Tokyo Fuji Shibazakura by MH Economy and SQ Business
May 10, 2015, 3:43 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Tokyo Fuji Shibazakura by MH Economy and SQ Business
Due to work commitments, I had postponed my earlier planned trip to Tokyo during the sakura season to early May, also to make use of the long weekend Labour Day long weekend. While during some research, I also found out that May is the season of the Shibazakura, a pink moss type of plant, and it is a must view during this period, especially the Fuji Shibazakura festival. Having experienced the sakura season before, this would be something new for us. Also, with the Japanese Yen's value having dropped considerably, visiting Japan has actually became cheaper now!
Flights to Tokyo were booked on a mix of MH and SQ, with one-way up on MH Economy (MH offering the cheapest one-way fare which is even lower than AirAsia X), with the return being on a redemption SQ Business Class ticket.
Fast forward to 30th Apr, we proceeded in the evening to Changi to check-in for the flight. I had performed online check-in earlier and both the SIN-KUL and KUL-NRT sectors seemed pretty full. In the end, both sectors were totally sold out in both Business and Economy!
Check in at the bag-drop counters 1.5hr prior to departure, which had no queues compared to the regular lines.
Boarding passes for both sectors were issued.
After doing some duty-free shopping and grabbing a bite, we headed to F52 where our plane was already being prepared for departure.
30 April 2015
Malaysia Airlines
MH 610
Singapore (SIN) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
B737-800
9M-MLO
Economy Class
Boarding was soon called and it was performed in a very orderly manner. Only caught a quick glimpse of the plane during boarding.
Welcomed at the door with newspapers available on a trolley. Passed through Business Class which was totally full into the Economy cabin. 9M-MLO is fitted with the BSI interior.
Economy seats.
Settled into our seats at 19E/F. IFE screens were showing a welcome message.
Seat pitch, at 30", is just barely better than budget airlines.
Seat pocket contents. The inflight magazine was of the April edition on this flight. Guess all will be changed overnight.
View from the window.
Boarding still in progress. Flight ended up totally full but cabin crew were quick and efficient in settling everyone down.
Inflight entertainment options were already available for use on the ground.
Doors were closed right on schedule and we pushed back. Flight time was announced as 1hr, but the actually flight only took a mere 34min from takeoff to landing.
Safety video was played.
Flights to Tokyo were booked on a mix of MH and SQ, with one-way up on MH Economy (MH offering the cheapest one-way fare which is even lower than AirAsia X), with the return being on a redemption SQ Business Class ticket.
Fast forward to 30th Apr, we proceeded in the evening to Changi to check-in for the flight. I had performed online check-in earlier and both the SIN-KUL and KUL-NRT sectors seemed pretty full. In the end, both sectors were totally sold out in both Business and Economy!
Check in at the bag-drop counters 1.5hr prior to departure, which had no queues compared to the regular lines.
Boarding passes for both sectors were issued.
After doing some duty-free shopping and grabbing a bite, we headed to F52 where our plane was already being prepared for departure.
30 April 2015
Malaysia Airlines
MH 610
Singapore (SIN) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
B737-800
9M-MLO
Economy Class
Boarding was soon called and it was performed in a very orderly manner. Only caught a quick glimpse of the plane during boarding.
Welcomed at the door with newspapers available on a trolley. Passed through Business Class which was totally full into the Economy cabin. 9M-MLO is fitted with the BSI interior.
Economy seats.
Settled into our seats at 19E/F. IFE screens were showing a welcome message.
Seat pitch, at 30", is just barely better than budget airlines.
Seat pocket contents. The inflight magazine was of the April edition on this flight. Guess all will be changed overnight.
View from the window.
Boarding still in progress. Flight ended up totally full but cabin crew were quick and efficient in settling everyone down.
Inflight entertainment options were already available for use on the ground.
Doors were closed right on schedule and we pushed back. Flight time was announced as 1hr, but the actually flight only took a mere 34min from takeoff to landing.
Safety video was played.
May 10, 2015, 6:10 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Instead of the usual Rwy02C, we taxied across the Southern Cross bridge to Rwy02L for departure.
