housing shortage.<\/p>\n
Under rules introduced in 2023, New York prohibits rental periods of less than 30 days unless the host lives in the property.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n