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Category of Hotel license in Japan

The Hotel Business Law ( 旅館業法 ) defines 3 types of Hotel business in Japan:

When you start your hotel Business with small scale, you will select “Budget hotel business”

How to obtain license, permit to start the budget hotel business　（　Kan i yado sho　= 簡易宿所 = 簡易宿泊所 )

The budget hotel （　Kan i yado sho　= 簡易宿所 ） is where you can accommodate several guests at share house.

These facilities are included in the budget hotel.

You can operate this the budget hotel business with moderate house.
If you purchase detached house with enough space, you can operate this business legally.

( In the case of apartment, you need to obtain permit form apartment association.
But, they will never give you such permit. Because, most of residents do not like tourists live in the apartment.
They will worry about deterioration of public order. Once neighbors have found your illegal operation, they will let authority know. )

When you operate the budget hotel business in Chuo ward, Tokyo prefecture, you need to obtain authorization from Chuo city hall.

So, when you have prepared necessary documents to apply for hotel business, you can submit it to Chuo city hall.

In the case, you need to pay about 10,000 yen as their fee.

In order to obtain this authorization from Chuo city hall, your real estate should be equipped with necessary facility.

Inspection conducted by Authority and hotel business in Japan ➡

The room area shared by guests should be more than room area that is not shared by guests.

Necessary facilities to obtain Budget hotel License

Your facility should be equipped with bathroom.

But if there is a public bathhouse in neighborhood, it is not necessary.

You need to prepare shoe cupboard.

You do not need to prepare front desk in your budget hotel ( law was changed in 2016. ). However you need to prepare alternative facility.

You need to prepare situation where you can find entry of a person to your budget hotel.

In the case, you do not provide meal at your hotel, you do not need to prepare kitchen.

“In the case you serve meal in your hotel ➡“

You need to prepare suitable number of lavatories.
(The number of lavatory is important)

The number of necessary lavatory ( stool ) is different depending on municipal government.

In the case of chuo ward Tokyo prefecture, if the capacity of guests is 5 or less than 5, you need to prepare at least 2 stools.

And you need to prepare one lavatory for male and female.

And you need to prepare these lavatories for each floor.

So, in the case of most of apartment, there is one stools.

So, you can not obtain this budget hotel license ( of course, hotel license and ryokan license, neither ).

In the case, your real estate is located within 100 meters from kindergarten,nursery school and other kind of school, city hall will confirm with related authority whether city hall can issue authorization or not.

When the number of tourist increases, the number of strangers may increase. It may cause deterioration of public order in the neighborhood. (Government thinks so)

When you operate hotel, ryokan, budget hotel business, it is preferable that you are stationed in the hotel all the time.

Because, when your guests have made trouble, you need to solve it by yourself.

However, if you take necessary measurement to prevent from trouble, you may be able to obtain license.

It differs depending on each city, town.

1  You need to take necessary measurement to sustain good moral of neighborhood.

For example

You can prepare web camera and find entrance and exit of guests.

You can meet with guest at administrator’s office and fill in hotel register.

You can go to your hotel with your guests and pass key of room.

2  You need to prepare necessary measurement to solve problem in the case of accident.

For example

1)  You can prepare communication tool between guest room and administrator’s office

2)  You are required to be stationed close to your hotel in order that you can visit your hotel right away.

3)   You can prepare handbook to sustain safety of guests.

3  You need to prepare notification board to your guests

You need to prepare notification board that your guests need to keep.

For instance, your guest can not make noise or any activity that makes trouble for neighborhood, measures for fire prevention, you can not smoke while sleeping etc. .

4  You need to make rounds to your hotel.

You need to make rounds to prevent your guest from making trouble with neighboring persons.

5  You need to prepare complaints counter

“Depending on connecting road, you can not obtain hotel license ➡“