[Joan Pahisa]

Hi Leony,

I stayed at an Airbnb in Japan for 6 months (January-June). It was in Osaka. The experience was really good. In the regular housing market I had lots of issues to find accessible accommodation (for me it’s mainly no steps) and some reluctance about my wheelchair, but fortunately my Airbnb landlord had no issues with it.

The only problem was that during my stay, they changed the law regarding Airbnb apartments in Japan (they changed it so that apartments needed to have a special license and could only be rented for 6 months during the year). So, when I came back from summer vacation I had to change apartments. At the time, I couldn’t find any other Airbnb (the amount available had reduced dramatically), so I ended up at an aparthotel (as renting for just a few months is very difficult; I was staying only till the end of the year).

So, even though the experience at the Airbnb was nice, I don’t know if at the moment there are many available. Probably apartment owners have already adapted to the new law, so there may be more than when they changed it mid-2018.

As for prices, renting a regular apartment would have been cheaper than the Airbnb, but as I stayed 6 months I got a nice discount so the difference was not that big for a relatively new apartment. Later, I also got a nice discount for the long-stay at the aparthotel, so I ended up paying more or less the same on both places. For short term stays, at the time, Airbnb prices were mostly cheaper than hotel prices, but all depends on your needs and type of apartment that you manage to find.

Anyway, I hope that you have a nice stay in Japan!

[Joan Pahisa]

By the way, at the time, for the same price, Airbnb apartments were definitely bigger than hotel rooms (which are usually really small in Japan).

[Leony]

Hi @joanp ,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, that is exactly why I thought Airbnb is better than a hotel room.

I don’t have any plan to go to Japan soon, but if I ever go there I think I would also consider to take a trip for a couple of months rather than just a couple of weeks.

[Josh Grisdale]

I have yet to try an Airbnb, but I know Airbnb Japan is implementing the same accessibility features as other Airbnbs and should be able to assess accessibility of the place.

There is also Vacation Stay, which is similar to Airbnb.

https://vacation-stay.com/

Though, I don’t see any filters for accessibility…

[Leony]

Thank you for the additional link @joshgrisdale ! In Jakarta, most apartment are accessible (as in no steps), so I thought it’s easier to get an apartment to stay rather than a hotel room.

[Josh Grisdale]

Unfortunately, many apartments here have a step to get in. Sometimes it is only 3-5 cm, but other times it can be very high. It is really important to ask about this step (called a “genkan”).

[Leony]

That’s definitely an important notes! Thank you for the heads up!

[babajan]

I think there are more questions to look at. We rented an Airbnb in edogowa and though my son who uses a motorized wheelchair could get into the main area of apartment getting to a small washroom was difficult so I would be sure to ask for measurements to ensure access to all parts

[Leony]

Thank you! That’s another thing to consider.

[Nomad Traveler]

Hi Leony,

Due to the number of tourists and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the city has constantly improved its accessibility, and the vast majority of accessibility in terms of buses, trains and subways are wheelchair accessible.So that is some good news😊😊

Airbnb in Japan is a great alternative to traditional accommodation, both in big cities where accommodation for tourists is often booked out, and also in more rural locations where there is a lack of hotel infrastructure and vacation rentals. Not to mention the added convenience of facilities like a kitchen and a washing machine.

If you are going to book accommodation on Airbnb Japan, these are the 3 things you should ensure that your AirBnB is abiding to (has been implemented since June 2018):

1. Property must be registered with local government authorities
2. Guest details by way of official ID must be collected by the host
3. Property can only be rented out for a maximum of 180 days a year

Leony you can also check out these two amazing websites for Japan’s accessibility related queries:

• https://www.accessible-japan.com/wheelchair-accessible-hotels-tokyo/
• https://www.japan-accessible.com

If there are accessibility constraints, there are many budget friendly cum wheelchair accessibility friendly hotels in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and other areas- which I feel is a much better option than AirBnB.You can check them out from the below link (look for Budget-Range Hotels (c.￥15,000):

https://www.accessible-japan.com/wheelchair-accessible-hotels-tokyo/

[Leony]

Thank you for your detailed answers! It will definitely be useful 😀