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JAL First Class Lounge Tokyo Nartia

With now a full two hours in Narita, I was looking forward to a quick shower and massage in the JAL First Class lounge. There was no wait to clear the transit security checkpoint, and I was quickly in the JAL lounge complex. I immediately entered the spa area to request a massage appointment. Unfortunately, there was no availability until after my flight’s boarding time, but the lounge agent made a quick call and managed to get me booked in the Sakura (business class) lounge – which I didn’t even realize offered massages.

After a quick shower I settled into the main downstairs first class lounge area, which was still relatively empty despite the busy late afternoon bank of flights nearing departure.



I grabbed some made-to-order sushi (there were several fish options to choose from, but I just went with a couple pieces of tuna nigiri) and enjoyed the views outside.





I finished my visit with a glass of sake overlooking the sushi bar, before heading downstairs to the Sakura lounge.



This was actually my first time visiting the Sakura lounge. It’s significantly brighter and lighter than the First Class lounge, and the massage rooms actually seem larger than the ones upstairs. Following a quick 10 minute back massage, I was on my way out of the lounge and to the nearby boarding gate. I passed a couple of AA flight crews on the walk, and they looked uniformly exhausted, disheveled, and miserable – and this was at the beginning of their work day!

Japan Airlines 759
Tokyo Narita – Ho Chi Minh City
B787-8
April 26, 2015
6:00P-9:50P (sked)
6:00P-10:03P (actual)
Flight Time: 5hr29min
Business Class
Seat 1K



Boarding was already underway once I arrived at the gate. This would actually be my first time on a JAL 787 – so I was especially excited about this flight even though it featured the JAL Shell Flat NEO seat which is an angled lie-flat design that’s been around for about seven years now. The seat is actually more than sufficient for a regional flight such as this one, but is quickly becoming outdated on some of the longer routes it’s typically found on (including BOS-NRT, SAN-NRT, and LAX-KIX). Today’s flight was only half full in business class, and the entire first row remained empty. Despite SeatGuru’s warning of restricted legroom in row 1, there was plenty of extra space.



We pushed back right on time, just as the sun was setting, and began a lengthy taxi all the way around Narita’s tarmac to Runway 16R. By the time we passed Terminal 1, I could see at least 10 planes ahead of us in line waiting to takeoff. ATC operations were relatively efficient and we were airborne about 30 minutes after pushback.



The sun rose briefly from beneath the horizon on our initial climb out, only to set again about 10 minutes later. Our route of flight took us southeast until reaching the coast, and then we made a right turn direct for Fujisan! The right side of the aircraft was treated to some great twilight views of downtown Tokyo and then Mt. Fuji a couple of minutes later. The below photos do not even come close to showing how unreal the view really was.





Inflight service began quickly, very soon after we passed Mt. Fuji. I started with a glass of Champagne (non-vintage Delamotte Brut) and a bag of snack mix (which promised “tastiness, happiness, and peacefulness”).





Today’s menu featured a set Japanese meal featuring specialties from Kyushu, or a choice of two western main dishes. There was also a snack menu (not included below) featuring a cheese plate or noodles (choice of ramen, udon, or soba).







I opted for the western menu, which featured a Wagyu sirloin. The appetizer (marinated seafood selection) was served with the soup and Maison Kayser bread.





The Wagyu steak was very tender, albeit slightly overcooked.



I finished with both a selection of cheese and the berry and coconut dessert.





By the time I finished dinner we were hugging the northeast coast of Taiwan, and were already halfway to Vietnam. I reclined my seat and slept the rest of the flight, until we commenced our descent.



One final photo showing the ample amount of legroom in row 1. The curtains were drawn for the flight, so galley noise and light was not really an issue.



We touched down about 10 minutes behind schedule and quickly pulled into the gate. Service was very good throughout the flight, although not particularly memorable – which is probably more a reflection of me being absolutely exhausted following more than 9,400 miles of travel.