[A Warning from a Share House Operator] Bed bugs are entering private homes. The unavoidable reality encroaching on our lives—Mindset and important things (Part 1)

Introduction: Why must we talk about this now?

As someone who operates over 20 share houses in Tokyo and manages the "peace of mind" of residents every day, I have been harboring a strong sense of crisis from several years ago to the present.
The first time our company encountered bed bugs was a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic, just when the trend of increasing inbound tourism began to strengthen. At first, I wondered if it was mites, but after interviewing the residents and conducting various investigations, I found out it wasbed bugs. They are also calledbed bugs overseas.
Since I realized that it was difficult to deal with them using commercially available mite exterminators, I decided to request a professional company. I remember the cost at that time was about 200,000 yen for one floor of the share house.
Because you will be endlessly chased if you deal with bed bugs half-heartedly, I proceeded with extreme caution and arranged for a professional company to handle it for six months.
The person from the company who handled it was a good guy; he gave me a discount even though it would normally cost many times more, and he taught me a lot of technical on-site knowledge about bed bug extermination while I was present during each treatment.

That is why I am sounding the alarm.
—As of 2026, these are no longer just a problem for lodging facilities; they have begun to encroach on the living space of "private homes." I recognize that invisible "sparks" are certainly continuing to spread in our living spheres, and it is only a matter of time before they become familiar troubles.

This pest, which was once spoken of with the prejudice that it "appears in dirty places," has now changed its appearance dramatically. The explosive increase in inbound tourism, andthe emergence of "super bed bugs" that are less affected by existing insecticides....

I have been keeping track of bed bug incidents that have occurred in the share house scene, including those at other companies, and have been paying attention to how operators have responded.
From that experience, I can assert that"ignorance and inaction" are the biggest causes that turn a few tens of thousands of yen of small fire into a multi-million yen massive blaze, as well as the disregard for the residents' health and the recovery from bed bug damage.

This article will visualize the current reality in Japan and the level of awareness in each industry, face the unavoidable reality, and convey it so that it can also serve as "mental preparation" to protect your family and precious assets against what will visit in the future.

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■ As of 2026, bed bugs have become "daily life"

1. The dark "shadow" cast by the light of inbound tourism

Now that the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan continues to hit record highs, the GDP share related to inbound tourism is rising. Along with that, "borders" have ceased to have any meaning for bed bugs. This is because they are the "ultimate hitchhikers" that move by attaching themselves to people's clothing, bags, and shoe soles."ultimate hitchhikers".

Do you remember the panic caused by bed bugs that occurred in Paris and Seoul in the past? They spread even to subway seats and movie theater chairs, becoming a social issue.

《2023 Case Studies》

・Paris (France): "National-level panic" ahead of the 2024 Olympics (AFPBB News)

In the latter half of 2023, sightings on subways and in movie theaters spread on social media, leading to a situation where the government held emergency response meetings.

・Seoul (South Korea): Government declares "war on bed bugs" (Sankei Shimbun)

At the end of 2023, damage resurged in South Korea, where they were previously thought to have been "eradicated." This is a case where the government intervened strongly.

According to JNTO research, the inbound population visiting Japan is on an upward trend excluding the COVID-19 pandemic, andthe reality is that Japan is no longer a fire on the other side of the river.

2. The decline of the internet cafe industry and its "hub-ification"

There is one fact that is often overlooked here. That is the decline of the internet cafe industry. As inbound demand grows and hotel prices soar, I thought that business was good because inbound budget travelers and domestic travelers were increasingly using internet cafes as a substitute for lodging.
But in reality, that is not the case, and the reason for this is that structural risks unique to internet cafes have become concentrated.

Starting with the increase in the risk of being brought in, and with the spread of social media in recent years, information is now instantly spread on social media such as X and Google Maps reviews as a 'store with bed bugs,' and the store's brand collapses, resulting in a completely negative spiral structure.

The fact that the market size is shrinking and the number of stores has decreased to about 70% of its peak is not just a simple factor of the industry being in a transitional period, but
isn't it undeniable that while bed bugs are not the direct main cause of the decline, they are an 'accelerator' that is adding insult to injury?

A space that is open 24 hours a day, where an unspecified number of people stay, and where there are infinite dark and narrow gaps. It is highly possible that stores where management has become lax are becoming 'hubs' where bed bugs are brought in via inbound guests or domestic travelers and spread to the next location. 'Hub-ification' is a distinct possibility.
Personally, I used to love internet cafes, but since I started seeing this kind of information, I haven't gone at all....

At our company, by sharing this kind of information with share house residents, we are asking them to be conscious so that they can reduce the 'risk of bringing in' bed bugs to the share house inadvertently.

3. From 'points' to 'planes'. The trap of complex routes

Until now, it seemed that outbreaks were limited to 'hotels, private lodgings, and certain facilities (points),' and that the damage ended there, but I suspect that we have now moved into a different phase. This is becausethey also move between Japanese people who interact along those lines of movement.
Through train seats or taxis, bed bugs are being brought into seemingly unrelated environments, spreading into our living spheres (areas).

Further fueling this are the distribution and logistics channels for second-hand clothing and furniture on flea market apps. Even a tiny amount of eggs stuck in the gaps of luggage or cardboard boxes can turn a home into a bed bug nest within a few months.
I believe this is not someone else's problem, and we must be very careful.

■ I will talk about what I have experienced in my actual experience running a share house.

In terms of the ratio of Japanese to foreign residents, our share houses are overwhelmingly different from other companies in Tokyo.

The reason is that during the COVID-19 pandemic, demand from Japanese people dropped significantly due to concerns about infectious diseases. I remember that share house search volume also dropped by nearly 50% at that time.
During this period, I often heard about share house operators going out of business.
Since COVID, demand for share houses from Japanese people has gradually recovered, but operators whose profits had already deteriorated were forced to actively attract foreign residents, and with the resumption of inbound travel, the current ratio of foreign residents is the result.

When bed bugs were discovered at our company in the past, there happened to be a foreign resident, so the entry route was very easy to understand, but after a while, cases started occurring in share houses where everyone was Japanese. I checked with the residents about their recent overseas travel history, but none of them had even gone on domestic trips.
In other words, a case finally occurred where they were brought in from daily life.

From this point on, I began to feel a sense of crisis that controlling bed bugs in Japan might already be impossible, and that if we don't prevent them from being brought in and at the same time respond immediately if they are brought in, it will become an irreversible situation
.

<<Continued in Part 2>>

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