Where to next? Japan of course! (and a little bit of Europe)

[NoobFlyer]

I mean it has been almost half a year since I was last in Japan so a return is clearly well overdue...

Alas there is a greater destination here, a whirlwind 3 week trip around Western Europe getting an all too brief sample of some of the major cities with Paris, London, Munich, Venice, Florence and Rome all getting a run.
For me at least getting there will be half the fun, with flights in all four cabin classes - Y, W, J and F (yeah, me in F, my mum still doesn't believe it!!!).

As I have done in my previous TRs I don't like to spoil too much of the itinerary in the intro and I will endeavor to keep it as close to live as possible but I will share the route map I have planned to give a taste of what to expect.


My fiancee will also be joining me for the Europe section and it would be fair to say she is 8,000,000,000x more excited about the historical and cultural side of the continent than I but I'm sure I can find a nice pub somewhere while she visits the 26th castle for the day.

It shall all begin on Monday and it's fair to say it kicks off with a bang!

P.S. For those who followed along my previous trip report there is nothing as life-changing planned to occur during this trip at this stage but who knows what we might do

 

[mmchow]

What a trip. Looking forward to reading more. Nonetheless, enjoy the trip with your love one.

 

[LadyC]

Sounds very interesting! Look forward to the next installment

 

[NoobFlyer]

It will be yet another trip of firsts for this still very-new-to-this-game-flyer. The premium cabin flights were purchased with points coming from a mix of credit card earnt QFF and purchased AA miles. I'm sure I could have made them go further with a little more planning and flexibility from work but I'm happy with how it all worked out.
The list of firsts will include:
-

• My first visit to a first class lounge
• My first flight in international first class
• My first visit to Hong Kong, any part of Europe and Singapore
• My first flight on a 777-300ER
• My first flight on a 747-400
• My first flight on an E195
• My first flight on an A380

So you might be able to guess there's a tremendous amount of excitement for the next month or so

 

[NoobFlyer]

A quick early morning glimpse at the first stop.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Qantas First Class Lounge and Flight 1: Sydney to Tokyo on JL F
Seems like my plan to keep this live hasn't gone to script but it's sage to say I've been having a ball and the trip hasn't even really started yet!

As the above post hints, I was lucky enough to experience some amazing hard and soft products between the QF First Class lounge in Sydney and then JL F from Sydney to Tokyo. unfortunately my photos are spread around a few devices so I'll wait to my next flight to make an attempt at organising and posting them but I was blown away at the level of service in the lounge. I guess when you consider what this place is it would be conspired expected but for this noob flyer it was a tremendous experience.
I sampled the corn fritters and the buttermilk pancakes and the former were a particular highlight.

i recall all baordinf was delayed by half an hour or so but this little piggie was certainly not complaining and being forced to spend some extra time in this incredible place.

Unfortunately the spa wasn't opening until after we were due to depart but the shower facilities were excellent.

Once boarding was called I made the short walk downstairs and was able to board straight away with priority boarding well enforced.

Of course upon taking those first steps into the JL F cabin it's hard not to be blown away at the vast space provided for each seat. Although the seats are not enclosed the privacy afforded by the high walls is excellent without being claustrophobic in the slightest. I was soon offered a choice of champagne or OJ as a PDB, although I didn't catch if they were serving the prized Salon already or the other champagne option, still tasted just fine

Despite boarding starting about 25 min late, we still took off on schedule at around 8:50.
The amuse bouche and some Japanese savoury snacks were served just after the service commenced along with around of drinks. Apooogies though I can't recall if menus were already at the seat upon arrival or if they were handed out at some stage after but the food menu can be found here (http://www.jal.co.jp/inter/service/menu/pdf/meal/syd_nrt_f_m_201609_201611.pdf) and the beverage menu here (http://www.jal.co.jp/inter/service/menu/pdf/drink/nrt_syd_f_d_201609_201611.pdf)


Lunch was served at a leisurely pace starting at around 10:30and taking around 2 hours until the last course was cleared. I imagine this was due to me choosing the Japanese set menu and its predilection to taking your time throughout the meal. Particular highlights were the jellied abalone and sea urchin, crab meat rolled in radish and steamed flounder in the Kozara, and the sashimi style salmon and scallop of the Shiizakana.

