Jamaine Punzalan

Shinjuku, Japan. Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788759606790jezael-melgoza-tUVf65KIVpI-unsplash.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">Shinjuku, Japan. Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash&nbsp;</span></span></span></div><p>Tokyo tourist hotspot Shinjuku will impose a ban on more than half of its holiday rentals including homes on Airbnb, an official said Monday, after a surge in complaints about visitors.</p><p>Known for its buzzing commercial and entertainment district, the ward hosts nearly 10 percent of Japan&#39;s 42,000 short-term rentals.</p><p>But it also has a large residential population, who have become increasingly exasperated with tourists who fail to properly dispose of rubbish, smoke where they&#39;re not supposed to, and make too much noise.</p><p>A Shinjuku official supervising holiday rentals told AFP that the district was &quot;planning to revise the current ordinance... to ban private lodging&quot; in residential zones and areas near schools.</p><p>&quot;As the number of private lodging businesses has risen, complaints and troubles around them have increased,&quot; the official said on customary condition of anonymity.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2026/3/22/missed-sakura-season-japan-embassy-shares-visa-tips-for-your-next-trip-0914">Missed Sakura season? Japan embassy shares visa tips for your next trip&nbsp;</a></div><p>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><p>Shinjuku&#39;s policy will apply to existing properties, he added.</p><p>The move comes as other cities around the world attempt to crack down on private lodgings available on Airbnb and other platforms, including New York City and Barcelona.</p><p>Like elsewhere, overtourism has emerged as a major issue in Japan.</p><p>Residents of Kyoto and other hotspots have expressed annoyance at selfie-taking crowds as well as traffic congestion and soaring land prices.&nbsp;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2026/3/24/-perfect-japan-posts-spark-gen-z-social-media-backlash-1311">&#39;Perfect Japan&#39; posts spark Gen Z social media backlash </a></div><p>In Shinjuku, the number of complaints over vacation rentals&nbsp;increased by around 40 percent in the fiscal year to March, the official said.</p><p>&quot;Many complaints are about the violation of trash disposal rules while others include smoking and trespassing,&quot; he said.</p><p>Shinjuku&#39;s ban comes after the Japan Tourism Agency in July gave municipalities the right to regulate short-term lodgings if &quot;a tranquil living and educational environment&quot; is under threat or if they &quot;hinder the maintenance of a permanent population and local community&quot;.</p><p>Japan&#39;s ancient capital of Kyoto is also considering a ban on short-term lodging, but only for new rentals within residential and industrial areas.</p><p>Several Airbnb hosts contacted by AFP declined to comment.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>MORE STORIES ON JAPAN:</strong></div><div><strong><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/20/record-tourists-to-japan-despite-plunge-in-chinese-visitors-1049">Record tourists to Japan, despite plunge in Chinese visitors&nbsp;</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/9/1/japan-to-relax-overtime-regulation-under-workaholic-pm-1353">Japan to relax overtime regulation under workaholic PM&nbsp;</a></strong><br><strong><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/9/1/japan-arrests-man-twice-for-hamster-massacres-1614">Japan arrests man twice for hamster massacres&nbsp;</a></strong></div><div><strong>&nbsp;</strong></div>

<p>Tokyo tourist hotspot Shinjuku will impose a ban on more than half of its holiday rentals including homes on Airbnb, an official said Monday, after a surge in complaints about visitors.</p>

Tokyo tourist hotspot Shinjuku will impose a ban on more than half of its holiday rentals including homes on Airbnb, an official said Monday, after a surge in complaints about visitors.

Tokyo's Shinjuku to ban more than half of vacation rentals

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Tokyo's Shinjuku to ban more than half of vacation rentals

Agence France-Presse

Published September 07, 2026 01:42 PM PHT

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