CharlesMD

Yokoso Japan! A comprehensive review of AA's trans-Pacific J service (IAD-LAX-NRT-JFK-DCA) with 400+ photos and 30 videos

Outline
Cutting in front of a movie star
AA F IAD-LAX
AA J LAX-NRT
The $280 lunch
Roppongi Hills, Mori Art Center
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office
Shinjuku, Akihabara, Sensoji, and Ginza
Tokyo International Forum
Tsukiji fish market: The $200,000 tuna
Bullet train to Nikko
The secret to eating cheaply in Japan
The imperial palace
Japan's revisionist take on WWII
Skanky Tokyo: The love hotel hill
Park Hyatt Tokyo
AA J NRT-JFK

CharlesMD.com: Celebrating American Airlines, the best airline on earth!

fumitani

wow is all i got to say

BenjaminNYC

This is TRULY amazing. ^

ExecPlatinum_Lord

Charles;

Welcome back - and thanks for the great trip report. Man, you brought back some great memories of the times I've spent working in Tokyo for customer, UBS.

Very detailed - and some great comments and photo's. You have developed a good knack for commentary; ever consider writing your own travel blog/log and publishing it? I can bet you'd have more than a few FT's that would be 1st on the list to get a copy.

You visited some spots we didn't get a chance to try; but you've already got me checking AA for some flights next year; combining a Tokyo and Hong Kong vacation across two weeks.

I also like your tips on cheap spots to eat; I ended up enjoying my "McPrawn" sandwich at the local McDonalds, as well as the local "Subway" shops; I'm slowly learning to open my palette to new tastes and cultures. If I recall correctly, there is a cool themed restaurant called "Heaven and Hell"; you can be seated in either section (upstairs for Heaven, downstairs for Hell) - and each are color themed (blue for Heaven, Red for Hell) - some great wall decorations and the folks walk around like Angells or Devils (I believe, but by the evening close out; I was a bit zonkered on $30/shots of GlenMorangie). Can't recall much about the food either; but I do recall I was able to find a few tasty portions to eat and share with my business mates.

Heck - this is bringing back some good memories of my trips; gonna have to seriously consider pulling some old photo's and giving it a try over the holiday break!

A suggestion - if you're a Disney fan - on your next trip - try DisneyLand Tokyo. You know how clean our American Disneylands are -- well, imagine one in uber clean Tokyo. And -- one gets to be bowed to each time you get on a ride! (unfortunately for me, we visited while I was in the middle of my 1st (and hopefully only!) kidney stone; but the local hospital set me up with some WONDERFUL suppositories; that killed the pain -- and - gave me a nice little vicoden-like buzz... But I digress... :-)

Again - great report, welcome back to the FT tribes!

Pickles

Pretty funny report. I still do not understand how did you manage to eat $280 of sushi for lunch at the carrousel sushi in Roppongi Hills. I assume this is the one in the B1 or B2 floor of the MetroHat rotunda, where the escalators are between the station and the main Roppongi Hills plaza. Sounds like a mistake. I don't think I've paid more than $25-30 for lunch. And it isn't really that good.

yevlesh2

Great report, enjoyed reading it.

sllevin

It's there to help airflow during takeoff (and to some extent, during landing). At a high angle of attack, the airflow will sweep more smoothly up and over the top of the wing. You can sometimes see the airflow when it's fairly humid out and you see the vapor generated from the low pressure side.

Steve

skye1

Cool photos...took two trips in J to Asia this past year: definitely the better of my J experiences on AA. The photos of the Japanese meals on board brought a lot of great memories of great flights. Yep, those soba noodles really hit the spot. Thanks for posting!

civicmon

Awesome report.. Tokyo's my favorite city on earth and I hope to go back for my 3rd visit next Feb..

romcarlos

I still remember the first report I read from you...the Concorde Trip Report...but this one really rocks!!!!!!!!!. I fly to Japan once every other month, and you did in a week what i haven't done in 8 years flying to Tokyo. The first time I went to Tokyo, I invited some friends to eat steak...3 dinners cost me 600 dollars....I am a vegan since then..lol. The crowne plaza is good, since the location is close to major stations and the price is good. In that big shopping center, floors 7 and 8, have a very nice food court and a citibank among other things...If you go for lunch, prices are reasonable..I ussually go to a spanish restaurant called Amapola...the food is great and the lunch menu is very good. About being a foreigner, I know what you felt. Sometimes I am the only black person I see in days, so everytime I take the train, I feel a little weird but you get used to it after couple of years flying to a place so non diverse. Anyways, I really enjoyed your report and I am looking forward to another of your great adventures!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gambari, CharlesMD !!!!!!!!!

typhoon

This is such a good travel report. Thanks for posting it.

Abidjan

Great report, but you're off base with Lost in Translation. Great movie. ^

bobes

great visuals... always get a kick seeing the teenagers and their cosplay at yoyogi park

danielonn

This has to be one of CharlesMD's best reports. I especially enjoyed the photos Charles MD took of the various locations in Japan and showing photos of the Japan rail system(rare for flyertalk reports).

Sanosuke

I read through the report and I want to tell the OP that it was a good one. One thing to note however:

The OP could have gone to the local Post office and used their ATM card there. All the postal offices in Japan accept the cards in the ATMs at the front door or lobby area. Very easy to get money from them using that method.

Sanosuke!