Vacation-rental management in Kobe City

Inbound demand in Kobe is entering a new phase with the internationalization of Kobe Airport. According to the city's published figures, foreign overnight guest-nights in the city totaled 945,000 in 2024, and since international charter flights began at Kobe Airport in April 2025 the figure has been running at 145% of the previous year. On top of the established flow of travelers extending a trip from Osaka to stay in Kobe, there is now a stream that enters Kobe directly.

A city survey of passengers on Kobe Airport's international charters (from Korea, Taiwan and China) found that 90% travel for tourism or leisure, 80% are independent travelers versus 20% on group tours, and 73% stay overnight within Kobe. Patterns differ by market: Korean visitors tend to base themselves in Kobe, Taiwanese visitors combine Osaka and Kobe, and Chinese visitors tour the wider Kansai region. A guest mix dominated by independent travelers who actually sleep in Kobe is favorable for accommodations around Sannomiya and Motomachi.

On the other hand, Arima-cho in Kita Ward (home to Arima Onsen) is limited by ordinance to peak-season operation under the Minpaku Act, as described below, so it is the urban core that serves as the year-round base. The city is pushing inbound measures toward the launch of scheduled international flights around 2030, so airport-driven demand is best read as still in its growth stage.

When evaluating a property in Kobe, zoning is the first thing to check. Under the city ordinance, Minpaku Act operations are prohibited at all times in Category 1 and 2 low-rise residential zones and Category 1 and 2 mid/high-rise residential zones. The quieter the residential neighborhood, the more likely it falls under an exclusively residential zone, so even an attractive detached house may be unusable under the system. Zoning can be checked on the Kobe City Information Map, and separate from the ordinance there may be urbanization control areas or other legal restrictions, so it pays to check the map before buying or leasing.

The next check is distance from schools, certified childcare centers and child welfare facilities. Operations are prohibited at all times within 100 meters (horizontal distance between sites) of these facilities. The city publishes a list of the facilities concerned, and distances can be measured on the Kobe City Information Map. Child welfare facilities include small ones such as nursery schools, so a property that passes on zoning can still be ruled out by the 100-meter rule; screening should proceed in two stages, zoning first and facility distance second.

On building requirements, the Kobe City Fire Prevention Ordinance requires an evacuation route map posted in a visible spot in each room and a portable flashlight kept at each sleeping area. Guest rooms must provide at least 3.3 square meters of floor area per guest, measured as interior (wall-to-wall) area excluding closets and tokonoma alcoves. Also note that a newly built investment condominium intended solely for short-term rental, with no history of residential use at all, does not qualify as a home eligible for registration. For a condominium unit, confirm whether the management bylaws allow it first; for a whole building or detached house, select candidates by whether they clear the location conditions above.

Kobe enacted its own Ordinance on Restrictions on the Implementation of Private Lodging Business alongside the national Minpaku Act, and the ordinance narrows where and when operations are allowed. Exclusively residential zones are off-limits at all times, as is any site within 100 meters of a school or similar facility, and Arima-cho in Kita Ward is permitted only during the peak season from the second Monday of May through the Saturday of the week before the third Monday of July. In addition, the ordinance requires distributing a written notice to nearby residents and holding a briefing session before filing, and the filing must include a report on how the notification was carried out, what opinions or requests residents raised, and how they were addressed. For a new filing, the city asks operators to bring floor plans for a pre-consultation before construction begins; in-person consultations always require an appointment (Environmental Health Hotline 078-771-7497).

Kobe also has its own rules on management. If the operator is a corporation, delegation to a registered private lodging management company is required in principle, regardless of whether officers or employees are present at the property. Delegation is waived only in limited cases: the operator lives on site and is never absent while managing a total of five or fewer rooms themselves; the operator's own home is in the same building or on the same or an adjoining site as the registered property; or the operator itself holds a private lodging management business registration. Delegation must be to a single management company covering everything, and the guideline is that the manager can reach the property within 30 minutes in an emergency. The annual operating-day count runs per registered home from noon on April 1 to noon on the following April 1, capped at 180 days; exceeding it requires a separate hotel business license (simple lodging or similar), and the city asks for a pre-consultation with floor plans before applying or renovating under that system as well. We have not been able to confirm from official sources whether Kobe levies an accommodation tax or at what rate, so this page does not state one.