Can those with experience on SFO-NRT/HND Polaris flights please help me with my confusion? I see that the Polaris menus on flights from US to Japan offer a Western selection and Japanese selection. But the United Web site also lists "Japanese" as a special meal option in Polaris for US-Japan flights that need to be pre-ordered.

Are there two different Japanese meal options in Polaris US-Japan, one of which is a regular choose-on-board from the menu and the other is a special meal requiring pre-order? I was on the phone with Global Services and requested the Japanese special meal for my flights next week, and I am wondering if this means I am getting something different from the Japanese option on the Polaris menu.

If there are, indeed, two different Japanese meals depending on whether you request the Japanese special meal or the Japanese option on the Polaris menu, any thoughts on which is better?