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First Trip To Japan in *A Business Class (UA, OZ, NH, JA, LH, US)

First Trip To Japan in *A Business Class (UA, OZ, NH, JA, LH, US)

Old Aug 6, 2013, 7:53 pm
  #31  
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First Trip To Japan in *A Business Class (UA, OZ, NH, JA, LH, US)

Congrats on the engagement!
I'm also BWI based.. With my wife we started with C flights now onto F... We got to try Asiana in F last year... Very nice. Good to hear you're moving up as well. We've got TG in F coming up in October.

FDW
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Old Aug 6, 2013, 8:37 pm
  #32  
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Originally Posted by efficientasianman
Love the TR so far! Can't wait to read the rest.
Thanks, efficientasianman, and great name idea for a superhero

Originally Posted by farbster
I am only confused that you didn't eat the chocolates because you weren't hungry. You have to be hungry to have a little bite of chocolate? LOL

Great TR. Keep up the good work.

Mazel tov on the engagement
Much appreciated, farbster! And I suppose when I said I wasn't hungry, what I should've said was that after that Asiana flight, I was so stuffed and over-sugared I felt like I had melon coming out of my ears.

Originally Posted by aSiAnRiCk
Nice picture and nice trip report ^
Thank you, aSiAnRiCk!

Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu
Congrats on the engagement!
I'm also BWI based.. With my wife we started with C flights now onto F... We got to try Asiana in F last year... Very nice. Good to hear you're moving up as well. We've got TG in F coming up in October.
Great to see a fellow BWI'er, FlyingDoctorwu. How was Asiana in F? After this trip, I'm very excited to keep moving up, and even convinced the fiancee to help move things along a bit quicker by getting some cards, too
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Old Aug 6, 2013, 9:18 pm
  #33  
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Westin Miyako Kyoto (And Kyoto Highlights)

While the Tokyo Hilton is a bustling business hotel, the Westin Miyako Kyoto is a peaceful oasis in an ancient city.

The hotel's location backs right up to the famous (and scenic) Philosopher's Path, and a shuttle takes you on a 20-minute ride to Kyoto Station, or a 10-minute ride to Gion, the area where most tourists gather. In fact, the walk to Gion is a very pleasant and easy one (only 25 minutes), and we made it several times in the evening, but the daytime heat made the shuttle a far more attractive option.

I had read some reviews that the hotel was split into renovated rooms and older, unrenovated ones, and guest's experiences seem to depend a lot on which room they got. As I haven't had the same success with upgrades as an SPG Gold as with HHonors, I secured our upgrade in advance with SPG points. I was more than happy to pay 2,500 points per night, especially as I got a great deal on this hotel via a BRG.

The Heavenly King bed was a pleasure to sleep in:



And our view of the Philosopher's Path was just awesome to wake up to:



The lounge didn't have nearly the same food selection as the Tokyo Hilton, and a plate of hors d'oeuvres was served to each guest as they arrived.







However, he view of all of Kyoto made up for the lack of options:



Once again, we took breakfast in the restaurant, as the options for hot items were far greater.

Kyoto is a beathtaking city, with more shrines and temples than one could see in a lifetime. I was worried I would get shrine fatigue, as I definitely tire quickly of touring churches and cathedrals in Europe.

We did a shorter (3-hour) bike tour here, and although the Tokyo tour was a blast, Kyoto is definitely more suited to biking.

We had some great, unforgettable meals here. Ten Ichi, another of mkjr's recommendations, is a tempura restaurant in the Isetan department store in Kyoto station that changed everything I knew about tempura. While I've known it to be heavy, greasy stuff that differs from traditional American deep fried food only in name and batter, Ten Ichi's tasting menu proved that when done right, it's surprisingly light and flavorful. I didn't take photos here, but trust me, it's worth the trip.

Another must-try is Guilo Guilo, a kaiseki restaurant that's more on the trendy side, but very creative with their preperations. There's no menu to order from, it's a set tasting menu each night, and you need reservations (ask your concierge). Read the TripAdvisor reviews for more info. It's among the more memorable meals I've had, and at 4,000 Yen per person (about $40), it's a mindblowingly great value. I've paid double, triple and quadruple for meals that weren't as interesting or good.

