Minpaku operation and management (registered private-lodging management operator 国土交通大臣(01)第F06163号) / Toyama, Ishikawa and Hida
Minpaku operation in Toyama, taken on by a registered builder.
We run your minpaku on your behalf, from replying to bookings to cleaning, keys, the neighbours and reports to the prefecture. We are a builder that has been building houses in Yatsuo since 1970, so we go and fix roof leaks and roof snow ourselves. There is no fixed monthly fee, and no bill in a month with no revenue (expenses extra).
No fixed feesPaid only from revenue (expenses extra) No charge in months with no sales
Track recordWe manage a guesthouse in a 90-year-old house
A builderIf something breaks, we come and fix it
Who this is for
Already operating, and stretched thinCleaning and enquiries eat your days off. Every time something breaks you are looking for a contractor.
You want to change management companiesYou want one point of contact for everything, including winter snow and repairs. You want to keep the filing and switch only the management operator.
You live far awayYou want your house in Toyama to be a guesthouse, but you can't get there even once a month. You want to hand over the keys.
A minpaku without the host on site must by law be entrusted to one registered management operator
Bookings, cleaning, keys, neighbours and reporting, and as a builder we do the repairs too
No fixed monthly fee. No operating fee in a month with no revenue (expenses extra)
We cover all of Toyama Prefecture, plus Ishikawa and Hida, and handle everything from winter snow to repairs through one contact point.
Minpaku operation agent, operator, management company: the same job
A house whose host is away during stays must entrust management to a single registered management company.
Minpaku operation agent, minpaku operator, minpaku management company: three names, but under the law one job. A registered private-lodging management operator handles bookings, cleaning, keys, the neighbours, the guest register and periodic reports to the prefecture on behalf of the owner who filed. Whatever the name, choose by whether the company has a registration number from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
If the owner lives in the same house and is there while guests stay (host-present type), you can run it yourself. If the owner is not there while guests stay (host-absent type), the rule is that the management goes, as a whole, to a single registered operator.
To run a minpaku in a house the host does not live in, the law requires the management to be entrusted to a registered operator.
Hiring a cleaning company alone does not satisfy this requirement. We are registered with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (private-lodging management operator 国土交通大臣(01)第F06163号). Entrusting management duties (official minpaku portal, Japanese)
Search for a minpaku operation agent and you will also find companies that only clean. For a host-absent guesthouse, that alone does not satisfy the rule.
We run the whole cycle from one booking to the next, every time. Repairs and direct bookings sit outside that cycle.
Running a minpaku means properly working through the full cycle, from one booking to the next, every single time. Answering enquiries on the booking site, sending check-in instructions, being the contact point while the guest is staying. On the day they leave, going in to clean, changing the bedding, restocking supplies. And keeping a guest register and reporting to the prefecture regularly. This is the range of work we take on as a registered private-lodging management operator.
On top of that, we are builders. A roof leak, a water heater that stops, snow on the roof. Where an ordinary management company would look for a contractor and get a quote, we go and fix it ourselves. Having one contact for everything a Toyama guesthouse faces in winter, repairs included, is the point of a builder doing the management.
Bookings and guestsTaking bookings and answering enquiries on the booking sites. Check-in instructions, and a contact number for the whole stay.
Cleaning and linenWe clean on check-out day, change the bedding and restock supplies.
KeysWe hold the keys. How guests receive them depends on the house and its location.
NeighboursBefore opening, we visit the neighbours to explain. If they call about noise or rubbish, the call comes to us.
Guest register and reportsWe keep the guest register and help with the regular reports to the prefecture.
Repairs and snowA roof leak, a broken water heater, snow on the roof. No hunting for a contractor — we come ourselves.
The guesthouse's own websiteWe build a website for the guesthouse that takes bookings without going through a booking site: photos, location, prices and the booking entry point.
Official LINE for the guesthouseWe set up an official LINE account for the guesthouse. Check-in instructions and answers to questions go out from here, and past guests can book directly next time.
