Originally Posted by
KARFA
I have to say having done the slightly later timed NRT flight a few times in CW I do not try and stay awake. I think the flight is certainly long enough to enjoy a leisurely meal after takeoff, watch a film, and then bed down for a good 6 hours or more of sleep.
I think if you try and stay awake you will find yourself fading very quickly on the first day in Japan and struggling to establish a synced sleep pattern there.
The other issue as you note is simply feeling tired enough to sleep at that time of the day. Again, my strategy has been to either not sleep or have the bare minimum of 1-3 hours sleep the night before so by the time I am a few hours in to the flight I am very much ready to sleep.
Originally Posted by
shefgab
I think this is the best advice if you have to go on a flight to the Far East leaving Europe at lunchtime. Be exhausted when you board so you'll sleep onboard, otherwise you'll land at 7am, and be ready to get into bed - perfect for some awful jetleg over the next few days.
Originally Posted by
dpark74
The flight is long enough to enjoy yourself a bit first. Like others, I minimise sleep the night before, and with a few drinks and a little pharmaceutical assistance you can force some sleep.
+1. Try to sleep as little as possible the night before, and sleep most of the way to Tokyo. I know it's tempting to stay awake for the F flight, but just know you will pay for it with 4-5 days of really bad jet lag.
That said. Whenever I go to Japan now without jet lag, I kind of miss the sensation of being awake at 3a.m. and wandering around Ginza or Shinjuku taking in the neon lights and strange sensations. The whole Lost in Translation thing doesn't really work if you're on standard sleeping routines.