Finally, don't miss Ajun in Arashiyama. The $30/person fixed price lunch included a small hunk of wagyu beef, which I expected to be the star of this meal. And while it was very tender and flavorful, what really shined were the accompanying dishes: tofu as I've never had it before. Not the bland blocks you find in most US establishments, but fresh, creamy tofu in a flavorful dashi broth, along with Yuba (tofu skin), savory mochi, pickles and more.



On that note, definitely take the time to visit Arashiyama. Wander around, get lost, see the monkeys. It was our favorite part of the Kyoto trip.

Bamboo groves everywhere:


Feeding monkeys:


A baby monkey:


We also headed to Nara, where Nara deer roam free. You can buy some rice crackers, and they'll converge on you in packs, politely bowing in hopes that you'll feed them.

I love this photo, the deer looks like it's cracking the widest smile:


These deer were calm and noble-looking, not like the oversized rat-pest-bumper-destroyers we have in MD/PA/NJ.

After four great nights, it was time to head back to Tokyo to begin our journey home. We hopped on the Shinkansen, and when we got to Tokyo station 2 1/2 hours later, we left our bags with the baggage holding service (only 500 yen per bag) and wandered Tokyo a bit more before heading to Narita.

I was hoping to try Sarashina Horii, a 200-year old soba restaurant that I saw on No Reservations, and while I was excited to be able to find it, I found it to be under construction. So we wandered another block or two toward Roppongi and found a small udon shop, where had another great lunch. Either we've been incredibly lucky, or it's really, really easy to stumble into some great restaurants in this city.



After a while, we headed back to the station and boarded the Narita Express. 45-odd minutes later, we were at Narita station, and went off to find the Hilton shuttle…

Last edited by LM225; Aug 14, 2013 at 5:12 am
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Old Aug 6, 2013, 11:33 pm
  #34  
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Hilton Narita

Not much to report here. We spent a total of 12 hours at this hotel, and that was more than enough. Having done a bit of research, I was expecting a typical airport hotel, and that's exactly what I got.

Aging, dusty decor:



Dated fixtures:



Though for the $45 I paid when Hilton had a 48-hour Japan sale a few months ago, it was a steal, with a comfortable-enough bed, a hot breakfast and a ride to the airport.

After breakfast the next morning, we rode to Narita Terminal One for an occasion I was especially excited for -- my first ride on an A380…

Last edited by LM225; Aug 6, 2013 at 11:53 pm
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Old Aug 7, 2013, 12:19 pm
  #35  
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Originally Posted by LM225


Great to see a fellow BWI'er, FlyingDoctorwu. How was Asiana in F? After this trip, I'm very excited to keep moving up, and even convinced the fiancee to help move things along a bit quicker by getting some cards, too
We were fortunate to sample both the 747 in F and the 777 F suite....

Hard product wise, the 777 suite is hands down the best F we've experienced (not that there has been many).....

Asiana F service is quite amazing though (heck their C service surpasses most airlines F service- I'm looking at you, United)... And the food is spectacular....

FDW
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 3:39 pm
  #36  
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ANA Lounge(s), NRT Airport


We arrived at Narita about 15 minutes before the security gates opened, and by the time we collected our boarding passes, a line of 50-some passengers had formed (with no priority lanes to be found). Surprisingly, they worked through this line in only a couple of minutes, and we were shortly making our way through the terminal. After a quick stop to exchange my remaining JPY back to USD (at a surprisingly reasonable rate) and to buy some last-minute souvenirs for family back home, we walked up to the ANA lounge in the 50ish gates. This lounge was farther from our gate than the 40's lounge, but I'd read that it was superior and wanted to try both.

It really is a very nice lounge. Airy, lots of open space and windows with great views of the runway, and excellent food and drink options.









Around 30 minutes before boarding, we packed up and headed to the lounge closer to our gate, and found a much smaller, more cramped lounge with no windows.



