Private home rental 'minpaku' services begin across Japan

as good as their intentions of financial gain are, in a few months who wants to bet that there will be an article on minpaku proprieters complaining about messy, rude, and rowdy foreigners?

I know most people have a hate on for Airbnb and the like, but the fact is it's a great way for the little guy to be entrepreneurial and make some extra cash, especially with all the ancillary services like cleaning, trash removal, etc... Exactly what this country needs.

there are much easier ways to make a buck this is nothing but trouble

If you have a neighbor who is a total "rear-end hole" then you will have no hope in operating one of these businesses.

Japan actually makes a distinction between homestay style minpaku, the spare room in someone's house, and the owner-absent type. I bet its the owner-absent type, basically backdoor short-term rental of apartments in shared blocks, where most, if not all, of the trouble is being caused. Homestay style minpaku as described in the article is a huge positive.

I asked my Japanese Mrs if she wanted to rent out a room in our house to a family of Chinese. She didn’t have to say anything. The look she gave me was enough. :D

Culturally, Japan offers excellent quality, but to experience this fully, one needs to dive into and savour the reality of Japan from a more focused home environment. The cuisine, the courteous simplicity.

The infrastructure is there, so many underused houses. 

Also in the 21c many people want local exposure means contact rather than anonym hotel lobbys.

The infrastructure is there, so many underused houses. 

They are mostly abandoned, crumbling and no one has paid the property taxes on them for years. Hardly the sort of place a visitor would want to stay without major renovations.

as good as their intentions of financial gain are, in a few months who wants to bet that there will be an article on minpaku proprieters complaining about messy, rude, and rowdy foreigners?

But to Japanese sensibilities foreigners can often be messy, rude, and rowdy. Conflict’s are inevitable when you have a lot of foreign people bringing their values to a society that values conformity. In the past it was always smart to go by the, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do” mindset. Let’s face it, North Americans, Europeans, and many others are no longer capable of this manner of comportment. In fact, they go to Japan with the idea that they can help change the country to be more like what they believe is best. It’s no surprise that when Japanese people reject their “better way” that so many of us tend to become frustrated and resentful. The most ironic thing is that it is typically the foreigner most stridently professing “diversity” and “multiculturalism” that are the most jaded by their inability to bend Japanese society to their expectations.

Not all foreigners are unappreciative of the wonderful Japanese cultural psyche: this one in particular was blown away by the politeness, cleanliness and respectful style of the Japanese. Welcome middle-age women from Australia - we value all these things very much indeed!

The are many single old people living in large houses who would benefit from the additional income and the additional human contact.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. BUT it is also exactly why they might be easily taken advantage of by some trouble-seeking individuals. And by the time police reports are filed, they're long gone!

Anyone noticed that the old Woman is the one actually doing the work of cleaning, whilst the old man has either a mug or a bit of paper in his hands and is casually leaning against the wall.

We all know who does the Work in a Japanese minpaku now....