Task
We do it
The owner does it
Costs on top of the operating fee
Listing on booking sites and replying
○
—
Booking-site commission (paid to the booking site)
Check-in instructions and contact during the stay
○
—
—
Cleaning, changing bedding, restocking supplies
○
—
Bedding and supplies
Holding and handing over keys
○
—
—
Briefing the neighbours and taking complaints
○
—
—
Guest register and periodic reports to the prefecture
○
—
—
roof leaks, water heater, snow on the roof
Yes (we go and fix it)
—
Repair materials, snow clearing and freeze protection
Being the named filer, displaying the sign
—
○
—
Start-up costs (bedding, tableware, etc.) and fire equipment
We list what is needed in writing before we start
—
Yes
If you live in the house (host-present type) and only want help with cleaning, we will answer after seeing the place.
Minpaku operation fee: no fixed monthly charge, paid only from revenue
Our fee comes out of lodging revenue in the months that have it. In a month with no revenue, there is nothing to pay.
Our operating fee is paid only from revenue: you pay a commission only when there are sales.
There is no monthly or per-room fixed fee. We take a rate agreed in advance from the lodging revenue you earn. In a month with no revenue, there is no management charge.
We do not advertise a flat "X% of revenue". The work varies with how often the house is cleaned and how much repair is included
The rate is set per property after we see it, and put in writing before we start
Bedding, consumables and repair materials are charged at cost, separately. The same document lists what is separate
Let us also say up front what is charged separately from the operating fee: start-up costs such as bedding and tableware, consumables, materials for repairs, and fire-safety equipment. The quote is free, and there is no charge if you decline.
Management company fees come in two broad forms: a fixed charge per month or per room, or a commission that is a share of revenue. Ours is the second.
Share of revenue (our model)
Fixed charge per month or per room
A month with no revenue
No management fee charged
You are billed
Winter, when bookings are few
Falls with revenue
You pay the same amount
How the fee is set
Per property, in writing, after a site visit
Each company's price list
Actual expenses
Separate; the same document lists what is separate
Varies by company
The right-hand column describes a common fee structure, not any particular company.
We budget winter costs in advance and put them in writing. When something breaks, we go and fix it.
Winter is when a guesthouse in Toyama is really tested. Snow settles on the roof, loosens during the day, then freezes overnight. Water pipes freeze and burst if the house goes several days without a guest. For an ordinary vacant house whose owner lives out of the prefecture, you can ask the neighbourhood association, a Silver Human Resources Centre or a contractor to clear the snow. A guesthouse is different: on a day with a booking, you have to make sure snow doesn't fall off the roof in front of the entrance, and that the hot water is working properly.
So we budget for winter up front. Roof clearing and frost protection are in the operating plan from the start, and written into the agreement. If the snow slides toward the neighbour’s land or the eaves are damaged, we check on site whether to fix it before opening.
Insulation first, for the same reason. The 90-year-old guesthouse we opened had its insulation done first. It is a precondition for operating through a Hokuriku winter: a cold guesthouse gets no winter bookings.
None of this is within reach of a cleaning-only contractor or a management company based outside the prefecture. A company that can get on the roof, fix the plumbing and go and repair things itself when they break, in the same prefecture. If you are handing a Toyama minpaku to someone, look for this.
A guesthouse managed by the company that restored it
In Toyama we turned a 90-year-old house into a guesthouse, and we also manage it now that it is open. When the company that did the work also manages the place, it knows what was fixed, how, and where the weak points are. The work and photos are in Case 01 (a 90-year-old house turned guesthouse), and the steps for turning a kominka into a guesthouse are in Yadosu: turn a kominka into a guesthouse.
Having the fire-safety and filing paperwork handled alongside the construction was a great help. Toyama / Mr Y (40s, guesthouse owner)
You can switch to us from your current management company
Even if another company manages your guesthouse now, the filing is in your name, so only the management operator changes. The switch needs an amendment to the filing, and we handle that with you. Send us the URL of your booking-site listing by LINE and we will give you our first read before visiting.
