gates_2

This will be my 9th trip to Japan. Some of you may remember my very first TR when I was still a medical student, and now I'm 5 months away from finishing residency. Life has happened in the interim, getting married, finding my first "real job" as a hospitalist, and a few trips back to my favorite place. Its been almost a year since I've had any time off, so this will be a much needed break. The trip is partially business-oriented as we are starting a tea company and thus have some meetings arranged for sourcing purposes. We were blessed to enjoy RT JAL F last year to an amazing experience, and are looking forward to it again. Looking forward to exploring some new Hyatt properties as well as some that haven't been reviewed much here lately such as the Hyatt Regency Hakone.


I had originally booked the award tickets in July, when only JL J was available. Having recently burned all our miles on a RT JAL F trip last May to Tokyo, we were forced to book a UA "Y+" flight back routing through DEN on a 787. This week, after reading about the "bassinet roulette", I summarily freaked out and transferred over ~60K UR points so we could snag a recently-opened ANA J flight. The value of the ANA J at 75k/person is debatable but the thought of going from JAL F to Y with a crying baby made the decision quite easy. 2 weeks ago the unthinkable happened: 2 JAL F seats opened up on the very day we planned to go. So instead of flying via ORD, I re-routed us through NYC with a 22 hour stopover. Given the huge AA deval coming up, this trip that was just 62.k AA will soon cost 80K.

Mileage cost:
125K AA
150K UA
+fees and the KIX-OKA flight

Routing:
1. DFW-LGA AA F
2. JFK-NRT JL F
3. KIX-OKA Peach airlines Y
4. OKA-NRT JL Y
5. NRT-ORD NH J
6. ORD-DFW UA F

Hotels:
1. The Knickerbocker, NYC
2. Andaz Tokyo
3. HR Hakone
4. A ryokan in Uji, Kyoto
5. Hotel Granvia, Kyoto
6. HR Okinawa
7. Ritz Carlton Okinawa

We will also be visiting some 2 Michelin-starred Kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto. This TR will be food heavy!

Stay Tuned!

TOMFORD

Hope there will be a lot of pictures!

UAL250

Hoping for lots of photos as Tokyo is my favorite city in the world. Interested in seeing Kyoto and the HR Hakone as well!

saltytheseagull

Any updates? I wanted to see the OKA portion.

gates_2

Hey! Just got back to the states-we had an amazing time! Many pictures ahead but jet lag is really bad so give me a few days.

avneeshj

Looking forward to this and all the food pictures!

gates_2

I'll preface this TR by saying some of the photos are good, and some are camera snaps. I feel too much like a schmuck whipping out the DSLR too often in public places.

After an early morning wakeup, we took an uber to DFW, terminal D, and burned a couple extra admirals club passes. Many of you know that this club has been awarded the “flagship dining” space. They took out the old smoking section and put in cheap-looking tables/chairs, and what appeared to be a medicore selection of foods. Empty when we first arrived but surprisingly full after opening at 9 AM. The other food options are pretty pathetic, so we settled on a bagel and coffee before the flight.

AA 1080 F
DFW-LGA
9:45-13:56

Overall this flight was quite comfortable. Having poor experiences with American’s customer service I was pleasantly surprised to find polite, and dare-I-say cheerful FA’s. My French toast strada wasn’t very tasty, and the fruit/baby food mush was nasty.

My wife was much more successful with her omlette. I guess adding cheese to anything is a winning solution.


We had a mimosa because everyone knows Dallasites love their brunch.


Bags of course came out in no priority order so after a long wait we made it over to a yellow-cab into the city.

Hotel Review: The Knickerbocker

I had originally booked the Andaz 5th avenue, but after playing around on Classic Travel’s website, discovered this hotel. For only ~$220/nt after tax we received a 2-class room upgrade, $100 F/B credit, and daily breakfast for two. We got lucky traveling in the off season as most of the properties are quite below the average NYC rates, with the exception of the Park Hyatt still booking out at >$700/night. The location is directly in Times Square, I’ll leave it up to you to decide if this is a good thing or not.