Took off from Rwy02L for the short hop to Kuala Lumpur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TDxdVlToE
I switched to the flight map on the IFE screen as the flight is too short to watch any programmes.
Seat belt signs switched off and service started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42qN0Ih5to4
Progress of the flight.
The usual MH short-haul inflight service started with distribution of packets of salted peanuts.
Followed by a choice of mango or apple juices served from trays.
Service is very efficient and being a full flight, the crew really did their best to attend to all requests, with the most absurd being a few passengers requesting for blankets halfway through the 30min flight while the crew was conducting the refreshment service.
Very soon, we started our descent and cabin was prepared for landing.
Cabin lights were dimmed for landing and the signature blue BSI cabin lights were illuminated.
Approaching Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
And landing on Rwy32L, 15min ahead of schedule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeD8myuDWo4
Parked at the Main Terminal Building.
Thank you for flying Malaysia Airlines.
Economy seats.
Business cabin.
A typical short-haul flight on MH with efficient service and on-time arrival.
Took off from Rwy02L for the short hop to Kuala Lumpur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TDxdVlToE
I switched to the flight map on the IFE screen as the flight is too short to watch any programmes.
Seat belt signs switched off and service started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42qN0Ih5to4
Progress of the flight.
The usual MH short-haul inflight service started with distribution of packets of salted peanuts.
Followed by a choice of mango or apple juices served from trays.
Service is very efficient and being a full flight, the crew really did their best to attend to all requests, with the most absurd being a few passengers requesting for blankets halfway through the 30min flight while the crew was conducting the refreshment service.
Very soon, we started our descent and cabin was prepared for landing.
Cabin lights were dimmed for landing and the signature blue BSI cabin lights were illuminated.
Approaching Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
And landing on Rwy32L, 15min ahead of schedule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeD8myuDWo4
Parked at the Main Terminal Building.
Thank you for flying Malaysia Airlines.
Economy seats.
Business cabin.
A typical short-haul flight on MH with efficient service and on-time arrival.
May 10, 2015, 7:24 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
The transit stop was only scheduled for a short 1h15m, which meant it was off the aircraft, a quick browse at the shops and boarding would be starting. Our flight to Narita would be departing from the Main Terminal Building as well, thus there was no need to take the train to the satellite terminal.
The famous aircraft model display at KLIA.
Our aircraft being catered. The aircraft scheduled for the flight was initially the A330, but was changed to a B772 slightly less than a month ago.
Departing from H4 for the red-eye to Narita.
9M-MRC. a B777-200, will be operating the flight this evening. With the 2 MH incidents involving B772s, there is no denying that a short wave of solemnness overcame me just before boarding the aircraft.
30 April 2015
Malaysia Airlines
MH 88
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Tokyo Narita (NRT)
B777-200
9M-MRC
Economy Class
Boarding was called shortly after we cleared through security at the gate and again it was very orderly. Guess this is the norm for Japan-bound flights as Japanese, whom I guess made up at least half the passengers, are well-known for their orderliness.
Welcomed at the door and directed to the correct aisle. Economy class on MH's B772s are fitted in a not-so-usual 2-5-2 configuration. On each seat is placed a pillow, blanket and headset.
We took the 2-seaters at the second last row on the left, 39J/K. The seats are of the first-generation type with personal 6" IFE screens. Think SQ's non-retrofitted B772s. Even though the seats do not have the latest gadgets, they are very comfortable and legroom is awesome, boasting a 34" pitch!
We had brand new May edition of the inflight magazine.
A row of B738s beside us.
Boarding again is completed very efficiently for a 100% full flight. 6 cabin crew will be serving us in Economy tonight, with 2 stewardess and a steward at our rear economy cabin. Flight time was estimated to be around 6h30m.
Pushed back slightly behind schedule and safety video played. The video quality on these tiny screens was really quite bad...
Had a short taxi to Rwy32R and we departed in the darkness to Narita!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThJQgSYRZD4
Climbing over Putrajaya.
Seat belt signs turned off and service announcement was made. All announcements were made in 3 languages, Malay, English and Japanese.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9s68CiJijI
I switched to the interactive mode of the IFE system and surprisingly the screen quality improved dramatically. However, no touch-screen here and navigation is through the classic handsets.
