The Photos
As much as I love Tokyo I hate flying in and out of there. Narita is soooo far away from the city and if you have a flight that is before noon you need to get up at the crack of dawn in order to get there in time. I suppose that is why there are so few domestic flights out of NRT as getting to the airport would take longer than the flight.
So it was that I arose at 6:00 in order to have breakfast before catching the 07:30 bus to the airport. Another tediously long ride and we finally made it to the airport after stopping to have our passports viewed at the seemingly pointless security check point.
The bus pulled up to terminal 2 first and I offloaded myself and grabbed my suitcase. Inside I found the First class check-in section and had to queue for a minute before I was able to be checked in. The agent needed to faff about a bit and I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. This was the only JL sector on my itinerary and was only added a couple of weeks ago. As mentioned in a previous remit this also coincided with the ticket being reissued as an e-ticket.
In the end though she managed to print off a BP and the baggage tag and send me on my way. Thank you Mr Spake for getting it right. ^
I then headed off to the security check where I was able to use a fast track line which is off to the left of the main security entrance. I was done in a jiffy and went through into the immigrations hall where I was in queue for all of 2 minutes.
On entry to airside the JAL lounge complex was straight in front of me. I went in and approached the desk where an agent saw my First BP and escorted me to an elevator informing that the First lounge was upstairs. On exiting the elevator I was welcomed in and went into the lounge.
The lounge is reasonably small and was quite crowded when I first arrived. There was a food and drinks section with various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, salad, soups, miso, sushi and other snacks. There was an impressive array of scotch of both domestic origin and from Scotland. The champagne on ice was Moet Brut.
I had a small bowl of soup and a Perrier water as I wasn’t that hungry after the big Westin breakfast experience.
Somehow I think I will need a combined detox and weight loss clinic when I get back home. I feel I should avoid laying by a beach for fear someone might to try and roll me into the water.
I left the lounge before the flight was called so that I could wander a bit around the duty free stores before heading to the gate. My gate was a short train ride away and I was wandering around there at around 10:35. Boarding started at 10:40 and first, business and elites were invited to board through as separate line.
Flight JL719 NRT-SIN Seat 2K
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 11:05
On board I was greeted by the leading stewardess and was pleased to see the next to new First seats on the plane. It seems this route is notorious for the flight being subbed with an old 2-2 config first seat. I lucked out (sorry
Fraser) and got the solo seats that are quite modernistic and all curvy, with pale green and cream leather in abundance.
My jacket was taken and I was offered newspapers and magazines. I was asked if I wanted some sleepwear to change into which I accepted. Pillows, blankets and Bose headsets were also handed out to the 6 lucky people up the front.
There was no beverage service on the ground and I sat there waiting to push back without a glass of champagne in my hand for the first time this trip. I did survive this ordeal though and managed not to experience any shock symptoms as we pushed back at 11:10.
After the tug let us loose the tug driver and another two ground staff all stood in a row and bowed as the plane moved off. They then stood waving until we had moved away.
We taxied forever and finally hit the sky at 11:30 travelling up through some bumps before we smoothed out and the seat belt sign was extinguished. After that event a crew member came around with glasses of VC La Grande Dame for each passenger. A wine list was then handed out and an order for drinks was taken a little later.
Wine List:
Champagne:
Bollinger La Grande Annee 1999
Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame 1993
White Wines:
Demessey Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2000
Martin Ray Ageline Chardonnay 2006 Russian River
Von Schubert’schen 2003 Maximim Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese
Rubaiyat Koshu Barrel Aged 2006
Red Wines:
Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte 2004 Pessac Leognan
Vosne Romanee 2004 Domaine Daniel rion & Fils
Artesa Merlot 2004 Sonoma Valley
Haras de Pirque: Albis 2003 Maipo Valley
Sake:
Jyuyondai
You
Shochu:
Mori Izo
Kanehachi
I asked for a glass of the Bolly and a small plate of appetisers was placed at my seat. Unbeknown to him it seems Mr 1K and I were in some sort of contest as to who could down the most Bolly. He took off early and led the charge with my being unable to cope with the pace he has set.
The menu was handed out next.
My glass of Bolly was never empty for longer than a few seconds and the crew came around with a basket of nibbles including, rice crackers and nuts. I dipped into this basket a couple of times over the next wee while all the time supping down Bolly.
The leading stewardess came by and asked me what I would like to eat.
