SFO777

I loved my Hokey Pokey.

Thanks so much Madone59. It is indeed a hobby for a crazy few of us. I think I could actually do a full week of this, if it wasn't my 72 hour hall pass limitation.

LOL. Classic Eastbay1K. Thank you for the reality check and laughs.

Thanks very much Annalisa12.

I would have loved to but unfortunately, there just wasn't enough time for me to do that comfortably.

Thank you so much icegirl. Excellent question. I good amenity kit contains high quality, large size useful products worth taking home or tossing in a back pack for future use. Unfortunately, most airlines have cheap, small sample size disposable crap that isn't worth the effort. In contrast, here is some great products that Singapore had on the final leg of the trip...

SFO777

Malaysia Golden Lounge Satellite at KUL
First Class Lounge

From our arrival gate, it was a short walk to the center of the international terminal. No passport control as you either connect to another international flight or go to passport control to enter the country.



Lots of lounge signs but with no clear direction to get to any of them.









More lounge signs. There are indeed escalators to the upper level but the are hidden and accessible only after you leave the concourse and go down a narrow unmarked hallway. Very strange.



The Emirates Lounge was obvious, being near the center of the terminal. But I had to search for the Golden Lounge. Finally, a sign.





There it is. Now I know but definitely hard to get to unless there is some secret elevator and entrance that I missed.





A little confused by the Satellite designation. Does this mean that there is another main lounge somewhere?



But once inside, it was clear that this indeed was a major lounge, the name notwithstanding. After checking in at the counter, Business is to the left, First Class to the right. Even MH staff isn't buying into the Business Suites thing as the lounge dragon welcomed me to "our First Class Lounge to the right". LOL.



The First Class side is very impressive.



















Since there is a dining room, the serve yourself options are somewhat limited.









After relaxing for a bit, I headed for the dining room. Beautiful decor and setting, with a excellent staff and service.









A lot of miles on the First Class menu which oddly enough featured mostly western options.







Yap, yap, yap. Yes, we all want to hear about your day. Oy.



Tiger Beer to start.



The very strange napkin, not much bigger than a cocktail napkin.



I ordered the Won Ton soup which was pretty awful. But hey, the lavosh and breadsticks were good. What a dissapointment and a total waste of a gorgeous room and setting.



Back in the main lounge, the desserts were tasty.

SFO777

At around T-55, I headed out for the walk to Gate C37.





And the security check.



Kuala Lumpur KUL to Tokyo Narita NRT
Malaysia 88
A380-800
11:35pm-7:15am +1 (sked)
12:40am-7:50am (actual)
March 5, 2019
Departed 3/8
Suite 1K

With a complete absence of gate lice, boarding was orderly as the Gate Agent asked for "Business Suites" passengers to board first. None of the handicapped-wheel chair brigade-families with small kids or those needing extra time-BS like back in America.



I've always liked the suites and decor on the A380. Nice big comfy suites and seats. And flawless service tonight from a wonderful crew.





My 1K.













This A380 is showing its age with some chips and bruises here and there.



And a pretty dated IFE controller although not a bad as Qantas. Looks like the cleaners haven't visited this one for a while.





Tonight's menu which assumes that everyone has eaten and just wants to sleep.





At around departure time, the captain announced a delay as one of the doors was not showing as closed. For the next 45 minutes, as many as seven MH techs were on board to troubleshoot, walking back and forth between the door and the cockpit.












As the delay dragged on, our wonderful First Class flight attendant decided to serve satay at the gate.



Naturally, as soon as she delivered the satay, the captain announced the problem has been fixed and we would be pushing back in a couple of minutes. The satay? No worries, our FA didn't bother or rush us to finish.



This satay was better than the earlier one and the sauce a lot thicker and richer.













Since it was not midnight to my body, I was hungry and requested the delicious Nasi Lemak from the Breakfast menu. With another glass of the lovely Taittenger Comtes.



I went to the lav while my bed was made. And slept for a solid 4 hours.



Some breakfast pastries to take the edge off.













And arriving at the gate, ready to deplane.





I really enjoyed this flight despite the short flight time. Exceptional and flawless service from a crew that takes pride in their jobs. This was truly First Class service and I have no idea why MH has chosen the confusing route of renaming it to Business Suites.

Eastbay1K

Perhaps (and depending on what seat bucket it books into), it is because many businesses will pay for Business and not First for longhaul company travel.

icegirl

Interesting I thought SQ would have had a bit more in it. I agree the bag should be reusable and a memento to take away. As for the cosmetic product surely that is purely personal taste and should only be enough for that one flight?

chongl

The cabin on the first MH leg looks so sterile...almost like a hospital room.

And this report is making me more eager for my trip in July!

darthlemsip

DanielW

Shame about QF F, flew them a few times in J across the Tasman and was well looked after.

Looks like a very cool Michelin experience in Tokyo though, all those legs must have made for a crunchy finale!

fotographer

its amazing every time you take pics of the lounges.. there are no people there.... do you ask all the other guest to move so you can take a nice shot?

SFO777

Certainly a possibility. Just seems a little strange to have Business Class and Business Class Plus.

