Day 1 Pictures
Due to bad timing issues I needed to arise very early for my trip even though the flight wasn’t until 13:45. I had to drop my house keys with a friend before he went to work as I had friends from overseas arriving in London two nights before I was due to return from this trip. The unfortunate upshot for me was a 06:00 start and lugging my bags around London rather then heading straight out to the airport.
In the end I was able to have a cup of tea and with my friend and chill for a while before having to catch the tube and HEX to London Heathrow terminal 1.
The HEX was running on time which was novel for me and I was checking in at a very empty Zone R at T1 by 09:30. I was through security very quickly and making my way to the BA First Class lounge. Given my very early arrival I stopped into the Molton Brown spa and for the first time ever managed to score a massage before the flight. I deposited my carry on with the bag check in the lounge and went straight to the champagne bar. I grabbed a glass of Tatinger and collected a bacon baguette as is mandatory for any BA board member.
After perusing FT for while at the computers in the lounge and polishing off my first glass of bubbly I remembered that I had forgotten to collect my Yen from Travellex landside at T1. I spoke to the lounge dragon who informed me that there was a Travellex office in the Business Class lounge. I walked into the lounge and quickly came to revelation that I had never been in that lounge before. Golly gosh this lounge is huge! Anyway I was able to collect my cash and headed back to the F lounge to read the paper and start on a second glass of bubbles.
I had organised previously to meet another FTer in the lounge and I noticed her just after I sat down. I wandered to where she and her companion were sitting and chatted for a while until my massage appointment time arrived.
I headed off to the MB spa and a dose of indulgence and total relaxation for half an hour.
Right I had better get a wriggle on here or you will give up me before I even take the first flight.
My travelling companion arrived a little after my massage and attempted to get one but instead came back with a MB gift pack but no massage.
Our flight was showing ‘go to gate’ over an hour before the flight was due to take off and the gate was 30. We quickly deduced that this would be one of the secondary security gates at T1. What Joy. We waited until the flight was called and said our goodbyes to our lounge companions and headed off to the gate. Very surprisingly there was no queue at all at the security check point and we were quickly at the gate and joined the shortest queue which we assumed was the fast track line. BA had no signage indicating this but a glance at some BP’s in hands confirmed our assumption. Yet again the person in front of me was upgraded to F. That is the third time this has happened in the last 6 months.
Flight BA5 LHR-NRT Seat 1A
Departure time: 13:45
Date: March 29, 2007
Aircraft: 747-400 G-BNLN
We were on board quickly and discovered that it was the NGCW seat and when entering the F cabin realised that they had refurbished the F suites including new carpet, recovering the seats along with the fitting out of the IE to the AVOD system.
My jacket was taken; Champagne and macadamia nuts were placed at my seat and the amenity kits and pyjamas were handed out. There were no slippers though which are supposed to be part of the new F kit.
I finished my glass of Champagne and the glass and nut dish were whisked away by one of the crew.
The CSD made his usual announcements including one to people who were not seated together requesting they chat with their neighbours to see if they could sort something out amongst themselves. The flight was completely full and 6 people were bumped into F making it a full complement.
We pushed back at 13:56 a respectable (by BA’s standards) 11 minutes late.
After the seatbelt signs were switched off the CSD came around with the menus and introduced himself.
I went to change into my PJs and on my return one of the FAs was taking the dinner orders.
DINNER
STARTERS
Crab and prawn salad with shiso wasabi dressing
Warm Feta cheese and Mediterranean tart with a red pepper coulis
Akadashi miso soup with granishes
Or
Cream of wild mushroom soup with truffle gnocchi
Fresh salad leaves with your choice of salsa verde or yoghurt dressing with cucumber and mint
MAIN
Sansho pepper fillet of beef with Japanese rice
Michel Roux’s Dover sole with mandarin sauce
Chicken tikka masala with saffron rice
Salad of artichokes and Parmesan cheese served with lemon dressing
DESSERT
Pistachio and almond sata-andagi, fruit brochette and green tea ice cream
Orange brioche bread and butter pudding with custard sauce
CHEESE PLATE
French Brie
Iberico
Cropwell Organic Stilton
A basket of fresh fruit or Japanese fruit plate
SNACKS
Warm olive oil bread filled with shaved beef and red onion marmalade
Penne pasta with your choice of pesto or roast tomato sauce served with garlic herb croute
Duchy of Cornwall biscuits
A selection of cheese and fruit
A basket containing a selection of sweet and savoury treats is available between meals
WINE LIST
CHAMPAGNE
Champagne Perrier Joulet Belle Epoque 1999
WHITE WINE
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote Bouguerots, 2004, Domaine William Fevre
Sancerre La Chapelle des Augustins 2005, Henri Bourgeois
Vasse Felix Adams Road Chardonnay 2004
RED WINE
Chateau Leoville-Poyferre 1995, Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Julien
Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir 2005, Santa Lucia Highlands
Yalumba The Signature Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2001
DESSERT WINE
Bonnezeaux 2003, Chateau de Fesles, Loire Valley
Warre’s 1998 Colheita Port
After finishing with my travelling companion’s order mine was taken.
