[Uber and taxi businesses]
Regarding Uber in Japan, one thing I can say is that it is not clear where you can call a taxi via Uber in or around Tokyo.
On the website
https://www.uber.com/ja/, Tokyo is on the list of the "cities" where a service of Uber is available, which seems to be the only "city" in Japan on the list (#1).
https://www.uber.com/ja/cities/tokyo/According to a news report (in Japanese) as of the 5th of August 2014, Uber Japan decided to begin a prompt taxi arrangement service to cover the entire Tokyo from 16 o'clock on that day.
However, a map and a list of taxi fares in the page for Tokyo on the website apparently suggest that Uber's taxi arrangement service is currently available only among a few areas in and around Tokyo.
https://www.uber.com/ja/cities/tokyo/In Japan, legally an ordinary person shall not carry a passenger in a car as a paid taxi business unless it is granted by the authority.
A car used for a lawfully-granted business (e.g. taxi service, delivery service) in Japan has a green number plate with its number indicated in white digits.
(If you happen to find in Japan a car used for a paid taxi business which has a white number plate, such a business is currently illegal.)
To taxi rides between Haneda Airport and certain urban areas in Tokyo, many taxi companies and owner-drivers are applying a flat-fare rate.
http://www.taxi-tokyo.or.jp/english/teigaku/index.htmlYou can skip the following four paragraphs if you have already got accustomed to taxi services in Japan.
A taxi car in a typical size in Japan holds up to 4 passengers.
A taxi fare, which is counted per car per ride, is basically added gradually as the distance becomes longer, in some areas also as time when the speed is very slow is accumulated.
A taxi fare rate is set higher during late and early hours (from 10 or 11 pm to 5 am), to be roughly 1.2 time of the rate for the other hours, by shortening distance and time units for the fare calculation.
It is common in Japan that the rear door on the left side of a taxi car gets automatically opened when the driver welcomes a passenger, which sometimes astonishes visitors from overseas.
[Airbnb and alternatives]
On the English-language edition of Jalan website
http://www.jalan.net/en/, which is managed by Recruit Lifestyle, it seems to be indicated that a multilingual support is offered in a specific accommodation facility when its manager announces so.
Rakuten Travel is offering a large-scale online database of accommodations in Japan on
http://travel.rakuten.com/ in English.
Via
http://www.japanican.com/en/, accommodations, tour packages and discount coupons for travelers in Japan can be arranged.
Regarding Airbnb in Japan, I am (negatively) surprised that explanation in
https://www.airbnb.jp/ article featuring a specific accommodation property sometimes lacks detailed information on its location such as a postal code (#2) and an address.
As foreign visitors to Japan are expected to increase at least until 2020 (when Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are scheduled), possible shortage of accommodation supply has been becoming a more significant and urgent problem.
However, Japan currently has no nationwide legal framework for a business concerning a paid accommodation offered by an ordinary person in a private house (like ones arranged by Airbnb).
In some cases of this new-form accommodation in Japan, which is called "minpaku" (maybe also spelled "mimpaku") in Japanese, regrettably trouble has arisen with residents in the vicinity.
It seems that a common sense which has been shared among accommodation businesses in Japan is not always succeeded by one who is running a "minpaku" business.
In Ota Ward in Tokyo, where Haneda Airport is located, its newly-established municipal ordinance regarding "minpaku" business was put in force on the 29th of January 2016, i.e. only a few days ago.
(Because Ota Ward is legally designated as a special zone under a national act, such an exceptional municipal ordinance can be valid there.)
- Japan Times: "Tokyofs Ota Ward gives OK to renting private homes, rooms to tourists"
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/29/national/tokyos-ota-ward-g...I hope that nationwide common rules regarding "minpaku" business will be established within a few years so that we can smoothly greet foreign visitors willing to enjoy exploring our country Japan.
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#1
: Here I use quotation marks because legally Tokyo is not a City.
: Tokyo is sometimes called as Tokyo Metropolis in English.
: Municipalities in Tokyo Metropolis include 23 special wards (also known as city wards, each of which calls itself as City) and 26 Cities.
#2
: A correct 7-digit postal code (typically in the 000-0000 form) is useful in specifying a district in Japan, which may help a taxi driver locate your destination.
