Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms that come up around Japanese lodging regulation. Specific requirements vary by municipality — always confirm with the official source.

Off-site reception desk (施設外玄関帳場): A reception point located away from the property. For owner-absent minpaku and small 簡易宿所, identity checks and key handover may be handled at an off-site desk instead of an on-site front desk. Whether this is allowed, and the conditions, vary by municipality. → more
Front desk (玄関帳場 / 帳場): The reception desk of a lodging facility. It may be required for some Hotel Business Act facilities, but national structural standards do not uniformly require one — it depends on the municipality.
Emergency response (駆けつけ): The capability to reach the property quickly for emergencies or complaint handling. The arrival-time/distance standard varies by municipality (the national guideline is ~30 minutes after a report, or ~60 where transport conditions require). → more
Registered manager (住宅宿泊管理業者): A registered operator entrusted with managing owner-absent minpaku under the Housing Accommodation Business Act. Registration numbers look like “国土交通大臣（◯）第◯号”. Individuals can register too. → more
簡易宿所 (simple lodging): A permit category under the Hotel Business Act. It can operate year-round and is used by guesthouses, machiya and small inns. You apply via the public health centre; the permit issues under the prefectural governor’s authority. → more
Special-zone minpaku (特区民泊): Lodging certified per facility within a National Strategic Special Zone. It carries a minimum-stay condition and is only available in municipalities that run the scheme. → more
Housing Accommodation Business Act (民泊): The notification-based minpaku framework, available nationwide. It is capped at 180 nights a year and comes in owner-resident and owner-absent forms. → more
Notification number (M-number): The number assigned to a housing-accommodation-business notification, written as “M” followed by digits. → more
Owner-absent / owner-resident: Whether the host lives in the dwelling. Owner-absent cases (e.g. under Art. 11) generally require delegation to a registered 住宅宿泊管理業者. → more
The 180-night cap: The annual operating-day limit (180 nights) for minpaku under the Housing Accommodation Business Act. A municipality may add its own overlays (restricted areas / periods) by ordinance. → more