The room was average size for NYC, and had a rather bland feel about it. Perfect for a one-nights stay but I’d get bored being there for much longer.


The bathroom was upscale and had a faux-rainfall shower effect which was quite nice.


Similar to the Andaz property, the minibar was free with the exception of alcohol, a nice touch.

The view from the room was pretty uninspiring, but hard to expect much more in NYC...

We hit up Joe's Shanghai for some tasty xiao-long-bao, or soup dumplings. Not quite din-tai-fung but pretty close!


That evening we dined at the hotel’s restaurant, Charlie Palmer at the Knick. The original martini was rumored to be invented at this very property, so naturally I had to try it. I had the halibut special and my wife had the braised short-ribs. Overall delicious food, leaving us pleasantly surprised. The space was quite empty with only 2 other dining groups, on a Saturday night.


Later on we hit up the rooftop bar. It had a more youthful and club atmosphere, as evidenced by the bottle service menu and $18 martinis. This also remained dead for the hour we were there. The outdoors terrace has a good view of the NYE ball, so I’m sure this place makes a killing during that season.

The breakfast buffet the next morning was tasteful, upscale, and delicious.(sorry forgot to take pics)

Overall, the level of service at the hotel was phenomenal, with very professional demeanor across the board from the front desk staff to the restaurant servers. If you can get a great virtuoso deal I’d recommend it, however if it was high season and without these perks I’d probably be back at a Hyatt property.

Up Next: To NRT on JAL F!

gates_2

After breakfast we attempted (unsuccessfully) to be a bit frugal and take the E train to JFK. Of course the E wasn’t running on a Sunday, so we found the nearest yellow-cab and sped off to the airport. Upon arrival to Terminal 1 we checked into the F section which was efficient and pleasant. The clerk was somewhat concerned that we didn’t have a round-trip ticket and made us pull up our return itinerary on UA prior to issuing our boarding passes. From there it was a short walk past the duty free to the Air France lounge which JAL uses on its outbounds. Apparently they closed down their own Sakura lounge a few years back.


Greeted promptly, we were directed to the escalator to head upstairs to the F lounge section. As far as I could tell there were hardly any differences between the two. You may remember my reviews of the BA F lounge over at Terminal 7 which was dated but had a secluded feel. Thankfully the AF lounge was quiet and relaxed, though quite open to the very bright sunny windows, which may be a plus for some.

The food selections were very limited...


Overall a very poor showing for a F lounge. With the exception of the champagne I actually prefer some admirals' clubs. with varied seating/relaxation areas, and adequate restroom facilities.

Thankfully, we soon headed to the gate. we were about 8 deep in the F line to board- many elites sitting in J ahead of us.


We had a delay at JFK for takeoff. Several passengers were offered PJ's to change into prior to departing. We weren't so I had to ask for mine about 60 minutes after takeoff.

In the meantime my IFE was frozen so I sat staring at this for the first 45 minutes until it started working again.


Food menus:


My wife and I both opted for the western menu(ex-America). My wife had the Japanese meal both ways when we traveled last May in F RT. After eating Kaiseki on the ground in Japan on previous trips we both felt the western option was the better choice. Showtime!

Salon 2004 Vintage. PROTIP: ask for it in a white wine glass. You'll get a better sense of the nose and a more generous pour if you are battling the other F pax for this fantastic wine! Overall I preferred the 2002 vintage we had last May. This wine may be a bit young. Fortunately after the requisite first glass the other F Pax didn't drink any more of it so I was able to enjoy the remaining bottle over the course of the meal.


