Introduction

This has to have been, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. I haven’t been so relaxed in a long time. Sadly, today I have to leave and I’m on my way home again. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I can return to Australia.

Getting to the Airport

I’m staying at the InterContinental Hotel at Sydney’s Circular Quay. From Circular Quay Station it’s just twenty minutes by train to the airport. The international and domestic terminals have separate stops, with international departures the stop after domestic.

Or at least, that’s what’s supposed to happen. In this case, though, our train keeps stop starting due to scheduled signal works. It takes us forty minutes just to reach St James Station, the first stop after Circular Quay. I figure at this stage I’ll never make it to the airport on time. So, I exit the train at St James, together will most other passengers. I head up to street level and order an Uber. By the time we reach the airport, it’s 07h40, 75 minutes before departure.

Check-In

I’ve already checked in for my flight online, which is, frankly, tedious in the extreme. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a complicated check-in process. Nonetheless, several error messages later, I’ve succeeded in obtaining the boarding passes for my journey.

When I finally reach the airport at 07h40, the international terminal is teeming with activity. There’s a priority line for First and Business Class passengers, but even that has a very, very long queue. I must say, though, that the airport authority does a smashing job managing the queue by barking at people, so that I make it through security by 07h58. Then there’s a bit of a hold up at immigration, so that eventually, by the time I’m airside, it’s 08h10. I don’t bother with the lounge, as boarding should be starting in a few minutes.

Boarding

Boarding for the flight is an efficient and orderly process. We start at exactly 08h30, as stated on the boarding pass. And boarding is strictly organized by groups. Business Class passengers are in group 2. Alas, the way the aircraft is parked, I can’t really get any good pictures of my ride to Tokyo this morning.

The Cabin & Seat

The flight today is nearly completely full in Business Class. There’s just the one empty seat. I’m seated on 3A, the same seat I had on the flight from Narita to Melbourne. There’s a passenger occupying the aisle seat, but it’s no bother at all. First, because the seats are staggered – so I don’t actually have the other passenger in my field of vision. And second, there’s a divider that can be raised after take-off. I’m a bit surprised by the fact that I appear to be the only non-Japanese person in Business Class today.

Amenities

There’s a soft pillow, a packaged blanket, the earphones, slippers, and a little vanity kit at my seat when I step aboard. There’s also a bottle of still water. A short while later, the crew hand out cardigans to passengers with a label marked inflight use only, which I’m guessing means that they’ll want it back at the end of the flight.

All the amenities are nice, but the seat’s limited storage space means you have to be a bit creative to avoid everything falling on you when the aircraft accelerates down the runway for take-off.

The Service & Crew

The crew on this flight are just lovely. All of them! They’re so friendly and helpful. The service is also a lot more elaborate than it was on the outbound to Melbourne. While we’re still on the ground, the crew pass through the cabin with drinks. There’s a choice of Champagne or orange juice.

Once we’re airborne and the fasten seatbelt sign is off, the crew pass through the cabin with icy cold towels with a beautiful floral scent.

First Service – Early Lunch

I’m starving. The delayed train dashed my hopes of catching breakfast in the lounge. So when the service starts after take-off, I’m just about ready to burst into a spontaneous rendition of Halleluja.

A few days before departure, JAL sent me an email with the menu for my flight, inviting me to pre-order the main meal. I go with the Japanese option.

The meal starts with a drinks service. I decide to try the JAL signature peach and grape juice. The taste is nice, but the unnaturally red colour is slightly concerning. With that, the crew serve a small ramekin with nuts and another with olives.

A member of the cabin crew comes to confirm my order for the Japanese meal. She inquires, “are you okay eating with chopsticks?”. And when I tell her I am, she bows and thanks me “for your interest in our culture”. She then goes on to tell me, jokingly, that it means I’m likely very intelligent. No rule without exception, I guess…

And then the meal arrives. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see a meal tray in my life. It’s a miracle I actually find the time to take pictures before I dig in!

The first course consists of five small dishes. The bowl in the bottom right corner is a garlic dipping sauce for the chicken in the bowl next to it. The meal is lovely and all the dishes are excellent.

Once I’m done with the first course, the entire tray is removed and the main course is brought out on a new tray. On it is the tofu and fish main, miso soup and a plate of mixed pickles. I really enjoy both the starter and the main course. They’re full of delicate flavour and nicely presented.

Once I’m done, the crew clear away the tray and inquire if I’d like a hot drink with dessert. I ask for a coffee, which is something they do really well on JAL. The first meal service is finished in just under two hours.

Inflight Snacks

JAL has an impressive selection of snacks available to order anytime during the flight using the IFE’s remote control. I can highly recommend the vegetarian Tonkatsu Ramen, which are flavourful and quite spicy.

Second Service – Early Dinner

Just over two hours out of Haneda, the second service starts and the crew pass through the cabin taking orders. I have one of the western options, which is a green salad to start, followed by a Japanese-style vegetable curry. There are two sachets on the tray. One, the cabin crew tells me, is pickles, the other is a whole pickled clove of garlic. You’re supposed to mix everything into the curry, so that’s what I do. The curry is excellent, and hopefully the smell of garlic will have dissipated from my body before my next flight…

Arrival in Tokyo

About fifty minutes out of Haneda we start our descent into Tokyo. It’s very hazy. In the far distance I can just make out the summit of Mount Fuji, sticking out above the heat haze. We approach the airport from the south and then make a wide circle that brings us in right over central Tokyo for an approach into Tokyo Bay from the north. The flight terminates at the international Terminal 3 after a flight time of nine hours and twenty minutes.

Getting into Town

As I’ll be leaving again tomorrow morning, I won’t bother going all the way into town. That’s why I’ve booked a room at the Mercure Haneda Airport, which is accessible via the Keikyu Airport Line. Otorii Station is just three stops from Terminal 3. And then from there it’s just five minutes to the hotel.