Tokyo to Tohoku 2026 (AKA how many honeymoons is too many?)

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Hello, me again!

So where to this time? Well as the old saying goes, if a bear was catholic would you hear it fall? Or something like that...

We decided to do it a little differently this time though! Off the beaten Aussie paths of Hokkaido, Nagano and Niigata and into uncharted territory for both of us, the great white north of Honshu! No Singapore or Hong Kong stopovers this time unforunately, just SYD-HND return.

The trip was only booked 12 days prior to travel. I'd been umming and ahhing about it for a while but the catalyst was finally being able to get through to payment on a JAL First reward through Qantas (and a pretty decent snow forecast!). Unfortunately after repeated attempts to unlock business seats home I had to settle for a classic plus reward for myself and my wife in economy. Immediately submitted an upgrade request as well. While I was happy with the 155000 points for the first reward, paying 143000 points for economy (plus another 83000) to upgrade was easily my worst redemption yet.

With flights booked it was on to itinerary planning. After a very chaotic few days in Tokyo in summer 2025 we wanted to return in winter to see what the 'overtourism' looked like in another season. I also found a stay plus free night for one of our most aniticipated new hotels, The Fairmont Tokyo, which combined with ALL points for the 3rd night meant we paid $1300aud for 3 nights compared with a full price rate of over $4000. This redemption certainly softened the blow of the awful flight price, as did the strong AUD to JPY.

After Tokyo we headed north, all the way to Aomori for a whistle stop tour of the snowiest city/prefecture in Japan. After a night here it was off to Morioka for 3 nights, Sendai for 2 and then Bandai Atami Onsen in Fukishima for 2 nights before returning to Tokyo and staying Villa Fontaine Grand HND T3 for our last night.

As usual I'll break the trip up by day with some summaries of flights and accommodation as well.

I know this is just 1 of 5 or 6 Japan trip reports going on right now so I appreciate if you read this at all and hope you'll stick along for the ride!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 1):

Much like my last trip report, one of the most anticipated parts of this adventure was over by the conclusion of the first day...

As i mentioned above I had been seeing availabilty for JAL F through QFF for months prior. Unfortunately most of this was ghost availability with nothing showing either on Qantas' end when calling or on ExpertFlyer. Finally on the 6th Jan EF showed availability across all cabins on JL52 for an 18th Jan departure. From here I checked if it would allow me to proceed to payment which it did. This was the catalyst to scramble on return flights though as you saw above nothing too special came of this.

So after a Saturday night wedding of 2 really close friends, and both with some sore heads ourselves we loaded the suitcases and ski/board bag and set off to SYD. P7 Valet has been working a treat for us both convenience and cost wise so we pulled up as usual, unloaded the gear and said goodbye to the car. Up into the check in area and then a long walk alllllll the way to the K departure zone. Check in was fairly prompt for JAL F with only 2 groups ahead of us. After the bags were tagged and sent on their way we conveniently found a new(?) oversize drop off right behind the K check in area. A good thing to know if you are closer to this side of the terminal rather than having to go all the way back past the A row.

Back the opposite way to fast track security and immigration. All in all from Parking the car to duty free took about 15 minutes, most of which was walking from 1 end of the terminal to the other!

Hunger starting to come on and a craving for a coffee to at least stay awake until the flight (at this stage we were running on about 4 hours sleep) we headed straight to the QF first lounge for our first visit of the year (maybe last) and first breakfast visit for a few years.




We both had some yoghurt and muesli before my wife had the fritters and we shared the bacon and egg roll. Both very good as usual but I was saving myself somehwhat for the culinary trip we were about to embark on!



We left the lounge and headed to the gate where boarding was about to commence and almost strolled straight onto the plane. Now, spoiler alert, we have actually sat in these seats before. If you've read my last trip report there was an equipment change from Hong Kong to Tokyo in June 2025 and at the gate we were 'upgraded' to the forward cabin, however seat aside that flight was nothing like this!




Awaiting us at each seat was a pillow, blanket, water bottle and gender specific 'gift' from Shiseido.



We quickly put our carry ons above and then stowed our personal items under the huge ottomans in front and settled in. We were offered a welcome drink while I perused the menu.





We'd already made our decisions based on seeing the menu online prior to departure but the presentation within the leather bound case was still wonderful!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 2):

The last thing to be handed out before take off were the amenity kits from Heralbony.





They contained the usual lotion and lip balm from Payot as well as a moisture mask, eye shade, tissues, dental kit/mouthwash, ear plugs and a very useful charger (USB-A to USB-C/lightning) which got a workout on our trip. The artwork also came with a touching story. (The black and gold case was the womens 'gift')

We departed the gate about 5 minutes behind schedule and left a very dreary Sydney morning behind.



