I read above that SFO-KIX is going to the 787 but with the current set-up where SFO is the 747 base then that's a great flight for upgrades and probably award tickets in C. Last time I was on the upper deck row 15 with an empty seat next to me.

I start RTWs from KIX because then I can fly back to Tokyo and add a round-trip to somewhere else in Asia, or NZ as I did a couple of years ago.

There is also a pretty nice airline called Starflyer that flies HND-KIX. Black leather seats and a "ninja" theme.