At this point I was getting tired so I reclined and used the Firm Tempurpedic mattress pad to doze off for ~4 hours. This made for a very comfortable seat. The cabin is kept uncomfortably warm as usual which made sleeping difficult, likely prompting my premature awakening. I bolused at least 2.5L of H2O during this time in the form of the nice Japanese-branded water bottles, several of which were kept in the little galley display. Of note no macaroons nor Jean Paul Hevin chocolates were offered on this flight in contrast to both our previous JAL F experiences. After a few hours I began to get hungry and checked out the menu. I asked to have any one of the western mains that might be left over, but the crew told me they were all out. Fortunately they still had caviar!


I failed to take pics of the amenity kit however it is the standard Loewe. The men get a nice Shisedo accompaniment including face wash and two types of face lotion. The women get a Cle De Peau Beaute facial kit. We later saw this same in the Narita duty free for ~$200!

Overall the flight was a great success. The quality of the catering was superb. The service was polite, professional, but also personable, something we had missed on previous JAL F experiences. This was by far my favorite F experience out of the 6 total I've been on. A cooler cabin would be my only criticism however I should have asked for it to be turned down.

Deplaning at Narita took place though a dedicated door and we picked up our F-tagged bags straightaway past immigration.

Next Up: Tokyo, Andaz, and local train nightmare!

TOMFORD

Post more post more!!

chongl

What are you shooting with? Enjoying the report so far!

gates_2

Thanks!

EOS-M3 with a 50mm prime for most of the dark scenes. Then the good-ol 40D with a sigma 18-250 OS, tokina 11-16 f2.8 for some others.

gates_2

After arriving at Narita we rushed to the Narita express to catch our train to Tokyo station. About halfway through the trip the train stopped at a random station, and an announcement was made (in Japanese only) that the track ahead was out of service due to water on it, and we were to change to a local train on a different platform. Mind you I speak OK-ish Japanese but my wife was able to catch the announcement and translate. Not a single word of English was spoken the whole time, and the transfer was pretty confusing. I took the liberty of telling each (obvious) foreigner I saw the details, to their relief! Seems like the one train the country to have some sort of English would be the NRX. Another side effect of the local train is we had to stand up in packed rush-hour status with all our luggage for about ~40 minutes to Akihabara station before transferring to the Yamanote to Shimbashi. From there it was a short cab ride to the Andaz!

Hotel Review: Andaz Tokyo

I’ll admit after the train ride from hell we were so beat that I didn’t have the energy to whip out the DSLR, so crappy cell-phone pictures will have to suffice at times here. Our taxi trailed behind a Lamborghini entering the hotel drive, and we knew we were in for a treat!


Similar to the Park Hyatt Tokyo, we were escorted up an elevator to the 51st floor lobby. Check in was completed while seating at their lounge area and we were soon at our room. They did offer generously to upgrade us to a “Tokyo tower view” room for an additional 5000 yen/night. We politely declined.


Lucky for us the room had a fantastic view anyways. The Mori Hills Tower was the tallest building in the area providing excellent views.


The room itself was incredibly impressive, and having stayed at all 4 hyatt properties in the city, by far the nicest for a “base” room.


Perhaps the nicest part of the hotel was the AO Spa + Club access. Full lap pool, jaccuzi's, plunge pools, sauna, and the famous Japanese massage chairs. Stocked with barley tea and ample amenities, we enjoyed the morning post-arrival relaxing by the pool. Much nicer than the Park Hyatt's facilities in my opinion.

Overall the hotel was an incredible experience, and at only 12,500 points + $150/night, a fantastic value! Service was polished, and prompt. We're looking forward to a longer stay next time.

We woke at 3AM, horribly jet lagged(first class didn’t help) so we decided to head to Tsukiji market for some morning sushi. They are relocating the market in a few months away from the current touristy area so it will be a bit harder to catch both the real-action and the shops, I think. We had read about sushi-dai , proclaiming we would never stand out in the cold for hours! Well, by the time we arrived by taxi(4:45 AM) there was already a line wrapping around the block, so we knew that was a 2 hour wait at least! We settled on lining up at Daiwa sushi, the sister restaurant next door, and only waited till opening at 5:30 to get in with the first wave.