It was only a five-ten minute walk between the two lounges using the tunnel, so if you're departing from T1, I'd highly recommend choosing the 50's lounge over the 40's one.

Boarding time came soon, and we left a minute early to get some facetime (well, through the gate window at least) with the A380...
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 6:42 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu
We were fortunate to sample both the 747 in F and the 777 F suite....

Hard product wise, the 777 suite is hands down the best F we've experienced (not that there has been many).....

Asiana F service is quite amazing though (heck their C service surpasses most airlines F service- I'm looking at you, United)... And the food is spectacular....

FDW
Great to know, thanks! Will definitely look for a ride in their 777 on my next award booking to Asia.
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Old Aug 8, 2013, 9:16 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by LM225
Great to know, thanks! Will definitely look for a ride in their 777 on my next award booking to Asia.
ASiana only flies this config on the JFK-ICN route

FDW
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Old Aug 9, 2013, 8:10 am
  #39  
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NRT-FRA Lufthansa Business

We got to the gate to find our beautiful A380, named "Berlin," waiting for us.



While boarding was a bit of a hectic cattle call, I can't imagine it being any other way with such a large plane. We found our seats, located in the rear "mini" business cabin upstairs (the business cabin is partitioned into three smaller sections), and settled in.



Lots of storage by the windows, giving the window seats a huge advantage over the middles.



The seat had a fun massage function:



Plenty of room:





Middle storage and power/USB outlets:



Amenity kit:



I'm an over-researcher. I'll read dozens of reviews before booking a flight, hotel or tour, and this trip was no exception. So I was a bit concerned getting on this flight, as Lufthansa outfitted their newest plane with their old business class product, and I could find nothing but poor reviews of the seat.

To that end, my opinion will be somewhat contrarian. I actually really liked it. Though this was a daytime flight and I didn't have to get a full night's sleep, I found the angled lie-flat seat to be perfectly comfortable for sitting and lounging, as well as for a short nap. I wouldn't hesitate to fly it again.



Our FA's were very attentive and warm throughout the flight, and the drinks kept coming, starting with some pre-departure champagne.



Soon after takeoff, meal service started. Though we partook in some absolutely delicious Japanese food throughout the past few weeks, we were a bit burnt out on it, so we both opted for the western option. Unlike our Asiana flight, food was served from carts, though with 80-some business passengers, I can't imagine any other way to do meal service without having it drag on for half of the flight.

Poached shrimp appetizer:


Eggplant cannelloni appetizer:


The beef tenderloin, while it had an unappetizing-looking green "crust", was actually quite tender:



Though we both had the tenderloin, they were inconsistently cooked. Mine was closer to medium-well:



While the fiancee's was on the medium-rare (or even rare) side:



They brought around a dessert cart with fruit plates, cheese plates and cheesecake. I had the fruit and cheese plates, both good:


After lunch, I fell asleep for an hour or so, read a bit, watched some TV (Bourdain's "Layover" episode on New York City -- we're visiting for a weekend in a couple of weeks, and wanted some good food ideas) and part of Man On Wire, after which the FA's came around with some snacks. The options included a couple of different cakes and some fruit, and I opted for a banana. No photos of the actual banana, but it looked and tasted like a regular banana.

For reference:


The flight went by very quickly. An hour or so before landing, we got another light meal…

While plating isn't their strong suit, the food was consistently above average in taste.

Blurry photo of marinated cuttlefish salad:


Pasta with cheese and tomato/mushroom sauce:


Fruit:


And before we knew it, we were on the ground in Frankfurt, where we breezed through customs and boarded a subway train for a short 15-minute ride downtown to the Westin Grand...
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Old Aug 9, 2013, 8:20 am
  #40  
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Westin Grand Frankfurt

Just as with the Westin Miyako in Kyoto, I used points to upgrade to an executive room in advance. And just as with the Westin Miyako in Kyoto, the 2,500 points per night were well worth it. As this was to be a two-night stopover, mostly to decompress a bit from our tour of Japan, we just wanted an easy, relaxing experience, and that's what we got.

The hotel seemed strangely empty, even though I overheard a front desk agent telling another guest that the hotel was sold out.