I sat back and played with the new AVOD IFE system for a while to see what was on offer. I was very disappointed in the offerings they had. There were only a couple of movies I cared to watch and the music selections were very limited. The system itself worked very well and I especially liked the fact that it remembers where you were in a movie if you exit that section to go and look at the moving map.
The dinner service began with more champagne and a lovely tray of appetizers.
After I had finished this the table was set for dinner and my companion came to sit in the buddy seat so we could chat over the meal.
The wine I ordered was not on board (good work BA – do you ever load everything that you are supposed to on ANY flight?). I had opted for the Vasse Felix Chardonnay and the crew decided a good substitute would be the Sancerre. I tried it and decided it was far too sweet for my liking and asked for a glass of the Chablis instead. This was much more to my liking.
I started with the mushroom soup which was extremely tasty and I enjoyed immensely. This was followed up by the salad with the salsa dressing. I don’t know about you but I think salsa and I think spicy. Well this wasn’t it had no real flavour at all and was just some green sauce dribbled on my salad. Next up was the main which was by far the worst fish dish I have ever had on an aircraft. The fish was almost crispy on the outside it was so dry. It was like cardboard. The accompanying rice was an odd combination of rice, sultanas and small flowerettes of broccoli.
My dessert was the saving grace of the meal and was the brioche bread and butter pudding which I savoured with the dessert wine. Lastly coffee and pralines were served with whole box of chocolates ending up at out table for a while.
After dinner the alcohol and food started to take its toll and I was ready for a bit of kip. I made up my bed with the new under cushion that BA provide and ducked under the duvet for forty winks.
I slept fitfully for while until I decided I needed to ditch the under cushion which was foam rubber and was very hot. After this I had a better snooze until not long before breakfast was served.
BREAKFAST
STARTERS
Chilled fruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
A selection of yoghurts
A selection of cereals
Fresh seasonal fruit platter
BAKERY
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls
MAIN
Scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausages, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato and hash-brown potatoes
Mushroom and Gruyere cheese omelette
French toast stuffed with peaches and crème fraiche
The FAs came around and asked if we would like tea or coffee etc and what we would like to start the meal with. I opted for a smoothie and followed this up with some muesli. I didn’t want the full monty for the main course so decided to give the omelette a try. It was quite nice and not overly dry like some egg (and fish!) dishes can be on planes.
A coffee to wash it all down with was enjoyed and I then changed back into my civvies in preparation for landing.
The crew on the flight did their job but were nothing special. We were not addressed by name at all during the flight. The only time we saw the CSD was when he gave out the menus.
With the dodgy meal and lacklustre service I am begining to wonder why I bother with BA at all for First flights.
We had to make two approaches to land as in the middle of the first the captain was asked to come around from a different direction as a storm cell was in our way and the wind had changed direction. We then needed to fly around the storm cell and finally came into land on another runway 20 minutes late. Needless to say this was one of the bumpiest excursions on an aircraft I have ever had.
Immigrations were waiting for us, which was a blessing as last time I flew into Japan I had a 45 minute wait. Of course the downside to this is that we had to wait for the bags to arrive. About ten minutes later the bags started to issue forth from the chute and ours were amongst the first 2 dozen or so offloaded from the plane.
Our bags were given a brief search by customs officials and we made our way out to the arrivals hall at T1 NRT.
A slight re-pack was in order and then we handed over our main bags to a baggage forwarding service that was to ship our bags overnight to Kyoto. As we were planning to catch the Shinkansen train to Kyoto and knowing there is little to no baggage space we opted for the easy route. To ship the two cases it only cost 15 GBP which, to save the hassle of carting them in and around stations, was well worth it.
We purchased our tickets on the Narita Express to Tokyo and then Shinkansen (Bullet) to Kyoto and decided to chill with a coffee for a while waiting for the NEX.
Soon enough we were on board the NEX heading towards Tokyo station which was almost an hour a way.
At Tokyo station we followed the signs to Shinkansen and easily found the platform we needed. Tokyo station, although sprawling and busy is not so bad to navigate as it is well signposted in English.
I had already worded my companion up about how to use the reserve seat tickets as I found out on my previous trip to Japan. You have one ticket that is your fare ticket and another that is the reserved seating ticket. To enter the gates you need to put both tickets through one on top of the other.
We boarded our train, found our seats and settled back for the 2 hour 40 minute ride to Kyoto station.
On board the Shinkansen is clean, efficient and fast as one would expect from Japan Rail. We spent a lazy time watching Japan fly by, including Mt Fuji, although unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the train to get a good view.
It was most difficult trying to keep ones eyes open on this journey, and as it seems most other rail journeys on this trip.
On arrival at Kyoto we exited through the station exit our tour notes suggested and walked a few minutes up the street to our hotel for the next four nights.
We met our tour group at 7pm that evening and then headed out for dinner across the road at one of the many restaurants at the station.
After dinner we did a bit of local reconnaissance and had coffee and cake with some of the other tour members before heading back for some shuteye.
Day 1 Pictures