The famous aircraft model display at KLIA.
Our aircraft being catered. The aircraft scheduled for the flight was initially the A330, but was changed to a B772 slightly less than a month ago.
Departing from H4 for the red-eye to Narita.
9M-MRC. a B777-200, will be operating the flight this evening. With the 2 MH incidents involving B772s, there is no denying that a short wave of solemnness overcame me just before boarding the aircraft.
30 April 2015
Malaysia Airlines
MH 88
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Tokyo Narita (NRT)
B777-200
9M-MRC
Economy Class
Boarding was called shortly after we cleared through security at the gate and again it was very orderly. Guess this is the norm for Japan-bound flights as Japanese, whom I guess made up at least half the passengers, are well-known for their orderliness.
Welcomed at the door and directed to the correct aisle. Economy class on MH's B772s are fitted in a not-so-usual 2-5-2 configuration. On each seat is placed a pillow, blanket and headset.
We took the 2-seaters at the second last row on the left, 39J/K. The seats are of the first-generation type with personal 6" IFE screens. Think SQ's non-retrofitted B772s. Even though the seats do not have the latest gadgets, they are very comfortable and legroom is awesome, boasting a 34" pitch!
We had brand new May edition of the inflight magazine.
A row of B738s beside us.
Boarding again is completed very efficiently for a 100% full flight. 6 cabin crew will be serving us in Economy tonight, with 2 stewardess and a steward at our rear economy cabin. Flight time was estimated to be around 6h30m.
Pushed back slightly behind schedule and safety video played. The video quality on these tiny screens was really quite bad...
Had a short taxi to Rwy32R and we departed in the darkness to Narita!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThJQgSYRZD4
Climbing over Putrajaya.
Seat belt signs turned off and service announcement was made. All announcements were made in 3 languages, Malay, English and Japanese.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9s68CiJijI
I switched to the interactive mode of the IFE system and surprisingly the screen quality improved dramatically. However, no touch-screen here and navigation is through the classic handsets.
May 10, 2015, 9:25 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Audio-video on demand is available and selections are more than sufficient for this mid-haul flight. Initially chose to watch the movie "Horrible Bosses 2" but haing being very pampered by today's seatback screen sizes of 8" and bigger, it was not "shiok" (a Singlish term to mean satisfying) to watch the movie on a teeny weeny 6" screen.
Refreshment service commenced shortly after seatbelt signs were switched off.
No choices for refreshment. We were offered a huge tuna croissant, a pack of peanuts and choices of drinks. I went for an apple juice and a tea. The tuna croissant was not bad and sufficiently filled me up.
After finishing the snack, I decided to switch the IFE to flight map mode and call it a night.
Amenities in the lavatory.
Clearing the trash.
Immediately after refreshment service, cabin lights were turned off and I settled into bed. The seats are really comfortable with thick cushioning and generous recline (see picture below). I just prefer these old-style seats to the current slim-line and hard seats increasingly used by many carriers.
Slept for about 3hrs and woke up as we were nearing Okinawa.
Sun is gradually rising.
About 2.5hrs before arrival, the cabin lights were switched on in preparation for breakfast. It is not everyday one can have a breakfast while watching sunrise.
Breakfast tray was delivered, which consisted of a yoghurt, warm roll with butter, cut fruits and a hot dish (Nasi Lemak or Omelette with sausages). I had an orange juice with the meal. As the seat belt signs were switched on due to slight turbulence, crew were not able to offer hot beverages.
Refreshment service commenced shortly after seatbelt signs were switched off.
No choices for refreshment. We were offered a huge tuna croissant, a pack of peanuts and choices of drinks. I went for an apple juice and a tea. The tuna croissant was not bad and sufficiently filled me up.
After finishing the snack, I decided to switch the IFE to flight map mode and call it a night.
Amenities in the lavatory.
Clearing the trash.
Immediately after refreshment service, cabin lights were turned off and I settled into bed. The seats are really comfortable with thick cushioning and generous recline (see picture below). I just prefer these old-style seats to the current slim-line and hard seats increasingly used by many carriers.
Slept for about 3hrs and woke up as we were nearing Okinawa.
Sun is gradually rising.
