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Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

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Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#311

Post by kinsomo »

DINKDINK wrote: post #307
kinsomo wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So to summarize you: rights are not inalienable but dependent on if people get annoyed. You're not being reasonable, but rather reading your own straw men into what I wrote. Based on your misunderstandings, I can pretty confidently say that "rights" are a lot more complicated and multifaceted than you seem to comprehend. There are more kinds of rights relevant here than just property ownership rights and those crea…

You rested your argument on the fact that we should take away someone’s right because they got annoyed. So no, I am not being unreasonable. I don’t need you to realize rights are inalienable but you do need to me to believe that submitting to oppression does bestow rights to me or else your framework falls apart.

> You rested your argument on the fact that we should take away someone’s right because they got annoyed. So no, I am not being unreasonable.

You are being unreasonable. You seem to be unable to imagine things except from the POV of a person who wants to rent out an apartment as an AirB&B, which may be the root of your unreason.

Anyway, this thread is dead and you seem immune to the insight that what you seem see as an "inalienable right" (turning an apartment into a dedicated AirB&B) might actually be an oppression on others. It's pointless to continue.

I'm glad you're not my neighbor, and I'm glad there's government to keep you from being too much of an inconsiderate asshole if you were.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#312

Post by a_t48 »

hrktb wrote: post #260
a_t48 wrote: post #50

That's a bit of a shame. I get where they are coming from, but the place in Ueno my girlfriend and I rented out was cute and we didn't hold any wild parties, even if I did get the evil eye from some old guy in a convenience store.

How did it go for the trash ? recycling rules ? balcony usage ? Did you check/pass the kanranban ? Genuinely, resident building are so different from hotels I wonder how smooth it is for the residents to have random oversea people passing by even only 180 days a year, even if they are polite, well educated and well intended.

Iirc there was a binder with rules/info including trash/recycling rules. I think it was street pickup one of the mornings, but it’s been a year. I assume you meant “kairenban” - I don’t recall there being one but it may have been in that binder. I can assure you we were quiet and did our very best to follow the rules, but as I said above, I understand your discomfort. I’m personally not a huge fan of AirBnB, but I wasn’t in charge of booking lodgings for those nights. Even so, it was a nice experience.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#313

Post by timr »

patio11 wrote: post #309
cdavid wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japanese cities are actually not especially high density. For example, Tokyo's density is lower than Queens.

Technically correct but misleading; the thing that most people mean when they say Tokyo is "the 23 wards" (compare: the five burroughs; the canonical definition of New York which even kids growing up in Chicago learn the names of by sheer osmosis). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo#/media/... ^^ They're the green part of this map. The non-green part of this map is, technically correct is the best k…

"The density of the 23 wards is ~twice that of Queens, which much of it being 3x."

Technically correct but misleading; Queens is not especially dense. I dropped a pin at random in Queens:

https://goo.gl/maps/ULFor21SjXq

Here's a random pin-dropping in one of the 23 wards:

https://goo.gl/maps/Ah5kaMKvyLn

Roughly equivalent, I'd say, and not atypical for Tokyo. But compare to what most anyone would call a "dense" part of Manhattan:

https://goo.gl/maps/kKMgK4qZVcG2

HN people who talk about the "density" of Tokyo are picturing skyscrapers and block housing, but it's not an accurate picture. Having spent plenty of time in both cities, Tokyo is about as dense as the outer boroughs of New York, on average.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#314

Post by erik_seaberg »

Tiktaalik wrote: post #190
xapata wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh? What is? Uber/Lyft seem like a great solution to me.

People without as much money as you would probably prefer more robust public transportation systems, which Uber/Lyft compete against.

A typical big-city transit system is standing-room-only and heavily subsidized (fares are way too low to cover costs). More riders would just make all their problems worse.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#315

Post by xapata »

jstarfish wrote: post #305
danudey wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber is a great concept, but the reality is that Uber has shown us time and time again why taxis cost what they do: regulation to protect users and our cities. Uber, like AirBnB and a lot of other startups, are 'disrupting' industries by entering them and taking them over by ignoring regulations, insurance, and even laws to keep costs low and make a profit. In this day and age, they can grow fast enough that by the t…

Regulation also limits the number of taxis out on the streets (for better or worse). Uber has no incentive to limit the number of drivers they employ. Our small streets are jammed with Uber/Lyft cars endlessly driving back and forth.

Do they circle while not carrying passengers or going to pick up? I've observed them usually waiting by the curb for the next hail.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#316

Post by xapata »

jackvalentine wrote: post #292
Tushon wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the ordinances don't account for the scenario, they could (and probably should) be updated to indicate that repeat offenses at a rental could lead to a fine to the owner, so that they have a compelling interest to ensure their neighbors have a good experience

I think you're on to something here! They could ensure their neighbours have a good experience by having something like a nightwatchman, and a front desk that people could go to for assistance!

That's why I enjoy living in an apartment or condo building. Home-owners associations are also useful for a cluster of single-family homes.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#317

Post by xapata »

wool_gather wrote: post #296
SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Venice, mentioned elsewhere in this thread as a problem city because of AirBnB, levies this tax against people who visit and stay in AirBnB

This is interesting. How is it enforced and collected?

Separate line item in the nightly rate. It's easy to overlook. It references the locale collecting the tax.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#318

Post by Symbiote »

newfoundglory wrote: post #290
gojomo wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting! But, those types of tourists don't seem to overlap with AirBnB-type tourists, against whom the upthread complaints & proposals are directed. So while I'm interested to hear of those cases, this "they don't spend" concern still seems out-of-place if directed against AirBnBers.

Airbnb is definitely among the "cheap hostel" options available today. Get a 2 bedroom apartment, put a couple bunk beds in each room, voila.

I agree, especially as part of the appeal of Airbnb is the kitchen and that you can sneak extra people into the building very easily.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#319

Post by ekianjo »

lovemenot wrote: post #44
ekianjo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People just respect regulations and they generally do work very well. Except when the regulations are inappropriate or protect the incumbents instead of promoting experimentation and innovation. There's a reason Japan is lagging behind in almost everything these days compared to its neighbors in Asia.

Agree. Japan has a stability-at-all-costs mentality. Until the old is completely untenable, and then change can happen incredibly rapidly.

> and then change can happen incredibly rapidly.

Problem is that fast changes in Japan has been associated with bursts of civilian violence. Pushing back what needs to be done until it's untenable is NOT a good strategy.

Re: Nearly 80% of Japan’s Airbnbs removed in response to new home-share law

#320

Post by Kluny »

icebraining wrote: post #60
Kluny wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they are absolutely top notch. It's easy to be top notch when you don't have to pay all the expenses you incur. By offloading all of their infrastructure costs onto their employees (that is, the cars and the phones), they can operate very cheaply. But it's not because the service is cheaper, it's because they're avoiding their bills.

What are you comparing to? In NYC, for example, these cost were always offloaded to the drivers - they had to pay to rent the car/medallion for the shift: "The average rate a cabbie paid to take a taxi out for a 12-hour shift climbed 11 percent, to about $85, between 1990 and 1993, based on the most recent figures available from the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission." ($85 in '93 is about $150 today) https://www.n…

The question is whether cab drivers get paid enough more than Uber drivers to offset that.
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