When Tokyo hosted its first summer Olympic Games in 1964, many Western-style hotels opened one after another to accommodate the increasing number of foreign visitors. Nowadays, some hotels recently unveiled renovated Japanese-style rooms. As a preparation for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, hotels started to offer Japanese-style accommodation and hospitality. Foreign guests can now experience traditional ryokan without even leaving the city.
Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa used tatami, paper screens, shiraki furniture, and lantern-like lighting for their rooms. A kimono-clad cadre also welcomes guests upon their arrival. The hotel recently opened their club lounge Oh-sai and spa salon Tayuta for guests staying in Japanese-style rooms. The lounge offers culinary services like washoku breakfast, Japanese-themed sweets, and evening cocktails while the spa offers herbs and natural oils for their traditional atmosphere sessions. Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo also unveiled a renovated Japanese-style suite. The suite consists of two Japanese-style rooms with tatami mats. It also features elements of traditional teahouses with Japanese craftsmanship such as camelia trees, mikage stone, and Japanese cypress accessories. Tetsu Motomura, general manager of Chinzanso Tokyo hotel, hoped that the rooms will attract both foreign travelers and residents who want to absorb the Japanese culture.
Vocabulary:
Unveil [verb] – show or announce for the first time
Hospitality [noun] – friendly and generous reception of guests
Cadre [noun] – a small group of people trained for a profession
Lounge [noun] – a public room for relaxation
Craftsmanship [noun] – a skill in a particular craft
True or False:
- Tokyo hosted its first summer Olympic Games in 1966.
- Foreign guests cannot experience traditional ryokan without even leaving the city.
- Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa never used tatami, paper screens, shiraki furniture, and lantern-like lighting for their rooms.
- The Tayuta lounge offers culinary services like washoku breakfast, Japanese-themed sweets, and evening cocktails while the spa offers herbs and natural oils for their traditional atmosphere sessions.
- Tetsu Motomura hoped that the rooms will attract both foreign travelers and residents who want to absorb Japanese culture.
Express your opinion:
- What kind of sport is your country good at? Please explain your answer.
- If you are given the chance to change one Olympic sport, what sport would you change and what sport would you add?
- What do you think is the most difficult Olympic sport?
Defend your argument:
- “Japanese government has set an aspirational target to double the number of annual inbound tourists in 2020.”
- “Hotels will use Japanese traditional style for 2020 Olympics.”
- “Hotel accommodations will grow in 2020.”
- “Expect the lack of non-Asian visitors in 2020.”
- “Japanese English speakers are in demand for 2020 Olympics.”