Tokyo neighbourhood considers short-term rental ban over bad tourist behaviour

A popular Japanese neighbourhood has moved to ban short-term rental accommodation after residents reported unruly tourist behaviour.

Shinjuku, a major commercial and entertainment ward in Tokyo, has 3,775 private lodgings, or minpaku, according to the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA).

This accounts for nearly 10 per cent of approximately 42,070 Airbnb-style short-term rentals in Japan.

Complaints including noise, rubbish, smoking and trespassing from tourists have been raised by residents in 2026.

The ward is famous for Shinjuku Station, the world's busiest railway hub, and vibrant nightlife districts including Kabukicho.

Japan has set a tourism target of 60 million foreign tourists by 2030, heightening overtourism concerns.

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.

They added: “As the number of private lodging businesses has risen, complaints and troubles around them have increased.”

The policy will only apply to existing rentals, reported AFP.

In July, the JTA officially notified municipalities that they have the right to severely restrict or ban short-term private lodgings to protect a “tranquil living and educational environment” or prevent actions that “hinder the maintenance of a permanent population and local community”.

According to local media, more than 50 per cent of short-term rentals in Shinjuku could face a ban under the new rules expected to be announced by the Shinjuku mayor on Tuesday.

The number of days per year that minpaku in residential areas can be rented out could also be reduced from 180 to 120.

An Airbnb spokesperson told the Guardian: “Shinjuku has been an important partner to us, and we take residents’ concerns seriously. Home sharing works best when residents, hosts and guests can all live well alongside each other, and that is what we want to help the ward protect.”

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