About 2.5hrs before arrival, the cabin lights were switched on in preparation for breakfast. It is not everyday one can have a breakfast while watching sunrise.
Breakfast tray was delivered, which consisted of a yoghurt, warm roll with butter, cut fruits and a hot dish (Nasi Lemak or Omelette with sausages). I had an orange juice with the meal. As the seat belt signs were switched on due to slight turbulence, crew were not able to offer hot beverages.
May 10, 2015, 10:42 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Fresh fruits (papaya, pineapple and melon cubes) and strawberry yoghurt.
My omelette selection, which came with potato wedges, a chicken sausage and a grilled juicy tomato. The omelette also contained spinach wrapped within. Overall, it was a pretty generous and delicious breakfast dish!
The other choice was Nasi Lemak with Sambal prawns, half a boiled egg and condiments. Pretty average and AirAsia can do a better Nasi Lemak than this.
Admiring the sunrise while having breakfast.
Skimming above a massive cloud layer with some turbulence. Guess the weather must be pretty bad down there.
After a while, turbulence subsided and seat belt signs were turned off. As the crew had already cleared the meal trays, they proactively came out with trays of pre-poured hot coffee/tea and offered to passengers. I chose a coffee.
Service on this flight was rather good, with friendly and efficient crew. Typical of an average SQ economy flight I would say, just in a different coloured kebaya. I think a couple of drink runs were conducted mid-flight as well as I sort of remembering seeing crew walking down the aisle with trays of drinks during my slumber.
A view of the fully packed Economy cabin.
Nothing but clouds out there.
About 40min prior to arrival, the pilot came on and announced the weather in Tokyo as well as the estimated arrival time. Cabin crew were asked to prepare for landing.
Preparations for arrival and headsets were collected.
Approaching inland.
Descending into Narita.
Video of the approach, with clear skies and nice rural scenery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRIp4o0Fl0
On finals as we approached from the north.
My omelette selection, which came with potato wedges, a chicken sausage and a grilled juicy tomato. The omelette also contained spinach wrapped within. Overall, it was a pretty generous and delicious breakfast dish!
The other choice was Nasi Lemak with Sambal prawns, half a boiled egg and condiments. Pretty average and AirAsia can do a better Nasi Lemak than this.
Admiring the sunrise while having breakfast.
Skimming above a massive cloud layer with some turbulence. Guess the weather must be pretty bad down there.
After a while, turbulence subsided and seat belt signs were turned off. As the crew had already cleared the meal trays, they proactively came out with trays of pre-poured hot coffee/tea and offered to passengers. I chose a coffee.
Service on this flight was rather good, with friendly and efficient crew. Typical of an average SQ economy flight I would say, just in a different coloured kebaya. I think a couple of drink runs were conducted mid-flight as well as I sort of remembering seeing crew walking down the aisle with trays of drinks during my slumber.
A view of the fully packed Economy cabin.
Nothing but clouds out there.
About 40min prior to arrival, the pilot came on and announced the weather in Tokyo as well as the estimated arrival time. Cabin crew were asked to prepare for landing.
Preparations for arrival and headsets were collected.
Approaching inland.
Descending into Narita.
Video of the approach, with clear skies and nice rural scenery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRIp4o0Fl0
On finals as we approached from the north.
May 10, 2015, 11:16 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Smooth landing into Tokyo Narita International Rwy16L, 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
Taxiing to Terminal 2.
Passing the newly opened Low-Cost Terminal, Terminal 3. Guess the biggest operator out of the new terminal is Jetstar Japan.
Reached Terminal 2, which is the hub terminal for Oneworld carriers
Parked beside a JAL B763.
Video of the landing and taxi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwuxyGzp-AY
Disembarking, with crew thanking pax and bade farewell at the doors.
A rather messy business class cabin haha. But seat pitch is incredible!
View of aircraft after disembarked.
I must say that MH offers a reasonably good service at a very competitive fare. Maybe I was lucky to encounter dedicated and friendly cabin crew (especially with stories of declining service standards and low morals of crew) but I did not find any difference in service standards from my previous flights with MH. Catering was good (maybe because Tokyo is a premium route?) and flight was comfortable even with the full cabin. Frills may not be as much as premium carriers, (such as no menus, hot towels or amenity kits in Economy) but they are of minor details. Overall, it was certainly value-for-money to fly with Malaysia Airlines!
