Japan's huge tourism influx is greatly welcomed by politicians and select local service industries that are benefitting from the boom.
But it's also created a shortage of hotel rooms, leading to the rise of online bookings at private residential establishments, known as minpaku, that fall outside the law on public lodging facilities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the traditional cultural capital of Kyoto.
Over the past few years, an increasing number of foreign tourists have found it cheaper, and often easier, to simply book a room in Kyoto via online sites like Airbnb, which can put people up in minpaku accommodations at apartments or houses.