The room was up to Westin standards:







And we had dinner and drinks in the lounge the first night before passing out from exhaustion and jet lab at around 7 (fortunately, we made it back up to our room first).

The next morning, we were still on Japan time, so we were waiting outside the lounge when it opened for breakfast at 6:30 (okay, around 6:30…things weren't exactly on time, and we ended up waiting around before knocking on the door and being let in around 6:35).

Breakfast was great, and it was nice to be in a part of the world that did bread and pastries right.







After breakfast, we spend a few hours walking along the Main (pronounced like "mine") River before our walking tour with Frankfurt On Foot. For 12 Euros per person, this is among the best tours I've taken in Europe. Dave, the owner, is an American expat (along with being an Army vet and retired linguistics researcher) who has a hilarious, worldly perspective on a city many write off as a transfer point. It really made Frankfurt interesting.

Though, like our hotel, the city seemed strangely deserted for summer.



Following the tour, we'd been walking for around six hours straight, so we stopped by Atschel for some eagerly-anticipated Apfelwein and sausages.







The meal was terrific, albeit more food than we'd been served in weeks. After waddling back to the hotel, we relaxed in the lounge, skipped dinner and went to bed early again.

The next morning, after breakfast we checked out of the Westin and hopped on the subway back to Frankfurt Airport, happy, exhausted and ready for our flight back to the States…
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Old Aug 10, 2013, 7:21 am
  #41  
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LH Senator Lounge, FRA

Security in Frankfurt is nothing if not efficient, and we were through within minutes.

Having been to a Senator Lounge, I knew what to expect, and I maintain that these are among the best lounges in the world.

A satisfyingly wide variety of foods and drinks…





Plenty of room to stretch out without feeling cramped…



And a nice view of the tarmac. We were lucky to be nose-to-nose with a 747:



At T-60, we started our walk back to C4 for boarding -- though we had to clear security again, the whole process was very short, and we were soon stepping onto the A330 that would take us home -- or at least close to it.
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Old Aug 10, 2013, 7:30 am
  #42  
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FRA-PHL US Envoy

With US being my airline of choice, I spend many, many hours per year in their seats, though mostly in a narrowbody aircraft. Still, boarding a US flight felt a bit like the beginning of my homecoming, and I felt quite comfortable among the familiar colors and features of the jet.

The new Envoy seat is among the best business class seats in the sky, with the full lie-flat position being even more comfortable than the QS on Asiana we flew two weeks prior.





My only complaint is that I wish the seat controls gave you more options; it's impossible, for example, to simply slide the seat forward for a meal without leaning back.



After two weeks of flying Asian and European carriers with overheated cabins, I've never been more grateful to see an air vent above my head!



Service was excellent, and our FA wasn't shy about his pours.



Lunch service started shortly after takeoff, and I had the signature Envoy meal: the beef tenderloin with Au Gratin potatoes and creamed spinach.



Very, very good, and a nice medium rare.



I'd complain about the portion being too big, but that's my own fault, as the fiancee only finished 1/4 of her steak, and, well, I wasn't about to let that perfectly good piece of beef go to waste

For dessert, nothing says "welcome back to America" like a Ben & Jerry's ice cream sundae: unnecessarily sweet, undeniably gluttonous and very, very good.



After our last two long-hauls, this eight-hour "hop" seemed to fly by (no pun intended, really), and after a bit of reading, working and playing with AVOD, it was time for our pre-landing meal.

Tuna Nicoise Salad: salty, but satisfying.


We landed smoothly at PHL. Our final segment was scheduled to depart in three hours, but we knew that there was an earlier option to BWI at 3:21PM, in roughly 70 minutes. Cautiously hopeful, we breezed through a short customs and immigration line and sprinted to the F terminal shuttle...
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Old Aug 10, 2013, 7:45 am
  #43  
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PHL-BWI US Express (and some final thoughts)

Panting, we made it up to the departure gate for the earlier flight, only to be informed that there was a single seat available. That wasn't going to work, but we were able to get on standby; fortunately, CP status got us into spots #1 and #2 on the standby list, which was already 4 passengers long for a 50-seat plane.