After we pierced through the clouds and the seatbelt sign turned off I went to the bathroom only to be hit by some of the most intense turbulence we'd experienced. Seatbelt sign coming back on I just made it back to the seat before we got tossed around for about 5 minutes. Thankfully that was the last of the turbulence for the whole flight.

We asked for pyjamas which we were provided promptly. They were lovely and thick and fit me very well, much better than even Qantas' L/XL size do (which really feel like a small L). My only gripe would be that despite being warm and cozy, they were almost too warm for the flight given the temp JAL keep their cabins at.

As i mentioned previously we had decided to make use of the buddy dining seat to share both the Japanese Washoku courses and the western menu to take full advantage of this flight. But first Champagne (unfortunately not Salon but still tasty, and expensive) and some caviar, which is actually listed on the snack menu.




After this the true culinary experience began, and went on for about the next 2 hours!
It started with the seasonal 5 colour delicacy. Hopefully you can read the menu above but the tuna and crab ball were standouts from this lot.




This was followed by the amuse bouch which was a cold pumpkin soup and really the only all around miss of the meal as the texture was very thick. After this came the western entree of prawns and smoked salmon which were tasty and fresh.



Next was what I guess you'd call the entrees for the Japanese menu, marinated salmon and a potato potage with truffle. The salmon was delicious while the potage tasted great but similar to the soup had a bit of a strange consistency for mine.

 

[elanshin]

Ah awesome, you got the JAL F.

I tried so hard to get HND - SYD JAL F back right around these few days but all the flight's back on JL F were ghost phantoms. I'd found all the flights connecting around from South East Asia where we were finishing up all our extended family wedding activities.

Hope you enjoyed the trip.
PS. If you need more honeymoon locations.... Raffles Bali ..

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 3):

Following the Japanese entrees we received the second hors d'oeuvres from the western menu which was seared scallops. These were among the best scallops I've had as far as texture and mouth feel go which was hugely impressive on a plane. The flavour wasn't bad either though more scallops to the ratio of salad would've been welcome.



After the completion of all entree courses the main plate for the Japanese meal was served which was roast beef, along with 2 serves of the chicken rice and miso soup. The beef was great, albeit a little chewy, paired with a delicious sauce that had a good numbing kick from the sansho. The chicken rice was delicious and the miso again amongst some of the best we've had in the air or on the ground.



At this point my wife started tapping out as we were well and truly testing the limits of our stomachs. The crew though had other plans bringing us both western main options! The sea bass was moist and quite tender with a subtle umami to the mussel sauce. The beef was again a little overcooked but the sauce was rich and deep and paired really well with the cheese polenta. (Side note, not the only polenta we were served on a flight on this trip but my many many miles the best...)




Finally dessert time and I think they realised we had nearly reached our limits as they asked what we were after. We opted to just share the Japanese Yuzu Warabi Mochi and paired it with some of the famous Queen of Blue Tea. The Mochi was super light and very tasty, a perfect way to end the somewhat overindulgent meal!




Full to the point of bursting we asked for our seats to be shifted to bed mode and settled in for some screen time.



The bed was huge and very comfortable with the air weave mattress, although not as good as QF F, but probably more comfortable that the SQ suites bed. JALs entertainment is one small area it lets itself down in but I still found enough to watch to pass a few hours.

We had looked at the snack menu and both decided we wanted to try the cheeseburger so rather than taking the full second light meal service we both just enjoyed 1 each. The tomato was flicked aside pretty quickly but for a burger reheated on a plane it was pretty darn tasty! (Just not particularly photogenic).



We changed into warmer clothes shortly after and about an hour later started our descent into Tokyo. On the approach into Haneda we were treated to a sunset glimpse of Fuji.



After landing the arrivals process was as straightforward as ever. Through immigration with our visitjapanweb QR codes. Bags literally came out first and second. Then a short wait at oversized, though nothing compared to our return to Sydney. After this it was through customs and straight onto a rapid Monorail to Hamamatsucho. All in from deplaning to arriving at our hotel it was a 1 hour and 40 minute journey which is one of the quicker journeys we've had.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Ah awesome, you got the JAL F.

I tried so hard to get HND - SYD JAL F back right around these few days but all the flight's back on JL F were ghost phantoms. I'd found all the flights connecting around from South East Asia where we were finishing up all our extended family wedding activities.

Hope you enjoyed the trip.
PS. If you need more honeymoon locations.... Raffles Bali ..

Yeah I pretty much gave up on the return, it just doesn't seem to actually exist. What an incredibly frustrating process though!
Will keep that in mind. They're probably better called Anniversary trips from now on though, I think a 4th honeymoon is taking the p*ss a bit (though the same could be said about the 2nd and 3rd...)

 

[drron]

JAL F is my firm favourite F experience. We were able back in the good old days to get 3 sets of F awards between NRT and the USA.
My favourite moment was when the bed was made up and I lay down with eyes closed and the FA came around and tucked my bedding in. They do go above and beyond.

