Minpaku or ryokan licence: renting a holiday home legally in Hokkaido
The two legal routes, the local rules that catch owners out, and the 2026 accommodation tax rates, in plain English.
Short answer. To take paying guests for under a month in Hokkaido you need either a minpaku notification, which allows up to 180 nights a year, or a ryokan business licence for simple lodging (簡易宿所), which has no night limit. If you do not live in the property, a minpaku must be run by a manager registered with the national government. Most Niseko chalets use the ryokan licence.
The two routes compared
| Minpaku (住宅宿泊事業) | Ryokan, simple lodging (簡易宿所) | |
|---|---|---|
| Night limit | 180 nights a year, counted from 1 April | None |
| How you get it | Notification to Hokkaido, or to Sapporo city | Licence from the health centre |
| Owner not living there | Must use a registered minpaku manager (住宅宿泊管理業者) | No manager registration exists. The licence holder stays responsible |
| Zoning | Allowed in residential areas, but restricted days in some zones | Not allowed in some residential zones. Check before buying |
| Reporting | Nights hosted reported every two months | No night reporting |
Minpaku rules in Hokkaido
The 180 night cap
A minpaku can host guests on up to 180 nights in each year running from noon on 1 April. For a ski property that earns mainly from December to March this can be enough, but it limits green season income.
Registered managers
If the owner is not present while guests stay, or the home has more than five guest rooms, the minpaku must be entrusted to one manager registered with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. For a Hokkaido company the registration is filed with the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, and the standard processing time is 90 days. In FY2025 the Tourism Agency inspected 44 registered managers and gave 35 of them corrective guidance, and in FY2026 it is setting up a system with booking sites to remove unregistered listings.
Restricted zones and days
Hokkaido and Sapporo both restrict minpaku that are not the operator's own home. Within 100 metres of a designated school, they cannot operate on school days. In residential exclusive zones they can only operate on weekends, public holidays and over New Year. Each town publishes maps of these areas, and they are reviewed every year. Kutchan's changed on 1 June 2026.
In July 2026 the national government also told municipalities they may restrict minpaku further where there are problems, including requiring noise monitoring. Expect more local rules, not fewer.
Ryokan licence for simple lodging
A ryokan licence (旅館業許可) in the simple lodging category has no night limit, which is why most full-time rentals use it. Licences are issued by the Hokkaido health centres, or by the city for Sapporo, Asahikawa, Hakodate and Otaru. The licence holder is responsible for hygiene and guests, even when a management company does the daily work.
Without a staffed front desk, national guidance treats staff arriving in about 10 minutes as the norm and recommends ICT identity checks such as a check-in device. Local health centres may set their own standard. Sapporo requires an emergency office within 10 minutes of the property.
Since December 2023 the law also lets operators refuse guests who make excessive or harassing demands, and asks operators to train staff on fair treatment of guests.
Fire safety
A fire department compliance notice (消防法令適合通知書) is needed for a minpaku notification and is normally required for a ryokan licence too. Under fire law, a minpaku where the host is absent is treated like a hotel, so automatic fire alarms and exit lights are generally required. In an apartment building this can affect the whole building.
Guest register
For a ryokan licence, each guest's name, address and contact details are recorded. For a minpaku, name, address and occupation. For foreign guests without an address in Japan, nationality and passport number are recorded and a passport copy is kept. Registers are kept for three years.
Accommodation tax in 2026
Since 1 April 2026 Hokkaido charges accommodation tax per person per night: ¥100 when the room charge is under ¥20,000, ¥200 from ¥20,000 to ¥49,999, and ¥500 from ¥50,000. Many towns add their own tax. Airbnb does not collect accommodation tax in Japan, so the operator must.
| Town | Local rate | Plus Hokkaido tax? |
|---|---|---|
| Kutchan | 3% of the room charge | No, already included |
| Niseko Town | ¥100 to ¥2,000 per person by price; switch to 3% of the room charge announced for November 2026 | Yes under the bands; confirm for 3% |
| Sapporo | ¥200 under ¥50,000, ¥500 from ¥50,000 | Yes |
| Otaru | ¥200 | Yes |
| Furano | ¥200, ¥300 or ¥500 by price | Yes |
| Rusutsu | ¥100, ¥200 or ¥500 by price | Yes |
Rates as published by each authority in October 2026. Always confirm the current rate with the town.
Which should you choose?
- Choose a ryokan licence if you want to rent all year, the zoning allows it, and the building can meet the fire and building standards.
- Choose a minpaku notification if you mainly rent in winter, use the home yourself the rest of the year, or the zoning rules out a ryokan licence.
- Check the address first against school zones and residential zones before you buy.
We check this for every property in our free revenue estimate, and introduce a licensed administrative scrivener (行政書士) for applications. See our fees or the Niseko and Sapporo pages for local detail.
Sources
- Japan Tourism Agency minpaku portal
- Minpaku manager registration (MLIT)
- Hokkaido minpaku restrictions
- Sapporo minpaku ordinance
- Hokkaido accommodation tax
- Sapporo accommodation tax
- Sapporo Fire Bureau minpaku guidance
- MHLW Q&A on the revised lodging hygiene guidelines, 11 March 2025 (Japanese)
- Airbnb occupancy tax collection