Travel Airbnb experiences?

[thomas]

I had heard about Airbnb before. I had read about the (previous) legal issues of offering Airbnb accommodation in Japan:

Airbnb gets Cabinet OK as Japan sets rules on home-sharing businesses | The Japan Times

But - for reasons unknown - we had never seriously considered using it ourselves. Until @Maciamo , who some of you will still remember and who visited Japan a few weeks ago, introduced me to the service.

We are now going to travel over the obon holidays, completely relying on Airbnb. In the past, it used to be quite difficult for us to find pet-friendly hotels; it was a matter of a few clicks on the app to find places that accept dogs.

I was just wondering whether any of you have already used Airbnb in Japan and if you'd be willing to share your experiences. I am also thinking of adding a review category dedicated to Airbnb accommodation.

 

[johnnyG]

Met a friend in Nagoya a couple weekends back, used airbnb. He did the selection, reserving, & paying.

It was smooth, and the apt. itself was adequate, tho the unit bath was one of the smallest I've seen. Maybe 5 minutes from the station. An older building, but the unit was okay.

It was about ¥14k for two nights. The hotel I priced would have been plusher (esp. the bath), but no kitchen to make your own breakfast and a few thou more before adding their breakfast buffet.

 

[OoTmaster]

I didn't use Airbnb while I was in Japan as I feared it might bring repercussions to those I would be renting from. Seeing the changes in the law though I would love to give it a try the next time I come to Japan. I've only used the app one other time and beyond finding the host unresponsive (it was on a weekend) I found the overall experience rather preferable to a hotel experience.

 

[mdchachi]

I've only used AirBnb once in my life and it was last month in Tokyo. As you know, in Japan hotel rooms are typically charged by the person and not the room. So a family of four is in a tough spot. AirBnB definitely worked out. We had a tiny 1K with bath, refrigerator, stove and laundry machine on the 4th floor of a small building. It was much cheaper than a hotel plus the laundry machine came in handy. And the included portable wifi hotspot was very helpful as well.

 

[rosensfole]

I have used airbnb exclusively for my stays in Japan for a few years now. Experiences are mixed; a couple of apartments were absolutely top-notch and one (my last visit) was not as good as advertised but still OK.

When booking make sure you carefully read the description and reviews. Just like tripadvisor really - too few reviews = be wary, too many similar reviews = avoid. Also, I avoid renting off people who clearly have a lot of apartments, these tend to be sub-lets in apartment blocks and can suddenly be unavailable even after you've paid. However, this is a risk in a lot of cases.

My reputation on airbnb is very high but that doesn't seem to put some hosts from delaying decisions or simply ignoring requests. I was once denied a rental because I was a solo traveler!

 

[PatrickNZ]

It is not legal yet - try 2018. (except for Ota in Tokyo and Osaka). I know people that will request the police evict those that shouldn't be in the building, and others that put up with it, but hate the turnover of people staying against the rules of their properties. It might not be illegal, but many renters are breaking their own contracts.

>>>As you know, in Japan hotel rooms are typically charged by the person and not the room.<<< No, that's not true - some sites are per person, most of the bookings I do are per room. Out of the 42 bookings I have for autumn only two are per person.

 

[mdchachi]

It is not legal yet - try 2018. (except for Ota in Tokyo and Osaka). I know people that will request the police evict those that shouldn't be in the building, and others that put up with it, but hate the turnover of people staying against the rules of their properties. It might not be illegal, but many renters are breaking their own contracts.

>>>As you know, in Japan hotel rooms are typically charged by the person and not the room.<<< No, that's not true - some sites are per person, most of the bookings I do are per room. Out of the 42 bookings I have for autumn only two are per person.

What kind of a rate can you get for two adults/two kids (ages 9 & 10) within one or two stops of Akihabara?

 

[PatrickNZ]

What kind of a rate can you get for two adults/two kids (ages 9 & 10) within one or two stops of Akihabara?

I would normally do two conventional rooms for that kind of request. Last time I stayed in that part of the city I used the Ryogoku Dai Ichi (about Y12k/night/room) with a nice view of Skytree and an interesting area. But that's hardly budget accommodation. Last time I booked it was in May including a weekend so it was a little bit more. The more recent requests I've had for four people in a room were for more luxury travellers.

 

[mdchachi]

I would normally do two conventional rooms for that kind of request. Last time I stayed in that part of the city I used the Ryogoku Dai Ichi (about Y12k/night/room) with a nice view of Skytree and an interesting area. But that's hardly budget accommodation. Last time I booked it was in May including a weekend so it was a little bit more. The more recent requests I've had for four people in a room were for more luxury travellers.

We paid about Y10,000/night total. It was perhaps the best deal of the whole trip except maybe the rail pass.

 

[PatrickNZ]

We paid about Y10,000/night total. It was perhaps the best deal of the whole trip except maybe the rail pass.

Good price - that is why people use it.

 

[johnnyG]

We know a couple in town--she's Japanese & he's american--who worked in the US but then retired here. They've got a lots of kids and grandkids, and I just heard from my wife that they rented a a good-sized house in Kyoto (airB&B) for a week (not sure exactly when, but recently). The two of them, plus five--three grandkids and their parents. She said they were exhausted, but that the rental worked out fine.

 

[Shibui]

We use airbnb when we visit Japan. It is great value particularly with a family as it gives you the freedom to prepare breakfasts and other meals.

We stayed in Nasushiobara in a two bedroom unit - 6 nights for Y27,0000
Then 5 nights in a two bedroom unit 2 min from Hiroshima Peace Park for Y52000
And finally 4 nights in three bedroom in Ayase Tokyo for Y41000

Highly recommended.

 

[tomoni]

I live in Japan and have used airBNB once in Japan when I could not get a hotel near the station because of the season (and considered it two other times, but elected to go with a hotel). Advantages: early check is sometimes available (search for that). In general, for one or two people, I think hotels are better. Searching around the time I used and considered using it, I mostly found older condos, and for one a business hotel is much cheaper (and APPA hotel for example has a nice bath/spa), and 2-3000 yen cheaper for two people.

cheers