On October 1, I rapidly took advantage of the government's domestic tourism subsidy program "Go To Travel" which has included Tokyo since that day.
I chose to stay at "Henna Hotel," meaning a strange hotel. This is the world's first hotel chain where robots serve customers. For this reason, it is listed in the Guinness Book. Ever since it opened in Akasaka, Tokyo in 2018, I had been very curious, so this stay was a dream come true.
To check in, I touched a tablet in front of the female receptionist. In response, she said "Welcome." After confirming my name, address and phone number, the robot assigned my room and issued its card key. Then she mentioned "We hope you enjoy your stay."In order to receive a coupon under the Go To Travel campaign that you can use at local shops and restaurants, I showed my ID to a real human receptionist because the robots were not able to do this irregular job.
The hotel looked brand new, and the room was spotless. It was compact (13 m2 =140 sf2) but not too small, and had everything you need -- a semi-double bed; a sofa; a table; a refrigerator; a kettle; a tea bag; slippers; a nightwear; a Panasonic Ionity hairdryer; a huge-size TV; and LG Styler, a machine to get rid of dusts and odors from clothes.
A construction was going on in the neighborhood, but the window was soundproof, so the room was quiet. On the ground floor, there is an Irish pub. You can eat breakfast and dinner there at a 10% discount by showing your room key.
For checking out, I inserted the key into the machine, and that was it. The male robot said "Thank you, we look forward to serving you again."
All in all, I liked this interesting, cozy and affordable place -- for one night stay, I paid only JPY2,093 ($20) all inclusive; the original price was JPY5,250 ($50). In addition to the 35% discount of the Go To Travel campaign, I benefited from another coupon and points of Rakuten Travel where I made a reservation.
Furthermore, I received the additional Go To Travel coupon of JPY1,000 ($9.5) that I could use at a local shop or restaurant. There were still a limited number of places that accepted the coupon, but Lawson convenience store was one of them. I used it to buy some food and drink.
October 1 was Tokyo Residents' Day as well, so admission was free at many facilities operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. I visited the Jindai Botanical Gardens. While it was between high seasons of flowers, it was great for forest bathing.
The weather was perfect, and I fully enjoyed the rich experience in a very economical manner.
