Minpaku's 180 days, a lodging licence's 365 — but your building may not be eligible to choose at all

When you view a whole building in Japan, someone will usually tell you it can be run as a guesthouse. Which of the three accommodation regimes you can actually use is decided by zoning, building paperwork, fire-code classification and ward ordinances — not by your business plan. This works through each gate from the building's side, using Toshima Ward's ordinance taking effect in December 2026 as a live example.