Tokyo Weekender

[MattA]

So the last time I wrote a TR on here it was our two month family adventure through Europe. This is… not that.

I’m off to Tokyo for a couple of days for a work thing. While I’m by no means a road warrior I do get to do the odd bit of work travel. Some trips are more enjoyable than others. Tokyo (this will be my fourth time—we have an office over there) definitely falls on the more enjoyable side of the ledger.

There will be some sightseeing, but I expect this TR will be mostly food.

We’re a small enough organisation so I usually get to organise my own travel, and can make it work for me in terms of airline choice, but this time due to timing constraints only the direct flights were feasible, so from MEL that means QF or JL. Those flights only go on certain days of the week, which narrowed it down to a choice of QF or QF.

I don’t usually fly with them, have no status, and our travel policy puts me in whY.

Thoughts and prayers, please…

 

[MattA]

So. Arrived MEL at T-2 and a bit. I’ve checked in online of course but Covid formalities require attendance at a counter to verify VAX certs (min 3 doses currently required for Japan). About a 30 minute wait in what is initially a long Economy check in line but that frustratingly gets shorter as I’m in it. Could have stayed in bed for another 15, I guess.

I’ve filled out the visit Japan Web form and have the blue VAX verified page showing that someone in Japan has approved my uploaded certificate, but QF want to see the AU international cert. Quick flash of that and I am off.

Mercifully no lines at security or border control and I am through in about 5 mins.

In the absence of a better option, I wait in the AMEX lounge.



I’ve been here once before, pre-COVID and prior to the rebranding as Centurion, and to be honest I can’t see what has changed. Same small buffet. Cold cuts, hot breakfast items, etc…



And of course standard issue hotel/lounge pancake maker.



But at least the coffee is hot and wet, the seats are comfier than the ones at the gate and it is relatively quiet.

 

[MattA]

I’ve tried for a points upgrade on the return leg (o/w not eligible as I’m on a sale fare) but I know there’s very little chance of that clearing given my non status. Best I could do for this leg as an infrequent QF flyer was to use the T-80 hack to move myself up near the front.

I’ve gone for 24J, which is a bulkhead seat at the front/right of Y.



Despite some reports that there is less legroom due to the bulkhead position, I appreciate the fact that there is no one to recline into you. So yeah you can’t stretch out under the seat in front, but I’ll take it. Also there is the first served/first off factor.

The other coinflip around bulkhead seats in Y is the possibility of screaming children across in the bassinet positions in the middle, and this flight certainly delivers on this front. That said, I’ve been there and I understand the struggle. Since having my own children I find that I’m far less bothered than I used to be about the sound of other people’s.

Also, noise cancelling headphones work on other people’s children in a way that they unfortunately do not on mine…

 

[MattA]

I didn’t take pictures of the food. There’s plenty of it, but none of it is great. I opt for some passable noodle thing for the first service and a chicken fried rice for the second meal before landing that is almost impressively entirely devoid of flavour.

Directly in front of me is the J divider curtain, which, despite frequent crew attempts, steadfastly refuses to remain attached to the bulkhead, offering up instead occasional glimpses through to J catering and the drinks trolley being wheeled off to those more comfortable souls up front, as well as the sight of Y pax being turned back from the J loo.



We touch down some 20 minutes ahead of schedule, and then promptly sit on the tarmac waiting for a parking spot for those 20 minutes and then some. At least it is a chance for all the kids to my left to catch up on some much needed screaming.

Eventually we are parked up and off. After hearing some horror stories of immigration delays, our experience is relatively swift. No one is remotely interested in checking vax status, so we are waved through the first checkpoint. The queue for immigration is probably under 10 minutes. The longest part is waiting for the luggage to arrive. Just over an hour all up from deplane to taxi.

 

[MattA]

We’re staying in Roppongi, near our Tokyo office. Popped out with my colleagues for a little wander and a quick beer and bite before bed.

 

[MattA]

Staying at the Hotel Villa Fontaine, which is a standard mid range Japanese business-y hotel. Just enough room for a bed, the world’s most uncomfortable pillows and a low-ceiling bathroom.



