NRT still worth visiting?
 

Hi,

I'll be flying to HKG on first class award ticket in late November, going IAD-SFO-NRT-HKG and back the same routing. When I made the reservation and ticket, I had specified stopping in NRT to visit the famous First Class Lounge and their staff, even through I could have taken the nonstop to HKG from SFO.

So, what with all the cutbacks, do you folks think NRT is still worth stopping in on the way to and from HKG? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I probably won't change my itinerary based on this, since I'd like to stop in NRT to break up the journey a bit anyway. But I was curious about what folks think...

While I wonder why anyone would stopover just to see a lounge (beer machine or no beer machine!), I was in the FC NRT lounge about 2-3 weeks ago and it doesn't seem to have changed. No visible cutbacks except the magazine collection has deteriorated a bit.

If you're going to stopover in Narita itself (like overnight), do a web search for the ultimate authority: Mike Newman's Narita stopover page.

NRT for transit isn't that big an attraction unless you get a lot of amusement watching grass grow.

Also, when transiting NRT you alway have the possibility of having the plane parked out in the boondocks and having to take a bus or getting towed into the gate.

So, I'd base my plans on considerations such as departure times. (I realized I was somewhat over NRT the time I caught myself race-walking to the RCC showers to beat the crowd.)
Rich

I actually enjoy parking in a non-gate area - lets me get up close and personal to my plane http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

Even in biz-class, I think stopping in NRT is worth it.

Amen!

http://net.saipan.com/personal/mike_newman/

Mike is a long-time Saipan resident [since 1979, much longer than my belated 1990 arrival (though I was a tourist in 1983)] and is a wonderful individual, to boot.

He also has an excellent Saipan webpage at his site, and is the manager of the local U.S. Social Security Office.

IIWY, I'd stop on the way back, but stick to 805 for your outbound trip. The nice thing about 805 is that arrives in HK with just enough time to enjoy your evening to the fullest. Moreover, I've never had jetlag upon arrival in HK when I've taken 805. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for NRT or TPE connections. On the way back, on the other hand, you don't have much to gain by getting into SFO at 8am so you might as well kick it for a few hours at NRT and take one of the later flights (also helps reduce jet lag). Just an opinion.

The highlight of a NRT connection is still the RCC/First Class Lounge showers and the beer pouring machine.

Please remember to bow low to the kind shower attendant!

NRT stopovers are much better yet!

On approach to NRT, try to spot the giant Buddah in a cemetery. Also, note the many blue tile roofs.

BTW, the HKG RCC has a functional shower once again!

I always look for the big flower clock adjacent to the runway and check it against my watch!

I used to live in Japan. Actually, Narita town (not the airport) is a very attractive, small Japanese town with several beautiful historical sites including temples, shrines, gardens. The approach to the main temple is lined with lots of cute shops and restaurants. You can take the train from the Airport to the town train station in about 11 minutes (very regular trains) for about $1.50. From that station, you can easily walk to all of the sites. Definitely worth a few hours. An added plus is that most travellers are like the rest of the folks who replied to the list and so the entire city is empty of tourists except for the Japanese visiting the shrines and temples. You will really enjoy it and come away with a nice glimpse of the beauty and culture that is Japan.
If you have bags, leave them at one of the convenient and super-safe bag checks in the terminal. Get info on the tour and a map from the Japan Tourist Bureau right where you come out of customs. I have taken people on this trip several times during UAL layovers and everyone has loved it.

NRT's RCC - the beer machine's nice and the sushis were decent (I have gone there twice and the sushis were there, but I have heard otherwise from fellow travellers). Tokyo's about 30 miles away - but you can take the JR Express or Narita Express subway straight to Tokyo for roughly $40 - one-way. I also learned why it was named "Narita." Imagine my surprise.. it was named after a small town where the large international airport is!

You can also get electronics from the duty free stores in NRT. Nice thing about Japanese TV's is that the plugs are the same as ours and they're NTSC just like ours. Hong Kong, Europe, and everybody else use the PAL format which will not at all work here in the U.S.

I shelled out roughly $5,000 for a plasma TV only to find that the default setting was completely in Japanese (the saleslady did offer me a U.S. TV for about $600 more but I, being the savvy customer, already knew that the Japanese TV's were the same but I neglected to factor in the default language settings). Guess what. Last laugh on the saleslady - I brought a Japanese guy to my place and had him change the setting to English. Well, not really, last laugh is on me for now since I just had a power outage and the TV's now back in Japanese. Wait, last laugh on the saleslady.... yes, my remote control does say "Volume" in English. More I think about it, she has the last laugh because I have yet to figure out tint, contrast, brightness, closed captioning, etc. (Well, it didn't have a closed captioning option but I already have a decoder since I'm profoundly deaf).

Oh, well. Either way, the saleslady was very nice. Last laugh on her - [well, that wasn't too nice so I deleted that part].

[This message has been edited by Wiggums (edited 10-14-2002).]

Very amusing anecdote about your TV purchase if you delete the last sentence. Otherwise, you sound like a ...

Well, I'd like to say, for the record, I had only been in NRT for almost 2 hours, enroute to LAX from SYD, thereby giving me insufficient time to gain familiarity with Japanese etiquette. I had just turned around to face my friend after buying the TV and she told me, "You gotta bow to her, she bowed to you." Apparently, I missed her display of gratitude and I would have pretty much returned the favor, but it had been rendered moot for she turned around to help other customers.

Right. Not very nice.

At least I have given you a sufficient explanation. It's not like I farted then ran out hollering, "She farted!"

It was a honest and wholly unintentional mistake, but I doubt that'd create an international incident. It was more of a cultural misunderstanding, but I did say, "Dozo." (Found out years later it meant please, not thank you... and I still don't know how to say Thank You in Japanese).

[This message has been edited by Wiggums (edited 10-14-2002).]