Take swimming lessons at a hotel

The Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo is offering a Swimming Stay accommodation plan from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4, and from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, to help those who have an aversion to swimming.

The plan comes complete with a crash course and one night's stay at the hotel. During the stay, guests who are in elementary school or higher can take two swimming lessons per person.

Each lesson is held for 50 minutes with two pairs of customers. Experienced swimming coach Hiroaki Murata, who represented Japan in the 2000 Sydney Olympic trials in the butterfly, will teach customers according to their level, so experienced swimmers can have high-quality training and novices can learn to get their feet wet.

The plan costs ¥23,000 for single occupancy, ¥19,000 per person for double occupancy, ¥17,000 per person for triple occupancy. A suite room is offered at ¥16,000 per person for quadruple occupancy. The prices include tax and service charge.

Selection of foods to relieve the heat

The Shiba Park Hotel in Tokyo is offering a special selection of dishes to relieve the summer heat at four of its eateries: French restaurant Tateru Yoshino Shiba, Chinese restaurant Peking, Japanese restaurant Hanasanshou and coffee shop Primula, through Aug. 31.

Peking offers a special course using abalone and nutritious Hungarian pork for ¥5,250 per person. Hanasanshou offers a kaiseki course featuring hamo (pike eel) at ¥8,400.

At Primula, two special dishes, freshwater eel ratatouille and Italian fried pork cutlets, are offered at ¥1,680 each during lunchtime and ¥2,310 each at dinnertime.

The prices include tax but a 10 percent service charge will be added (except during lunchtime at Primula).

Hold a summer banquet in Osaka

The Hotel Granvia Osaka is offering a summer party plan for a group of 10 or more people at its banquet rooms, through Sept. 30.

The special meal plan prepared by the hotel's master banquet chef offers both Japanese and Western meal choices, and guests may select from a lighter or standard menu, or a more substantial "stamina" menu.

All menus feature a variety of summer delicacies. For instance, pike eel, Nagoya-style chicken wings and rice noodles are included in the Japanese standard menu, and vegetable mousse with sea urchin, sauteed Cajun chicken and slow-roasted pork are in the Western-style stamina menu.

The plan's all-you-can-drink style adds a beer garden atmosphere. Besides draft beer, orange juice and oolong tea, two options can be selected from whiskey, wine, sake, shochu, plum wine and others, to complete the menu.

The party plan costs ¥6,000 per person for a two-hour private party between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. Reservations are required and the price includes tax and service charge. For those who want to liven up the summer party even more, a beer-serving girl carrying a small keg on her back is available for an additional ¥20,000.