Hospitality, tech, and business in Japan
Japan's 1981 seismic code draws a hard line between 旧耐震 and 新耐震. Here's what the divide means for retrofit costs, STR licensing conditions, and your actual returns.
A practical guide to opening Japanese bank accounts for STR and hospitality businesses — what works for foreign operators, what doesn't, and how we did it at BenStay.
Japan's minpaku framework has two regulatory layers. Learn what prefectural and municipal ordinances add on top of your national license — and where operators get caught out.
Not all STR renovations pay off equally in Japan. Learn which upgrades drive occupancy vs ADR, what to skip, and how to budget for ongoing property reinvestment.
Since October 2023, Japanese freelancers face a compliance double-bind: invoice system rules and e-bookkeeping law together. Here's what that means in practice.
Japan's autumn foliage season is a rolling 8-week demand wave, not a single spike. Here's how to price, prep, and list-optimize your rental for koyo.
Japanese renovation quotes are nearly impossible to compare directly. Here's how to normalize 見積書, understand the 諸経費 trap, and find the real like-for-like price.
Japan's 用途地域 zoning system determines whether you can run an STR at all — and how many nights per year. A practical guide for operators and investors.
Gross yield for Japan short-term rentals looks attractive — but occupancy assumptions drive the actual return. How to model realistically before you buy.
Japan has 16 national holidays — but most operators only price up for Golden Week and the obvious peak periods. Here's how to capture the demand spikes hiding in the individual dates most operators miss.