Narita's Terminal 2 is definitely a major hub for Japan Airlines.
Taxiing to Terminal 2.
Passing the newly opened Low-Cost Terminal, Terminal 3. Guess the biggest operator out of the new terminal is Jetstar Japan.
Reached Terminal 2, which is the hub terminal for Oneworld carriers
Parked beside a JAL B763.
Video of the landing and taxi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwuxyGzp-AY
Disembarking, with crew thanking pax and bade farewell at the doors.
A rather messy business class cabin haha. But seat pitch is incredible!
View of aircraft after disembarked.
I must say that MH offers a reasonably good service at a very competitive fare. Maybe I was lucky to encounter dedicated and friendly cabin crew (especially with stories of declining service standards and low morals of crew) but I did not find any difference in service standards from my previous flights with MH. Catering was good (maybe because Tokyo is a premium route?) and flight was comfortable even with the full cabin. Frills may not be as much as premium carriers, (such as no menus, hot towels or amenity kits in Economy) but they are of minor details. Overall, it was certainly value-for-money to fly with Malaysia Airlines!
Narita's Terminal 2 is definitely a major hub for Japan Airlines.
May 11, 2015, 8:47 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Surprisingly, immigration at Narita's Terminal 2 was totally empty and we passed through within 5 minutes. I would have though that it would be the period of the morning peak arrivals from South-East Asian countries. Apparently, this was not the case, as the arrival board at baggage claim showed only 4 arrival flights around our arrival time. Guess with Haneda's expansion for international flights, many of the premium morning arrivals have been moved to Haneda instead.
Another 5 minutes for baggage collection and we were out of the baggage claim in record time! Bought tickets for the Airport Limousine bus service, which came with a 2-days subway pass, to Shinjuku my hotel will be located.
Stayed at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, which was newly opened just a week prior to this trip! Spot the Godzilla!
Room size was Tokyo-sized and reasonable but bathroom was really huge with a separate shower/bath area!
View from room.
Godzilla! It was right outside the lobby of the hotel at the 8th storey.
Lunch at a popular katsu restaurant in Takashimaya Shinjuku.
Shinjuku station
Tempura for dinner!
Followed by oh-so-sinful-but-so-delicious cakes from HARBS to end the first day in Tokyo!
Another 5 minutes for baggage collection and we were out of the baggage claim in record time! Bought tickets for the Airport Limousine bus service, which came with a 2-days subway pass, to Shinjuku my hotel will be located.
Stayed at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, which was newly opened just a week prior to this trip! Spot the Godzilla!
Room size was Tokyo-sized and reasonable but bathroom was really huge with a separate shower/bath area!
View from room.
Godzilla! It was right outside the lobby of the hotel at the 8th storey.
Lunch at a popular katsu restaurant in Takashimaya Shinjuku.
Shinjuku station
Tempura for dinner!
Followed by oh-so-sinful-but-so-delicious cakes from HARBS to end the first day in Tokyo!
May 11, 2015, 9:05 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,426
I'm travelling from Koh Samui to Tokyo via Bangkok next week on AirAsiaX and I totally forgot about MH as an option until this TR! Looking at fares, it's only slightly more to fly on MH C instead of AirAsiaX's equivalent product... d'oh!
Anyway, nice report as always.
Anyway, nice report as always.
May 11, 2015, 9:28 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Hachiko, we meet again!
Shibuya pedestrian scramble!
Exploring the nooks and crannies of Shibuya.
A delicious warm bowl of Ichiran ramen!
Roadside stall with long queues selling ice-cream in crispy warm bread. Very nice!
Strolling through Yoyogi park. Spring has arrived and the greenery has sprouted.
Quaint shopping lanes in Harujuku.
Teatime at a floral-themed Aoyama Flower Market Café in Harujuku.
Even the takeaways from the local supermarkets are so tasty!
Shibuya pedestrian scramble!
Exploring the nooks and crannies of Shibuya.
A delicious warm bowl of Ichiran ramen!
Roadside stall with long queues selling ice-cream in crispy warm bread. Very nice!