We nervously watched as the entire flight boarded. Just as we were ready to resign ourselves to the trudge back to B/C and another three hours in the lounge, the GA motioned us over and handed us a couple of boarding passes. No seat assignments, but we rushed onto the plane and were fortunate to find that the last two open seats were together in an exit row.

Though we had seats in F for our original flight home, this was a single-cabin regional jet (a CRJ200, I believe) operated by Air Wisconsin. Fortunately, for a 25-minute flight, that makes absolutely zero difference; all we wanted to do at this point was get home, and we probably would've boarded a rickety glider if that's what USX was flying that day.



No pre-departure champagne, amenity kits or lie-flat seats here, but that was just fine. After a short (and uncomfortable, given a 6,000ft cruising altitude through a thunderstorm) flight, we were back on the ground, and elated to be home.

An amazing trip that we'll both remember forever. I'm very lucky that my fiancee has the patience of a saint, with only the slightest roll of the eyes when I tell her that we have another 20 minutes in this lounge before we go check out the next one closer to our gate, or when I pass her the camera to make sure she gets a good shot of her appetizer "for the TR".

It's all worth it for the chance to see some breathtakingly beautiful -- and endlessly fascinating -- parts of the world, in a comfortable, stress-free way that's only possible because of this crazy game we play. I (we) have a lot to be grateful for, and going on trips like this helps us remember that.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this report as much as I enjoyed writing it and recalling all of the fun I've had over the past few weeks. Looking forward to my next TR, after Bangkok and Sydney (in F this time) in December!
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Old Aug 13, 2013, 2:07 pm
  #44  
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Originally Posted by LM225
Hilton Narita

Not much to report here. We spent a total of 12 hours at this hotel, and that was more than enough. Having done a bit of research, I was expecting a typical airport hotel, and that's exactly what I got.

Aging, dusty decor:



Dated fixtures:



Though for the $45 I paid when Hilton had a 48-hour Japan sale a few months ago, it was a steal, with a comfortable-enough bed, a hot breakfast and a ride to the airport.

After breakfast the next morning, we rode to Narita Terminal One for an occasion I was especially excited for -- my first ride on an A380…
I stayed there this past weekend on a layover heading back to the US.

One thing I didn't see you mention - and maybe it was just my room and floor - was the old, musty smell. I had a room on the 10th floor facing NRT. I walked into the room and about fell over with how old and stale the room smelled. I asked the bellman if all rooms were that way when he dropped off my bags. He brought me some air freshener which helped some, but had me really wishing I had some Fabreze on me. I was going to complain, but I realized when I stepped into the hall that it probably wouldn't do much good as the hall had a similar smell, although not as strong.

Anyone else experience this?

I'll also add that this place looked exactly the same as when I stayed there the first time in 2005. If it weren't for getting HHonors points and a relatively cheap price, I would pass on this hotel.
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Old Aug 13, 2013, 3:45 pm
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Superguy
I stayed there this past weekend on a layover heading back to the US.

One thing I didn't see you mention - and maybe it was just my room and floor - was the old, musty smell. I had a room on the 10th floor facing NRT. I walked into the room and about fell over with how old and stale the room smelled. I asked the bellman if all rooms were that way when he dropped off my bags. He brought me some air freshener which helped some, but had me really wishing I had some Fabreze on me. I was going to complain, but I realized when I stepped into the hall that it probably wouldn't do much good as the hall had a similar smell, although not as strong.

Anyone else experience this?

I'll also add that this place looked exactly the same as when I stayed there the first time in 2005. If it weren't for getting HHonors points and a relatively cheap price, I would pass on this hotel.
Hm, I was on the 11th floor, and that wasn't something I noticed. Aside from any sort of normal musty air that comes with most older hotels, there wasn't anything notable about it. Maybe it was just your floor?

I agree that it isn't a great hotel, by far the worst of my trip. But for a low rate, HHonors points and free breakfast (for Golds), it's hard to beat for an early flight out of NRT.
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