I started with a couple of glasses of the Salon 2004 before moving to the Japanese white for the remainder of the meal. To accompany the sweets I had a coffee with milk (followed by quite a few more) which I'm sure everyone knows by now is served in these gorgeous mugs that are actually practical to drink coffee from! I can think of certain Australian based airline who's coffee cups are also lovely to look at but don't quite keep up to the pace when it comes time to actually drink a liquid from them!

Landed about 4.45 local time and after a lengthy but quite pacey taxi made to the gate at 4.55
After a decent haul along the terminal there was quite a line at immigration and I was through after about 20 minutes. Looked like by bag was one of the first from my flight on the belt but hard to tell as it was shared with another JL flight. I imagine quite a number rod flights had just landed and thus my longest time from deplaning to on the train into Tokyo at about an hour. Guess in the scheme of things it wasn't that bad

 

[RooFlyer]

A great start! First trip on a 747-400 eh? Enjoy it while it lasts

 

[NoobFlyer]

A great start! First trip on a 747-400 eh? Enjoy it while it lasts

Indeed it was! My first and possibly my last but I had a ball going up those stairs regardless.

 

[Major]

A great trip to look forward to...lots of firsts

 

[drron]

And what a first F experience doing it on JAL.Their service is fantastic and the seat/bed just great.
Keep on enjoying.

 

[LadyC]

Sounds like a great ride with JL F. Jealous!

 

[amaroo]

Looking forward to the TR. Enjoy!

 

[24601]

I'm looking forward to reading this report. Writing it "live" is hard!

 

[craven morehead]

Coming along for the ride !

 

[PLANT]

Enjoyable read..... Keep posting

 

[NoobFlyer]

Righto then, I finally have a little down time in London so time to get this thing back up to speed. I'll keep things brief for the purposes of available time for now but once I get back home I'll go back and flesh out the story with a lot more detail and pictures. The next couple of posts were already drafted so I'll just copy and paste what I had come up with at the time.

The B Ikebukuro
I wanted to try a different area of Tokyo this time round having previously stayed in Shinjuku, Ueno and Ginza with the main criteria being close to the Yamanote loop line and, being on my own, not hideously expensive. The first option would have been one of the chain hotels but I could not find a decent deal through outright cash, cash + points or points so independent it was going to be.
I settled on The B Hotel in Ikebukuro the b ikebukuro in Tokyo - Official Website - Book a City hotel 3 minutes walk from Ikebukuro station which I guess is a pretty standard nice-ish business hotel. The room I stayed in was very cosy but well appointed with plenty of power outlets (including bedside), a toto washlet toilet/bidet and a shower with more nozzles to spray water from than a fire truck. If I had been staying with my partner it probably would have been too small as there isn't really anywhere to put your luggage that isn't in the way.
Breakfast was a fairly basic affair with plenty of local options along with the standard western options of scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns. The croissants were actually quite good as well.
Unfortunately the one big problem I encountered (particularly for a business hotel) is borderline unusable wifi. As I hadn't picked up a pocket wifi unit as I usually do in Japan I was relying on the hotel wifi to plan the day's activities, and be able to work remotely if required. At times it was acceptable but during peak times such as 6-9pm it was pretty unworkable.