Thanks icegirl. Definitely personal taste but I've found that tiny one flight sample sizes are usually garbage.

Thank you chongl. Agree on the bland A359 cabin.

Thanks darthlemsip. Yikes, had no idea that VS Upper Class was so bad.

LOL on the crunchy tempura legs. A few beers it a lot easier to eat.

Thank you fotographer. I pick my spots and try to wait until the crowds have moved on.

SFO777

10 Hours in Tokyo

With roughly 10 hours before my Singapore flight back to LA, I decided to go into the city. The long, long walk to passport control.





A look back at our MH A380.



There was a healthy looking queue but it only took about 10 minutes to get to a passport control/customs agent.



I arrived and Terminal 2 and decided to head over to Terminal 1 to check my bags for the day, since Singapore departs from T1.





On my way up the escalators to the departures level 4, I stopped for a much needed shower.



And a bargain at only Ą1000 for 30 minutes.



I had trouble with online check-in on my SQ app so I headed to the SQ counter to see if it was open. Fortunately, they were and a pleasant NH agent was happy to check me in and issue my boarding pass.



After check-in, I stowed my rollerboard and backpack for a reasonable Ą500 for the day.



And then headed for the JR Line's Narita Express. A roundtrip foreigner ticket was Ą4000 and included subway connections.





The Narita Express is comfortable, fast and at $17 one way, a cheap way to get into the city. The 55 minute trip is reasonably comfortable with nicely reclining seats. No power outlets but there is wifi although I didn't need it because my Verizon plan includes same-as-home roaming in most countries for $10 a day.



Arriving at Tokyo Station was the easy part. Getting to lunch was another story especially since I had never taken the Tokyo subway system. From a little pre-arrival research, I decided to go to the Kagurazaka district for lunch before walking the scenic route back to Tokyo Station for my 3:03pm Narita Express train. My first stop was the JR Info kiosk where a very nice agent gave me instructions to get to Iidabashi station. How cool is this?



Except that something got lost in the translation and in my comprehension. Getting to the correct platform was easy. But I read Chou Line local (yellow car) two stops as take the local two stops from Tokyo Station. How hard can that be? Finding the yellow local train was an entirely different matter because as I discovered much later... there is no yellow train from Tokyo Station. And Iidabashi is actually 4 stations away.







After 2 orange Express trains came and went, I decided just to take an orange train and get closer I learned that the electronic station stop guide in each car illuminated the stops. I decided to take an orange train that showed a stop at Ochanomizu (2 stations before Iidabashi) and Ichigaya (one station after Iidabashi). Close enough I figured.



Much to my chagrin, as soon as the train departed the station two before Iidabashi, Ochigaya disappeared from the station stop guide. So I wound up at the stop after that one, Yotsuya. Got off there and took the next train (orange)... back to Ochanomizu. OK, this is getting hilarious. Got off there and finally saw a yellow train...but going the wrong direction. Up the stairs over the tracks and down to the opposite platform and I was at least going in the right direction. And mercifully, within a couple of minutes, a yellow local train going in the right direction.









Now definitely older and marginally wiser, I arrived at Iidabashi station about an hour after arriving at Tokyo station. And headed up to the heart of Kagurazaka.











My lunch destination today was Kyourakutei, a one Michelin star soba restaurant. It's located in an alley in Kagurazaki about a 5 minute walk from Iidabashi station. I joined the queue waiting for a table and 15 minutes later was at the chef's counter with a great view of the action.



Kyourakutei specialise in the art of making noodles using grain like locally sourced seeds. They have their own millstone to ensure all their noodles are freshly milled on the day that they are served.







Ordering was easy as the menu is in both Japanese and English. I just pointed to my selection. Hot soba and mixed tempura combo. With a Kirin, the tab was just Ą3300. My lunch was fabulous.









I have absolutely no idea and don't really want to know. But it ate it anyway. Mrs. SFO777 was aghast when I showed her the pic. "I'm not kissing you for a week" was her reaction.



With 90 minutes to catch my 3pm Narita Express, I decided to walk back to Tokyo Station.









Graduation day...



... at The Nippon Dental U.













Kitanomaru National Gardens Park.



The Nippon Budokan arena and concert venue.











And then the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace...









With a few cherry blossoms already in bloom.











Exiting the gardens on the opposite side at the Otemon gates.



Thanks to iphone maps, heading towards Tokyo Station.









And finally the classic architecture of Tokyo Station.













I arrived at the platform just in time to hop on the earlier 2:33pm train and was back at Narita by 3:30pm. What a cool break and few hours in Tokyo.

SFO777

The lines for both Priority security and susbequent passport control were pretty short and I was into the main T1 departures concourse in short order. The massive queue for the United Club, with an appropriate massive POS bringing up the rear.



The one positive about United is the close in location of the club and gates. Other than that, can't think of many other positives.



At the far end of the concourse, one level up, is the ANA Suite Lounge, their First Class Lounge.







There is really nothing special about this lounge but there are some good views and comfy seating options.

Annalisa12

Call me stupid but what was the mileage run in aid of?

stmaus

The catering in SQ first looks sensational. An order of magnitude better that poor old QF.

fotographer

we need moreeeee...