8% of short-term ‘minpaku’ rentals close since start of pandemic

According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the number of registered short-term ‘minpaku’ rentals nationwide has dropped from a peak of 21,385 in April 2020 to 19,520 as of March 2021.

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Osaka Metro loses millions on minpaku mansion

Osaka Metro Co., Ltd., the operator of Osaka’s metro transit system, has reportedly sold a ‘minpaku’-style short-term letting building at a loss. The apartment building was purchased in 2019 with the goal of opening it to foreign tourists from February 2021, but those plans have been abandoned due to the ongoing international travel bans.

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Historic villa in Hayama to open as holiday rental

The villa pictured in 2015, before the restoration.

A historic 1920s villa in Hayama has been restored and will open up as a short-term holiday rental next month.

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Osaka sees steep drop in registered short-term accommodations

Almost a third of Osaka’s short-term ‘minpaku’ listings have been deregistered by their hosts since the start of the pandemic.

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Some short-term hosts pivot to day-use office rentals

With inbound tourism essentially sitting at zero, some ‘minpaku’ or Airbnb-type accommodation operators are either closing up shop or pivoting into offering telework options in a last-ditch effort to stay afloat in a challenging market.

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Number of registered short-term accommodations drop for first time

The number of registered ‘minpaku’ short-term accommodation providers has dropped for the first time since the new system was introduced in June 2018. According to the Japan Tourism Agency there were a total of 21,176 registered properties across Japan as of May 11, down from 21,385 just one month earlier.

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Airbnb hosts leaving in droves as coronavirus cancellations pile up

Short-term ‘minpaku’ accommodation hosts are starting to exit the short-term letting market. As of April 2020, the number of hosts that de-registered their properties topped 4,100 since the registration system was introduced in mid-2018. There are currently 25,000 registered minpaku properties across Japan.

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