Sushi Daiwa

I think for most coming from abroad the abruptness and speed in which the food is served may be shocking, but the quality was worth it. At 7500 yen/2 people a great value. I highly recommend an early morning visit for anyone staying at the Andaz, given how close it is to the market in comparison to the other properties in Shinjuku.

Walking back to the hotel we were greeted by the familiar sight in Tokyo..Salarymen!


Up next: Brief Tokyo Sights and onward to the Hyatt Regency Hakone

FlyerBeek

gates_2 - fabulous trip report so far! Thanks for taking the time to write/post and please keep the installments coming. ^ We have an upcoming 23hr45m layover in Tokyo (arriving JL F into NRT, departing CX F from HND) and are also hoping to grab some early morning Tsukiji sushi.

-FlyerBeek

gates_2

After enjoying the spa at the Andaz, we set off to explore Ueno park, home of the Tokyo National Museum as well as the Zoo. We didn't have much time before our train to Odawara, so we simply walked around and enjoyed the view. I was stopped by a group of middle schoolers who interviewed me in English for a class assignment. Apparently its the hot spot since the same thing happened to me nearly 5 years ago!


After checking out of the Andaz, we took an Uber to Tokyo station and caught the Shinkansen to Odawara. There we met an old friend/hopefully future business associate to discuss our upcoming tea business.

We then took the Hakone Tozan Railway From Odwara to Gora station, located a 5 minute ride to the Hyatt.


Hyatt has a daily roundtrip shuttle from Odawara(takes 45 mins), however I highly recommend going on this old mountain railway. You can witness the multiple switchbacks as the train climbs the mountain.

Hyatt Regency Hakone

Arriving at the Hyatt, I must say it doesn't look like much from the exterior, however they are renovating currently. Once walking inside we saw the grand foyer and were promptly checked-in. Service was reserved and somewhat confused in terms of English. This definitely felt more of a domestic hotel rather than an international brand.

The room itself was fantastic and the highlight of our stay. Very large, open spaces, a fabulous view, and an upscale bathroom. Not your typical Hyatt Regency!


After checking in we headed downstairs to the free cocktail hour from 4-7pm daily. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that they served real french champagne during this time, and polished of a few glasses while sitting around the open fireplace. Mostly foreign crowd in the hotel at that time, but later on several groups of young Japanese emerged, having come from the baths.


For dinner, we had reserved the french restaruant, however their 10,000 yen/pp prix fix meal didn't seem like a winner, so we opted for some room service instead. Note that this property is pretty secluded and there are no places nearby in walking distance to eat.


We were excited to experience the onsen, however it was the biggest letdown of the trip. Both men and woman's had a single large bath. There was no sauna, no rotemburo, no variety, a poor view, and the foyer to enter the bath had hardly any amenities such as hair gel, etc, that one is used to at an onsen. The water quality was so-so, and lukewarm. I left after 5 minutes feeling quite disappointed. Perhaps this would be a good experience for a foreign guest who has never experienced onsen before, but overall I've had multiple experiences in Hakone that were far superior.


We woke up feeling fairly bummed, and ended up leaving the property early at 8AM to head towards kyoto. They don't start running a shuttle till 11AM so we took a cab back to the railway station.

Overall the property had its pluses and minuses, but at the booking rate of nearly $400/night I think there are other options in Hakone that would offer a better onsen experience. The service was disappointing compared to our other stays in Japan, and while the room was fantastic, the lack of an engaging bath experience left little to do but sit and reflect. We won't be returning. My wife remarked that she would have rather remained at the Andaz for the night-and I agreed.

Next up: Uji, Tea, and Ryokan life!

MattEvan

Jean Paul Hevin sweets are only served ex-JPN.