1Send the URLSend us the URL of your booking-site listing by LINE.
2We replyWe give you our first read before visiting.
3In writingAfter a site visit, we put the scope and the fee rate in writing. No charge if you stop here.
4HandoverWe file the amendment with you, take the keys, brief the neighbours, and then begin.
1LookWe visit. What the operation needs, what should be repaired first, what winter will do to this house. This part is free.
2DecideWhat we do and how far, the fee rate, and what counts as expenses, in writing. No charge if you stop here.
3FileFor a house not yet open, we check that the filing will pass and file it with you. For a guesthouse already running, we file the change of management operator with you.
4StartWe take the keys, brief the neighbours, and then begin.
Six things to check when choosing a minpaku management company in Toyama
If you are looking for a minpaku management company in Toyama, check these six things before the size of the company.
What to check
Why
Us
Does it have a private-lodging management operator registration number?
A host-absent guesthouse must be entrusted to a registered operator. The number can be checked in the Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau register
国土交通大臣(01)第F06163号
Does the scope include the neighbours and the periodic reports to the prefecture?
Booking replies and cleaning alone are not the whole of the management work
Yes
Who goes in winter?
Roof snow, frozen pipes and broken water heaters happen every year at guesthouses in Toyama
We go and fix it
Are you billed in a month with no revenue?
With a fixed monthly fee, you pay even in winter when bookings are few
No management fee charged
The contract term and the rules for ending it
Whether you are tied in if you want to switch
Please ask us before signing
What is reported each month?
Whether you can see revenue, nights stayed, cleaning and repairs
Service area: all of Toyama Prefecture, plus Ishikawa and Hida
We cover all of Toyama Prefecture: Toyama City (including Yatsuo), Takaoka, Imizu, Uozu, Kurobe, Namerikawa, Tonami, Oyabe, Nanto, Himi, Kamiichi, Tateyama, Nyuzen and Asahi. In Ishikawa, Kanazawa and the whole prefecture; in Gifu, the north (Hida region) such as Takayama and Hida City.
A guesthouse in Toyama works best where people already pass through. Namerikawa, Uozu, Kurobe and Tateyama on the way to Tateyama-Kurobe. Nanto with Gokayama, Takaoka with Yamachosuji. Around the Unazuki hot-spring town. Around Sanmachi in Hida Takayama and along the road to Okuhida Onsen. In Iwakuraji and Ashikuraji in Tateyama, high-ceilinged houses that were once pilgrim lodges still stand.
Some honest ground rules first
Under the Minpaku Law you may operate up to 180 nights a year; beyond that you need a hotel business licence
The registration stays in the owner's name. We come in as the management operator
Where nobody comes, taking it on won't fill it. We say so at the first site visit
Winter roof clearing and frost protection are budgeted separately from the management fee, because roof snow cannot be left alone on a day with a booking
Booking-site commissions go to the booking site and are separate from our rate. We build your own website and official LINE account to create an entrance that bypasses that commission
FAQ
I filed the registration myself. Can you take over just the management?＋−
Yes. You remain the registered host; you entrust the management to us. A change of management operator has to be notified, and we handle that with you.
Can I switch to you from my current management company?＋−
Yes. The filing stays in your name, so only the management operator changes. The switch needs an amendment to the filing, and we handle that with you. Send us the URL of your booking-site listing by LINE and we will give you our first read before visiting.
What does it cost?＋−
There are no fixed fees: we take a rate agreed in advance from the lodging revenue, and nothing else. In a month with no revenue, there is no management charge. The rate depends on the size of the house, how often it needs cleaning and how much repair work is included, so after seeing the house we set out in writing what we will do and the rate. The quote is free, and there is no charge if you decline.