Strolling through Yoyogi park. Spring has arrived and the greenery has sprouted.
Quaint shopping lanes in Harujuku.
Teatime at a floral-themed Aoyama Flower Market Café in Harujuku.
Even the takeaways from the local supermarkets are so tasty!
May 12, 2015, 9:54 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Highlight of the trip was the visit to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival. Booked a day tour as it was the Japan Golden Week holidays and public transportation is expected to be packed. However, the Golden Week rush was worst than expected with lengthy jams on the highways, resulting in our original 2hr drive to Fuji becoming a 4-5hr drive each way! Note to self: No more trips to Japan during the Golden Week.
After an almost 5hr bus ride, the first stop was Azaleas garden at Hotel de Yama, Hakone, overlooking Lake Aishi. The Azaleas were just starting to bloom and thus were not as colourful as expected.
Grabbing a bento set for lunch.
Along the way to Fuji Shiazakura, with the sun almost setting due to the constant jams.
Finally reached the site of Shibazakura, 1hr before closing! Better late than never! A few tour buses also arrived at this time due to the horrible jams along the way.
A field of pink, white and purple.
Mt Fuji decided to make an appearance just before sunset! And the view was spectacular!!
Another tiring 4hrs of jam back to Tokyo where I grabbed a cheap and tasty beef rice bowl and called it a day.
After an almost 5hr bus ride, the first stop was Azaleas garden at Hotel de Yama, Hakone, overlooking Lake Aishi. The Azaleas were just starting to bloom and thus were not as colourful as expected.
Grabbing a bento set for lunch.
Along the way to Fuji Shiazakura, with the sun almost setting due to the constant jams.
Finally reached the site of Shibazakura, 1hr before closing! Better late than never! A few tour buses also arrived at this time due to the horrible jams along the way.
A field of pink, white and purple.
Mt Fuji decided to make an appearance just before sunset! And the view was spectacular!!
Another tiring 4hrs of jam back to Tokyo where I grabbed a cheap and tasty beef rice bowl and called it a day.
May 14, 2015, 8:31 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
A bowl of thick miso ramen.
Visit to Asakusa, which was super duper crowded!
Nice stroll in great weather to Tokyo Skytree.
Sinful cheesecake platter at Cheese Garden.
Ginza evening.
World's largest Uniqlo store in Ginza! 12 storeys!!
Snacking on Takoyaki
And Yakitori
Simple meal
Kabukicho comes to 'life' in the evening.
Visit to Asakusa, which was super duper crowded!
Nice stroll in great weather to Tokyo Skytree.
Sinful cheesecake platter at Cheese Garden.
Ginza evening.
World's largest Uniqlo store in Ginza! 12 storeys!!
Snacking on Takoyaki
And Yakitori
Simple meal
Kabukicho comes to 'life' in the evening.
May 14, 2015, 10:38 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
5th May is Japan's Children's Day, which is one of the public holidays of Japan's Golden Week. On this day, some streets in Shinjuku were closed to vehicular traffic!
Chanced upon a stand-up sushi bar in Ikebukuro, offering very fresh and affordable sushi!
And Yakiniku grill on the last night in Tokyo.
Did some supermarket shopping prior to departure on the last day. It is strawberries season!
My flight back would be departing from Haneda, which is much nearer to the city centre and only entails a 30min Airport Limousine Bus ride to reach.
Some sort of arty structure while approaching Haneda.
The bus made stops at Terminals 1 and 2 first.
On the way to the International Terminal from Terminal 1. International terminal was not too busy at this time of the day.
FIDS in the International Terminal. Much less international departures/arrivals than Narita.
Chanced upon a stand-up sushi bar in Ikebukuro, offering very fresh and affordable sushi!
And Yakiniku grill on the last night in Tokyo.
Did some supermarket shopping prior to departure on the last day. It is strawberries season!
My flight back would be departing from Haneda, which is much nearer to the city centre and only entails a 30min Airport Limousine Bus ride to reach.
Some sort of arty structure while approaching Haneda.
The bus made stops at Terminals 1 and 2 first.
On the way to the International Terminal from Terminal 1. International terminal was not too busy at this time of the day.
