Good news for foodies. Tokyo is bringing back its Go to Eat campaign, which means you can save 20 percent on meals at participating restaurants across the city. The discount will be available through special vouchers that are exclusive to Tokyo. But you don’t need to be living in Tokyo to use them – foreign tourists and any resident of Japan can buy the Go to Eat vouchers, to save money on meals, while also supporting restaurants that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Vouchers can be redeemed at participating Tokyo restaurants between November 20 and January 25 2023.
There are both paper and digital vouchers available, and each has its own application method. Also, since you’ll be paying for your meals with the discount vouchers, note that you won’t get any change back. So be sure to keep the bill as close to the amount stated on your coupons.
Paper vouchers
A set of paper vouchers can be purchased for ¥10,000, giving you a total value of ¥12,500. One set consists of ten ¥1,000 vouchers and five ¥500 vouchers. You can use them at different restaurants throughout the campaign period.
The purchase process, however, is a bit convoluted. You’ll first need to apply for a separate coupon online, then visit one of the official pick-up counters and exchange it for the set of paper vouchers. Note that payments have to be made in cash; credit cards and digital payments are not accepted. The vouchers will be sold between November 10 and December 25.
For a list of participating restaurants that accept paper vouchers, see here.
Digital vouchers
Digital vouchers are only available via a lottery system. A set of these digital discount coupons costs ¥8,000 for a total value of ¥10,000. One set contains ten ¥1,000 vouchers, and you can redeem them at one or multiple restaurants in the city.
The lottery will run in phases until December 25. The current phase is now accepting applications until November 1. Winners from this period will be notified on November 8, and vouchers have to be purchased between November 9 and 16. Note that payments can only be made through a credit card or PayPay.
For a list of participating restaurants that accept digital vouchers, see here.
For more information, see the Go to Eat Tokyo website.
This article was published on October 27 and updated on October 28.
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