No car park views, sadly…



Hang on, I broke the rules. Almost a car park:

 

[Quickstatus]

so from MEL that means QF or JL

Thanks for TR.

Obviously there is JQ but for JQ has a habit that makes a weekend trip not necessarily the weekend you booked

Note that JL in Y on their 787-9 have wider seats in Y as their rows are 2-4-2 instead of QF 3-3-3. Via SYD will get you the daily morning JL52 but that necessitates an overnight in SYD

 

[MattA]

This morning it has been bucketing it down, which puts a literal dampener on walking around. I still love wandering the streets, though, even in the rain.



Love a car park vending machine. Where else can you buy happiness with 1 coin?



Might even take one home for the kids. Only in Japan:



That last one from my favourite random Japanese store, Don Quijote. $2 shop meets Aldi middle aisle meets Kmart on steroi_s, where you can pick up everything and anything from souvenirs to whiskey to sex toys to groceries to clothes to well you name it…

 

[MattA]

Thanks for TR.

Obviously there is JQ but for JQ has a habit that makes a weekend trip not necessarily the weekend you booked

Note that JL in Y on their 787-9 have wider seats in Y as their rows are 2-4-2 instead of QF 3-3-3. Via SYD will get you the daily morning JL52 but that necessitates an overnight in SYD

Yeah it was the return that kicked JL out of the mix. Have to come back Tuesday evening and that would have meant coming via SYD. 1 colleague flew with JL though and was impressed.

QF was on the A330, which was 2-4-2 config.

 

[Quickstatus]

random Japanese store,

They are almost a brick and mortar Alibaba . Do you know if they are a chain or just a random?

1 colleague flew with JL though and was impressed.

JL economy I reckon is probably the best in the world??.

The 787-9 seat pitch is 34in and width 18.8 in
Whereas QFA330 is 32in and 17.2in

 

[MattA]

They are almost a brick and mortar Alibaba . Do you know if they are a chain or just a random?

Chain I think. Certainly there are branches of Donki all over Tokyo.

Edit: Wikipedia says: “As of 2022, it has over 160 locations throughout Japan, 15 in Singapore, 9 in Hong Kong, 6 in Thailand, 3 in Hawaii, 3 in Malaysia, 2 in Taiwan, 1 in Macau and 1 planned in Guam.”

 

[rbjhan]

Donki is everywhere! As they close later than other stores, I tend to visit after dinner ha ha.

 

[MattA]

Most of Saturday was taken up by the work event I’m here for. After things finished up I had a bit of free time for some shopping around Shibuya.

My late night Tokyo wanderings. The all day rain had stopped, but I feel like the dampness only enhances the aesthetic…

 

[trendwhore]

Pretty happy to hear the craziness at Narita has cooled off, heading there this week and not super keen to be waiting 3 hours at the airport but we'll see.

 

[MattA]

Pretty happy to hear the craziness at Narita has cooled off, heading there this week and not super keen to be waiting 3 hours at the airport but we'll see.

I flew into HND so can’t comment on NRT…

 

[MattA]

Sightseeing day. Started off at the Skytree. Thankfully yesterday’s rain was no more and we had a beautiful sunny morning…

 

[MattA]

Busy couple of days so have some catching up to do. Now where was I… that’s right, Sunday after the Skytree we headed down to the shopping centre below for some lunch. I’d picked out a Tonkatsu place that was well reviewed: Tonkatsu Shinjuku Saboten Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi

Peak lunch service time so we had a bit of a wait but well worth it. A couple of my colleagues ordered the Skytree special to share:



I just went the regular option.



おいしいね。

 

[MattA]

After lunch we hopped on the train a couple of stops to Asakusa to see Kaminarimon Gate and Sensō-ji. Pretty busy as you can see from the photos.

 

[MattA]

Totally forgot to bring my pig out for a walk though. Silly me.

 

[trendwhore]

lol the Skytree shaped chicken is great, will add it to my list