FIDS in the International Terminal. Much less international departures/arrivals than Narita.
May 16, 2015, 9:06 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
We reached Haneda rather early, about 3hrs prior to departure. The Departure Hall is rather big, but not too busy at this time of the day. I figure it will be busier in the late evenings when the late-night bank of flights depart.
SQ check-in counters are located at row A, right at the end of the terminal. Total of 6 counters opened to handle check-in for the flight.
Business Class counter.
Check-in agents giving the obligatory Japanese bow before opening counters. There was also a First counter, though unmanned as First is only offered on the red-eye flight.
Check-in was swift and headed to security and immigration. See the carp kites "koinobori" decorations to celebrate Japan's Children's Day!
Departure waiting lounge was rather quiet as well. It is a long corridor with shops aligned long it.
Some last minute shopping for Japanese goodies!
Proceeded to the lounge after finishing with the shopping. SQ J Class pax are invited to use the ANA Lounge.
ANA model planes display
As expected with the few departure flights and being a public holiday with few business travellers, the lounge was pretty empty, offering a conducive and serene environment to relax prior to the flight.
SQ check-in counters are located at row A, right at the end of the terminal. Total of 6 counters opened to handle check-in for the flight.
Business Class counter.
Check-in agents giving the obligatory Japanese bow before opening counters. There was also a First counter, though unmanned as First is only offered on the red-eye flight.
Check-in was swift and headed to security and immigration. See the carp kites "koinobori" decorations to celebrate Japan's Children's Day!
Departure waiting lounge was rather quiet as well. It is a long corridor with shops aligned long it.
Some last minute shopping for Japanese goodies!
Proceeded to the lounge after finishing with the shopping. SQ J Class pax are invited to use the ANA Lounge.
ANA model planes display
As expected with the few departure flights and being a public holiday with few business travellers, the lounge was pretty empty, offering a conducive and serene environment to relax prior to the flight.
May 16, 2015, 9:50 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
There were 2 buffet areas in the lounge, with a smaller one offering only soup, cold selections and beverages at this hour.
The larger buffet offers a wider selection of dishes.
Including a Noodle Bar, whipping up a selection of hot udon or soba noodles.
Filling up my stomach with simple but delicious dishes! I especially loved the warm soba noodles from the Noodle Bar.
Rounding up with a fruit punch dessert and cold green tea.
Our SQ plane arrived on schedule from Singapore.
ANA B77W arriving from a long-haul destination.
06 May 2015
Singapore Airlines
SQ 633
Tokyo Haneda (HND) - Singapore (SIN)
B777-200
9V-SRQ
Business Class
About 25min before STD, we headed to the gate where boarding has just commenced. Premium passengers (ie. Business Class and PPS Club) had the use of a premium boarding gate/lane 108A, which is separated from the Economy boarding gate/lanes.
9V-SRQ, retrofitted with the New Regional Business Class, would be operating the flight.
Boarding.
Was warmly welcomed at the door and directed to my seat at 17K, which is the bulkhead row of the smaller Business cabin after Door 2. This row offers heaps of legroom!!
I can stretch all I want and still won't touch the bulkhead.
The larger buffet offers a wider selection of dishes.
Including a Noodle Bar, whipping up a selection of hot udon or soba noodles.
Filling up my stomach with simple but delicious dishes! I especially loved the warm soba noodles from the Noodle Bar.
Rounding up with a fruit punch dessert and cold green tea.
Our SQ plane arrived on schedule from Singapore.
ANA B77W arriving from a long-haul destination.
06 May 2015
Singapore Airlines
SQ 633
Tokyo Haneda (HND) - Singapore (SIN)
B777-200
9V-SRQ
Business Class
About 25min before STD, we headed to the gate where boarding has just commenced. Premium passengers (ie. Business Class and PPS Club) had the use of a premium boarding gate/lane 108A, which is separated from the Economy boarding gate/lanes.
9V-SRQ, retrofitted with the New Regional Business Class, would be operating the flight.
Boarding.
Was warmly welcomed at the door and directed to my seat at 17K, which is the bulkhead row of the smaller Business cabin after Door 2. This row offers heaps of legroom!!
I can stretch all I want and still won't touch the bulkhead.