A nationwide ban on minpaku private lodging services will be lifted in June, but the local government of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, is insisting on a complete ban in its town, due to concern over the impact on the local accommodation business and possible damage to the "Karuizawa brand" if minpaku cause noise pollution and other problems.
In March, the Nagano prefectural government, which has regulatory authority, established an ordinance to restrict minpaku only in vacation home areas and other places, but the Karuizawa town government refused to accept the move. The two sides remain as far apart as ever.
The central government is promoting minpaku as an option for the rapidly increasing number of visitors from abroad to Japan. Its operational guidelines presented at the end of last year stated that restrictions on minpaku across an entire municipal area, as well as all-year-round, are "inappropriate."
Prefectures, ordinance-designated cities, core cities and other entities can regulate minpaku services per their own ordinances, but towns do not have such authority. Therefore, the Karuizawa town government asked the Nagano prefectural government to include a complete ban in the implementation rule of its ordinance.
Nagano Prefecture subsequently established an ordinance to partly regulate minpaku services but is still reluctant to implement a complete ban. It will hold discussions with the town government before a dedicated committee reaches a conclusion within this month.
There are about 130 hotels and ryokan inns, as well as about 16,000 vacation homes, in Karuizawa. There has been a decline in annual lodgers.
"Beyond noise pollution and other problems, minpaku services themselves threaten the existence of the local lodging industry," said Karuizawa Mayor Susumu Fujimaki.
Partial restrictions adopted
A series of municipalities with tourist sites are imposing restrictions on minpaku services over fears that such accommodations could harm the local environmental and cause other problems.
In Kobe, minpaku lodging will be banned in the district of the Arima Onsen hot spring except during the low season after the Golden Week holiday season in May to mid-July.
The Nara prefectural and city governments will impose restrictions during the peak season in areas such as the old town of Naramachi and Fujiwara Palace Ruins in Kashihara, which is designated under the Ancient Capitals Preservation Law.
The Kurashiki city government in Okayama Prefecture decided to ban minpaku services in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, a sightseeing spot with much historical architecture, including the former city office and an old post office.
The Kanagawa prefectural government will ban such services in the vacation home area in Hakone during the peak season.
"Based on the law, it is possible to implement restrictions for the the purpose of protecting a living environment," said Rikkyo University Prof. Toru Azuma, who specializes in tourism marketing and is well versed in minpaku. "However, it may be difficult to seek understanding for a restriction, if they are to be imposed based on a business viewpoint to preserve the local hotel industry," Azuma added.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