 

[Dmac59]

Hello, me again!

So where to this time? Well as the old saying goes, if a bear was catholic would you hear it fall? Or something like that...

We decided to do it a little differently this time though! Off the beaten Aussie paths of Hokkaido, Nagano and Niigata and into uncharted territory for both of us, the great white north of Honshu! No Singapore or Hong Kong stopovers this time unforunately, just SYD-HND return.

The trip was only booked 12 days prior to travel. I'd been umming and ahhing about it for a while but the catalyst was finally being able to get through to payment on a JAL First reward through Qantas (and a pretty decent snow forecast!). Unfortunately after repeated attempts to unlock business seats home I had to settle for a classic plus reward for myself and my wife in economy. Immediately submitted an upgrade request as well. While I was happy with the 155000 points for the first reward, paying 143000 points for economy (plus another 83000) to upgrade was easily my worst redemption yet.

With flights booked it was on to itinerary planning. After a very chaotic few days in Tokyo in summer 2025 we wanted to return in winter to see what the 'overtourism' looked like in another season. I also found a stay plus free night for one of our most aniticipated new hotels, The Fairmont Tokyo, which combined with ALL points for the 3rd night meant we paid $1300aud for 3 nights compared with a full price rate of over $4000. This redemption certainly softened the blow of the awful flight price, as did the strong AUD to JPY.

After Tokyo we headed north, all the way to Aomori for a whistle stop tour of the snowiest city/prefecture in Japan. After a night here it was off to Morioka for 3 nights, Sendai for 2 and then Bandai Atami Onsen in Fukishima for 2 nights before returning to Tokyo and staying Villa Fontaine Grand HND T3 for our last night.

As usual I'll break the trip up by day with some summaries of flights and accommodation as well.

I know this is just 1 of 5 or 6 Japan trip reports going on right now so I appreciate if you read this at all and hope you'll stick along for the ride!

You can never get tired of reading TRs involving Japan @HirafuHeartAttack
Definitely following along.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

JAL F is my firm favourite F experience. We were able back in the good old days to get 3 sets of F awards between NRT and the USA.
My favourite moment was when the bed was made up and I lay down with eyes closed and the FA came around and tucked my bedding in. They do go above and beyond.

I didn't quite get tucked in but the service was top notch!
The closest I got to a tuck in on this trip was a grumpy Qantas FA physically strapping in my sash belt... 5 minutes before the seat belt sign came on.

You can never get tired of reading TRs involving Japan @HirafuHeartAttack
Definitely following along.

Thank you! Hopefully I can get it all out promptly and keep it engaging enough.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 4):

I forgot to add above that we also TaQBinned our skis and snowboard to our first hotel in Aomori to save some stress. Seems the prices have gone up a little (¥5000ish) but was glad to be travelling a little lighter for the next few days. We timed our arrival to the KuroNeko counter quite well as we walked straight up, then as we left there was a line of about 20 families all doing the same. Weight limit of 30kg was slightly exceeded so I just removed some tools and a jumper, but a woman seeing me do this got a little panicked when she found out about the 30kg thing.

Anyway, back to where I was above, after disembarking the monorail it was time to make our way to Blue Front Shibaura and the very new Fairmont Tokyo. I mentioned this being an extremely anticipated hotel for us as we have been fortunate enough to stay in some great Fairmonts (Banff, Whistler, YVR, Singapore), some good Fairmonts (Van Waterfront, Calgary) and one pretty average Fairmont (Seoul). Given our experience with Japanese hospitality and the brand itself we had pretty high expectations, almost all of which were met or exceeded.

The first challenge though was navigating the new developments around Hamamatsucho to find the exit we were after. Hot tip if staying here, there is very little 'Fairmont' signage but plenty of Blue Front Shibaura signage so follow that. Eventually we found our way to the building and up the escalators to our first glimpse of the hotel.



After navigating the pre-lobby we made our way up to the 35th floor and the hotel lobby proper before checking in. Apolgies for lack of photos of this space at this time but we were pretty exhausted! We had been upgraded to a Tokyo Tower View room which is a MUST here as the view is spectacular and advised of free breakfast and drinks vouchers courtesy of my ALL platinum status. The only thing I considered a bit harsh was a ¥30000 hold for incidentals. I thought she misspoke when she said per night but alas it was roughly $900 on hold which seemed a little bit much.

We then made our way up to our room with our check in agent who offered us a bit of a tour on the way. After many thanks and a quick turndown service we finally had a chance to take in the room.





The room was stunning and huge! Plenty of storage room for bags in the entrance areas. Very spacious wet room with rainfall and handheld shower head and a huge bath. The towel art for the honeymoon was much appreciated, if excessive, and the welcome gift of a persimmon with honey and nuts and some chocolate covered strawberries was a lovely touch.