The menu:
Chef’s Recommendation:
Amuse Bouche
King Crabmeat Charlotte with Avocado & Cauliflower Mousse
Consomme with “Matsutake” Mushroom
Seared Fillet of “Wagyu” Beef Steak on Shallot Compote with Red Wine Sauce
Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Mushroom & Black Olive Matignon
Steamed Stuffed Sea-bass with Mushroom Duxelles, Noilly Cream Sauce
Fresh Salad
Assorted Cheeses
Fruits in Season
Tricolour Dry Fruits & Liqueur Gateau “Basque”
Raspberry Mousse with Pistachio & Chocolate Fondant
Praline & Walnut Cream Cake
Coffee
Espresso
Cappuccino
Tea
Herbal Tea
Chocolate
Autumn Taste of Japan:
Sakizuke
Steamed Crabmeat with Yam Sauce & Egg Yolk Vinegar Sauce
Zensai
Mixed Sweet Japanese Persimmon & Radish with SesameVinegar Dressing in Citrus Cup
Rolled Pike Conger & “Matsutake”
Deep-simmered “Ayu-fish” in Japanese Pepper Soy Sauce
Marinated Trout “Oshi Sushi”
Mini Skewered Shrimp & Herring Roe
Simmered Sweet Potato
Fried Wheat Gluten Bread
Wan
Japanese Clear Soup with Prawn Mousse
Mukouzuke
Rolled Sea-bream with Sea Urchin & Seared Squid Roll “Sashimi” Style
Susumezakana
Braised Conger Eel with “Yuba” Crepe in Soy Starch Sauce
Kobachi
Poached Scallop with Apple Vinegar Sauce
Dainomono
Grilled Fillet of Sablefish Miso Flavour & Steamed Sea-bream Roll with Egg Yolk
Mousse
Steamed Rice with Chestnut or Steamed Rice
We are pleased to offer freshly steamed Koshihikari rice
Fruits in Season
Japanese Sweet
Green Tea
Refreshments:
Steamed Rice and Vegetables with Japanese Tea “Ochazuke”
Eel Teriyaki on Steamed Rice
Japanese “Udon” Noodles in Soup with Fried Bean Curd
Chinese “Ramen” Noodles in Soup with “Kagoshima” Pork Fillet
(Soy Sauce Flavour Soup or “Tonkotsu” Soup)
Vegetable Curry Japanese Style
Assorted Sandwiches
I am afraid I committed a mortal sin again and decided against the Japanese meal and instead chose the “Wagyu” beef.
My table was set and bread was offered from a basket. My Bolly glass was refilled again. The amuse bouche was delivered in a little espresso cup and was some sort of vegetable concoction that had some lovely aubergine in it.
More bread was offered along with the crabmeat starter and again this was quite nice.
The consommé was next on the menu and was deliciously light. Then came the part I was waiting for the most. The “Wagyu” beef fillet which was cooked medium rare and was a melt in the mouth taste explosion.
The leading stewardess came by with a trolley with fruits, cheeses and the desserts. I chose the walnut cake. All through the meal I was drinking the Bolly.
Well it seems the old tortoise and the hare routine won out again as my Bolly drinking competition, after taking an early lead was at this point overtaken. He passed out in his seat leaving me still sipping the delightful brew. Ha, Ha the winner and Bolly champeen of flight 719 Mr Moomba.
After the meal amenity kits with Shiseido products were handed out. A bottle of water was delivered and some chocolates were passed around. After my chocolate and a few more sips of Bolly it was time for me to snooze.
I nodded off for quite a while and woke up about 1.5 hours out of SIN. I played with the IFE but there was not much on offer as this was MAGIC 1 which is the most limited of the JAL IFE permutations. I listened to some music for a while and decided to have a snack before landing.
Around an hour out I ordered the Udon noodles which were delivered around 10 minutes later. They were quite nice and went down well with the Demessey white wine.
I changed out of my sleeper suit and back into my civvies when there was around 40 minutes to go. We landed at 17:15 and made a long taxi to the gate. I got myself together and exited thanking the crew on the way out. A long walk up to immigrations where there were several officials waiting in the empty hall. I was processed by a funny chap who made a quip about my name. He then stamped his stamp three times in quick succession on the forms and my passport. I said “you’ve done this before”. He smiled and said “many, many times”.
I went down to the baggage hall and waited a few minutes before the bags started to roll. My bag was out soon after and I was on my way. A taxi ride to the St Regis and I was checked into yet another executive suite.
In the end I was glad I my hand was forced and I added this JAL sector into my AONE. It was a pleasant change and it is always nice to try something new. This was my first JAL experience and I was impressed.
I still prefer CX crew who I always seem to be able to have more fun with. The JAL crew were very business like and efficient but certainly did the job making sure my bubbly glass was full.
The Photos