Do I pay anything in a month with no revenue?＋−
There is no operating fee. Actual expenses such as bedding, consumables and repair materials, and the cost of winter snow clearing and freeze protection, are separate. What is separate is set out in writing before we start.
Do you just list it on the booking sites?＋−
No. Besides listing on Airbnb and other booking sites and answering enquiries there, we build the guesthouse's own website and official LINE account: a way for bookings to come in without the booking-site commission, and a channel where past guests can book their next stay directly.
I live outside Toyama City, or outside the prefecture. Can I still use you?＋−
We cover all of Toyama, plus Ishikawa and Hida. If you live outside the prefecture, you do not need to come to Toyama for the contract or meetings. Send photos and the location of the house, and the URL of its booking-site listing if it is already running, by LINE; we do the site visit ourselves and you need not be present. We hold the keys and run it, so it works even if you cannot come once a month.
If few guests come, are there other options?＋−
If the location can't support an inn, we say so at the first site visit. Renting it out as a home (restore and rent) and selling (our purchase) can both be discussed at the same window.
Do I have to use a minpaku management company?＋−
If the host lives in the same house and is there while guests stay (host-present type), you can run it yourself. If the host is absent while guests stay, the rule is that the management must be entrusted to a registered private-lodging management operator. Hiring separate companies for just the cleaning or just the key handover does not satisfy this rule. Our registration is 国土交通大臣(01)第F06163号.
Is a minpaku operation agent different from a cleaning service?＋−
Yes. A minpaku operator handles bookings, cleaning, keys, the neighbours, the guest register and the periodic reports together, on behalf of the owner who filed, and needs to be a registered private-lodging management operator. A cleaning service takes on only the cleaning. Where the host is not nearby, the rule is that the management goes to a single registered operator, so a cleaning service alone is not enough. If you live in the house (host-present type) and only want help with cleaning, we will answer after seeing the place.
What about snow and freezing in winter?＋−
Roof snow clearing and frost protection for the pipes are in the operating plan from the start, and their cost is budgeted up front, separately from the management fee. Which way the snow slides off and the state of the eaves are checked on site before we begin. If repairs are needed, we do them ourselves as builders.
What if I want to operate more than 180 days a year?＋−
Under the Private Lodging Business Act filing you can operate up to 180 days a year. To go beyond that you need a hotel business licence (Ryokan Business Act), which changes the building requirements and the construction cost. How to decide which route to take is on the page Turn a kominka into a minpaku.
The house is not a guesthouse yet. Can you start from the construction?＋−
Will the July 2026 "zero-day rule" ban minpaku in Toyama?＋−
Not across the whole country. On 15 July 2026 the Japan Tourism Agency and other ministries issued advice to local governments on the zero-day rule (an ordinance setting the number of days a minpaku may operate to zero). How far operation is actually restricted is decided by the ordinance of the prefecture or city where the property is. Check the ordinance at the prefectural or city office before you notify.
What does private-lodging (minpaku) operation management include?＋−
Listings on booking sites and replies to guests, check-in guidance, being the contact point during the stay, cleaning and changing the bedding, holding the keys, explaining to the neighbours and taking complaints, and keeping the guest register and filing the regular reports to the prefecture. As a builder, we also go out ourselves for roof leaks, broken water heaters and snow on the roof. We also set up the lodging's own website and official LINE account.
What are the steps from the first consultation to the start of management?＋−
First we visit the property to see what running it will need and whether anything must be repaired first. Next, we put in writing what we will take on and the fee rate. For a house about to open, we file the notification together with you; for a lodging already operating, we file the change of management operator together. We then take the keys and explain to the neighbours before we start.
First, we go and look
Ask about management (free)
Just three fields. Whether you already operate or are about to start, begin here.
Rather call? (Japanese only)9:00 - 17:00After 17:00, site manager (Japanese only)
On LINE you can send photos of the house as they are.
A few of the exterior and interior. If you already operate, the URL of your listing is fine.
