With more foreign travelers keen on renting Japanese private homes amid an inbound tourist boom, residents in high-rise condominiums are doing the opposite of what one might expect: forbidding vacation rental website services due to concerns about security and living conditions.
Daisuke Shimada, 54, leads a tenants' association group that campaigns against residents or owners of condos using their homes as "minpaku," or paid temporary accommodation. He has been president of the building's homeowners' association for eight years. Its members, all of whom are condo owners, have given vacation rental services the thumbs down.
"Having tight security is one of the benefits of living here. We're not prepared to deal with any trouble caused by unfamiliar visitors" from inside or outside the country, said Shimada, referring to the 44-story Apple Tower building whose amenities include onsen hot spring baths in each apartment and stunning views of Tokyo Bay.