The room

 

[NoobFlyer]

Tokyo Activites - Sumo Wrestling
The main reason for the strange routing through Tokyo before Hong Kong was I wanted to see two attractions I hadn't been able to in my previous visits here. A sumo wrestling tournament and a Japanese baseball game. In truth I would've also loved to see a J-league (football) match but the timing would not work out so 2 out of 3 it is.
I had bought my tickets for both events a couple of months earlier from http://www.buysumotickets.com. I'm sure there are cheaper options but Jeff provides an excellent service and the convenience can't be beaten.
So first up was the Sumo Tournament. Now I'm the first to admit that while I understood how a match was 'won', that was the limit of my knowledge and I haven't the faintest clue on the intricacies of the technique and tactics of a match but it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Two items that assisted with this greatly was the Guide book available for a small fee (~100 Yen I think) at the book store located at the back left corner of the stadium as you walk in the main entrance which provides a brief history of the sport and outlines some of the key features you see in front of you. The other item was the English commentary radio available just inside the main entrance for 200 Yen + a 3000 Yen deposit that is refunded upon the radio's return. The English commentary only begins once the second tier matches begin around 15:00 and there is a short delay but hearing about the particular tactics and techniques that each wrestler can use was fascinating.
The event is drenched in ceremony and tradition and those sometimes very short bouts can be exhilarating with the tension in the arena at fever pitch.

Entrance ceremony


Amazing balance and strength


Ryogoku Stadium

 

[NoobFlyer]

Tokyo Activities - Owl Cafe
The following day began with a visit to another first for me - an owl cafe!
If you're familiar with the concept of the cat cafe then it's basically the same but with owls. If you're not familiar with the concept of a cat cafe, then drop everything you're doing and go to one!

Very cool experience getting up close to these amazing little creatures. At this particular cafe you were encourged to touch most of the birds and they clearly explained which birds didn't like to be touched. You were also given the opportunity to don a glove and have the bird perch on your hand, of course I chose the biggest owl to carry and boy was he a heavy bird!

The Owls in the cafe


Ohagi, Haku and Canon


Bobbu!

 

[NoobFlyer]

Tokyo Activites - Baseball

The last item on the itinerary for Tokyo was to catch a Baseball game. Similarly to the Sumo wrestling I had an idea on the fundamentals of the game but having not followed it in any great capacity the finer points of tactics went over my head. The atmosphere was buzzing though with the respective supporter areas singing in full voice each time their team was at bat. The little ritual performed by the Swallows' fans each time they scored a run was adorable as well.





On the first day I also visited Shinjuku Gyoen though I will wait until post-trip before uploading the hundreds of photos I took there

 

[NoobFlyer]

Flight - Tokyo to Hong Kong
CX543 747-400
Seat 83K


It is tough to say if I was more excited for the previous 9 hours in a world leading first class product of this short 4 hour hop in business class but it was a very special feeling boarding the Queen of the Skies for the first time and having the privilege of ascending the stairs on top of that. The fact Cathay will be retiring the two remaining 747-400s at the end of the month making this one of the last chances to fly this iconic bird in the CX livery was a true cherry on top.


Boarding began slightly late at about 10:15 and it was up the hallowed stairs to my seat on the right hand aside of the upper deck, 83K. A PDB was soon served and I chose the champagne.
Captain Mark added his welcome aboard and another round of beverages was offered, along with hot towels.
We pushed back at 10:35 and after a lengthy taxi, took off on RWY7 at 11:00.


The seat is the older herringbone style as opposed to the very well reviewed reverse herringbone now found on most of the CX fleet, including the 777 and A330 planes that fly to Australia. I believe this was the much maligned 'coffin' seat that gave rise to the reverse herringbone though that saga was many years before I had the chance to start flying at all let alone in premium cabins.


The seatbelt sign was turned off about 11:05 and then service began shortly after with drinks and mixed snacks along with the menu for the flight. Unfortunately we then hit some turbulence meaning service had to be suspended for about 20 minutes. So not much else to do other sit back and throw on a movie.


Meal service recommended with the starter including serrano ham and asparagus terrine, along with the bread selection from which I chose the garlic toast.
Main courses were brought around on a cart and I chose the wok fried cod.
A cheese and fruit selection was then served, followed by a selection of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
I finished with a Hong Kong style milk tea and enjoyed the rest of the movie. The meal service took a touch over an hour from when we passed through the turbulence.


We landed ahead of schedule on RWY 29R despite the late boarding and departure, at 1:45 PM local time.