With the Be Strong, Tokyo Campaign, these Tokyo hotels are a way to get away from it all, without going anywhere.

What Is the “Be Strong, Tokyo!” Campaign?

Japan's official Go To Travel campaign is up and running, encouraging Japanese residents to explore domestic travel (even for those who wish they were abroad), while the COVID-19 outbreak continues on through the Obon summer vacation. But, due to a sudden increase in coronavirus cases in Tokyo during the past few weeks, Tokyo is excluded from the Go To Travel campaign, and Tokyoites are being discouraged from leaving the city.

So, with the residents of Tokyo looking for ways to enjoy summer vacation without leaving the city, what are they to do? Well, one collection of Tokyo hotels has an answer: a Tokyo hotel staycation! The new Be Strong, Tokyo! campaign is offering discounts of 50% or more off of stays in Tokyo hotels, giving city residents a way to enjoy that hotel vacation feeling, without really going anywhere.

Starting August 1st, 2020, 16 different hotels around Tokyo are offering special plans, limited to Tokyo residents only. Prices are discounted to 50% or more off of standard room rates, and many hotels are offering extra benefits as well. For some hotels, each reservation also comes with a 5,000 yen gift certificate, that can either be used towards hotel facilities or a future stay. Other hotels are including free breakfast (which can be quite the luxury meal at some establishments). The campaign is expected to end whenever Tokyo is allowed back into the general nationwide Go To Travel campaign.

Which Hotels Are Included?

JR East Hotel Mets – 11 Locations

These 11 Mets hotels are from the Japan Rail hotel group, which is why they're all in convenient locations near JR train stations. They aren't necessarily luxury establishments, but a discounted stay could be an interesting way to see a different part of Tokyo.

Hotel Metropolitan – 3 Locations

Perhaps a step up from the Mets hotels, the Metropolitan locations are especially popular among tourists (for a reason), and they offer a way to splurge without necessarily using up the month's budget.

Tokyo Station Hotel / MESM Tokyo

No question about it, these two hotels are swanky.

Tokyo Station Hotel is quite literally part of the Tokyo Station building, and it has over 100 years of history as a high-end Tokyo hotel. Not only is the building beautiful, but transportation doesn't get much more convenient, and it's right across from the Kitte shopping center that hosts the Japankuru team's favorite Tokyo chocolate makers.

Far from being 100 years old, MESM Tokyo opened at the end of May 2020, which means it's brand new. We got a glimpse of the luxury hotel when we recently visited Waters Takeshiba, the complex that includes the hotel and Atre shopping facility found on the lower floors, and were totally charmed by the waterfront seating and view of Hamarikyu Gardens.

For more details on the plan, you can check out the Japanese-language homepage, which has links to each of the participating hotels. And for more info and updates from Japan, follow Japankuru on twitter, instagram, and facebook!