But by far the best feature of the room was this...



The view was unreal, and ranks among the best we've ever had from a hotel. I'll also preface that this is one of many shots of the view that will be included over the next couple of days of the trip report as it was spectacular, and different, at all hours!

After unpacking we had 2 things on our mind. A swim and food. Unfortunately when I mentioned most expectations being exceeded one of the few let downs was that the pool was under maintenance for the 2 full days we had in Tokyo. Fortunately we did get a chance to use it after check in and it was spectacular!



The whole wellness level was amazing and a real shame that we only got to experience it once. As you enter there is a service desk and 'tea bar'. Through to the change areas which have their own gender segregated Sento style bath rooms with hot and cold baths and sauna. Beyond that you emerge into the above with an indoor hot tub and large infinity pool, a bunch of different shower experiences and the most amazing outdoor hot tub with a view similar to our room. Having this space all to ourselves after a long travel day was the perfect way to relax!

After enjoying the pools for an hour or so hunger started to kick in so we dragged ourselves out and back to the room to change for a stroll back towards the station area in search of one thing... Ramen.



It has become a bit of a tradition at this point for Ramen to be our first meal when we land, and despite the chef not being Japanese which did throw me a bit given the clientele and vibe of the restaurant, the ramen was delicious!

Full of noodles and gyoza we wandered back to the hotel via Lawson for some late night snacks and called it a night excited to explore Tokyo the next day.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 2 (Part 1):

Awoke about 7:30am to a slightly overcast but nonetheless beautiful Tokyo morning!



We slowly got ready while I spent a fair bit of time watching the various trainlines below ranging from local trains to limited express on the JR lines as well as the Shinkansen and Monorail. If you're into trains in Japan this is one the coolest hotels to watch them from!

We headed down to level 35 and Kiln & Tonic for breakfast. We had a window seat looking south towards Tamachi/Shinagawa and Haneda. Breakfast was a 2 course affair with a starter and main dish, as well as coffee and juices, plus a beverage tray each day which had a flavoured water, orange juice and another rotating juice, on this day it was carrot and ginger. I started with the Bircher Muesli while my wife had the Acai bowl which she raved about. The muesli was also fantastic!



For mains I had the avocado toast with scrambled eggs and and my wife the turkish eggs. Again both spectacular! The meal was lovely and there is also a small continental buffet available. My only criticism would be the coffee from an automated machine which was drinkable but a little dissapointing. There is a beautiful large espresso machine in Vue Mer, the lobby cafe adjacent to Kiln & Tonic but this doesn't appear used until well into the day.



The plan for the day was to head to Shimokitazawa and take a look at a few vintage shops. Now yes, I know I'm late to get there as it's very touristy and we kind of learned that the hard way but it was still a cool place to wander around regardless.

We wandered to Hamamtsucho and jumped on the Yamanote line to Shibuya.



Before transferring to the Inokashira line to Shimokitazawa and emerging in front of one of my favourite signs of the trip.



I probably should've taken online advice and not bothered getting here until 12 as at even 11:30 the place was a ghost town! Eventually shops started opening but every vintage store just felt like an overpriced carbon copy of the other. Fortunately there were a few other stores that kept our interest piqued including a well stocked Tsutaya books.



After killing a few hours I was after a new Patagonia Down Jacket so we jumped back on the train bound for the Tokyo station area. We had a craving for curry so tracked down a Cocos Curry nearby and settled in for lunch.



This outlet was a little different as it was a Cocos Curry World with a few different menu items, turmeric rice and memorabilia from the Cocos stores outside Japan. The rice threw me a little but still a very hearty and satisfying lunch.

After securing my new jacket, for about $70 less than the Aussie retail price (not even with tax free as Patagonia don't participate), we headed back to the subway and back to Daimon station before returning to the Fairmont, arriving back just as the sun set behind Fuji!



We enjoyed the sunset before heading up to level 43 to enjoy our welcome drinks at Driftwood Bar. Now, unlike our shocking experience of being told to have either a house wine or Corona in the lobby at Fairmont Seoul, here basically everything was within reach for the voucher. We picked a coughtail each and enjoyed them with some nuts and crackers. The coughtail list was extensive, celebrating cities around the world with regional coughtails with Japanese flair. I had the Kyoto Matcha Sour and the Salty Lychee and would highly recommend both! My ALL+ 15% discount was also automatically applied to our balance for the second round which was appreciated, as this doesn't always appear to show immediately at F&B outlets in the Accor network.



After our coughtails we just headed down to the restaurant/food court area on the ground floor of the building which is more so designed for the office tower but still had some places going into the evening. We had a pizza and pasta before calling it an early night, but not before another jaunt across the road to Lawson!