Online restaurant guide Guru Nabi (short for "gourmet navigator") has introduced a series of mobile coupons linked to power-saving efforts this summer. The coupons are in effect from June 30 to Sept. 30, the period during which businesses have been asked to reduce power consumption by 15%. In a first for Guru Nabi, the discounts are available for smartphones as well as Japanese keitai. (The coupons are only available from the mobile version.)
Some bars have half-price drink specials when the temperature (outside, we hope) goes above 35 degrees. Restaurants have been encouraged to come with topical and fun discounts. A sushi place gives a free piece of sashimi to customers who say "I don't need any air conditioning!" Another will take 10% off the bill for a rallying cry at the cash register of "Gambare, setsuden [Let's do our best to save power]!" Others reward customers for coming in in super cool biz attire, like Hawaiian shirts or open dress shirts with no necktie. That freebie paper fan you got handed on the street could actually be worth something, too — some places will take ¥1,000 yen the price of the meal for patrons carrying them.
Some seem playfully unconcerned about applying to a wide audience. For one, people with the syllables or kanji for "setsu" "den" "natsu [summer]" or "toku [value]" in their names get a discount. That's great for the Setsuko's and Natsumi's out there, but people with non-Japanese names might be at a slight disadvantage. There's still a chance — anyone named Denis out there? Try your luck and let us know how it goes.
