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Travel Planning: Fall in Asia Review: LAX Star Alliance Lounge Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class LAX - NRT Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo Recap: Time in Tokyo Review: HND JAL First Class Lounge Review: JAL Business Class HND - GMP Review: IP Boutique Hotel Seoul Recap: Time in Seoul Review: ICN Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class ICN - HKG Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Recap: Time in Hong Kong Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific First Class HKG - SFO Japan Airlines #0093 Haneda Tokyo (HND) – Seoul Gimpo (GMP) Wednesday, October 14th, 2014 3:35 PM – 5:55 PM (+1) : 2 hours, 20 minutes Boeing 767-300ER: Seat 3K (Business Class) After spending a few days in Tokyo, we were headed to Seoul. Honestly, I wasn't incredibly excited about the idea of going to Seoul, but it worked out that we could get business class seats using 15,000 British Airways Avios and $55.55 each, so we went for it. After flying into Narita, we flew out of Haneda, which is much closer to the heart of Tokyo and is actually quite a nice airport. Due to Chris' One World Emerald status, we killed time before our flight in the Japan Airlines First Class lounge and were not far from our gate once boarding began.  HND Gate This particular Japan Airlines flight doesn't have a first class, so as business class passengers, we boarded first. JAL's business class is configured in a 2-2-2 pattern with 30 total seats. The seats recline but are not fully lie-flat. That was really no problem for us on such a short daytime flight, but would be something to think about if taking a long haul flight. The seats were in good condition and featured a small divider between each set of two seats for a small bit of privacy. Admittedly, there wasn't a ton of privacy, but again, it was a short flight and Chris and I were seated next to each other, so we were fine with the configuration. The television, on the other hand, was a bit difficult for me to find and after some searching, I found that you pull it out from under the arm rest. It's an average sized screen that kind of hangs on this ugly metal arm. In all honesty, I absolutely hated it. Definitely not the best way to configure the in-flight entertainment, in my opinion, but again, it was a short flight, so I didn't even use it.  JAL Business Class Cabin  JAL Business Class Seat  JAL Business Class Seat  JAL Business Class Seat Controls  JAL Business Class Entertainment Controls  JAL Business Class In-Flight Entertainment and Flight Tracking Despite the short flight duration and awkward timing (being late afternoon), we were served quite an extensive feast for our in-flight meal. I honestly have no idea what most of the food was, and unlike our Singapore Suites flight, we weren't given a menu to choose from. The meal consisted of some fruit, a soup, some sushi-looking items, several types of meat in different settings, including the main course, which was, I believe, beef served over rice and rice noodles, and a cup of green tea. Really, it was quite extensive, but I wasn't very excited about it personally, so I spent the meal pushing things around my plate while eating the fruit and some rice.  JAL Business Class Meal What I was excited about, was the miniature bottle of soy sauce that was provided with the meal. I thought it was so cute and really wanted to take it home, but was afraid it would leak all over my suitcase (not to mention, Chris thinks I'm a hoarder), so I didn't.  Tiny Kikkoman Soy Sauce The dessert was undoubtedly the best part of the meal - a small cup of chocolate Häagen-Dazs ice cream.  JAL Business Class Dessert Throughout the flight, the service was friendly and attentive and I appreciated the fact that the flight attendants recognized the fact that we didn't speak Japanese and addressed us in English. Although, to be honest, I really don't know what about me says "I don't speak Japanese", but I digress.
Japan Airlines is a solid choice if you're flying out of Japan and I would honestly highly recommend flying out of or into Haneda rather than Narita due to the proximity to Tokyo if you can manage it. Overall, the flight was easy and enjoyable and we made it to Seoul in one piece. Happy Travels!
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Travel Planning: Fall in Asia Review: LAX Star Alliance Lounge Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class LAX - NRT Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo Recap: Time in Tokyo Review: HND JAL First Class Lounge Review: JAL Business Class HND - GMP Review: IP Boutique Hotel Seoul Recap: Time in Seoul Review: ICN Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class ICN - HKG Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Recap: Time in Hong Kong Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific First Class HKG - SFO After spending a few days in Tokyo, we were booked on a business class fight to Seoul out of Haneda on Japan Airlines. Because of Chris' One World Emerald status, we were able to wait for our flight in the First Class area of the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge, which opened in August of this year. You can find the JAL Sakura Lounge on the 4th floor of Haneda's international terminal near gate 112. When you enter the lounge, you will see the Sakura Lounge entrance on your left and the First Class Lounge entrance on your right. Once entering the First Class Lounge, after walking down a fairly long hallway, you will notice the incredible size of the lounge. Typically, First Class lounges are quite small, but this one is positively enormous.  HND JAL Sakura Lounge Front Desk  HND JAL Sakura Lounge Entrance  HND JAL First Class Lounge Entrance Hall  HND JAL First Class Lounge Entrance  HND JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area The First Class lounge has no less than four different seating areas that span the length of the lounge and as you can see from the photos, the place was nearly empty, which made it feel even larger. The lounge boasts some excellent views and nearly every seat in the house is able to take advantage of them. Once walking in, you will pass some typical seating, followed by table seating for those enjoying the buffet, followed by another typical seating area, and at the far end of the lounge, you'll see the "Red Suite". I'm honestly not sure what the Red Suite is, but it is a nice departure from typical lounge decor and has quite a bit of interesting airline memorabilia, including books, vintage suitcases, and photos, and is a very quiet, nice area to rest while waiting for your flight. The Red Suite even has a champagne and sake room in case you're thirsty.  HND JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area  HND JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area  HND JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area  HND JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area Runway View Travel Planning: Fall in Asia Review: LAX Star Alliance Lounge Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class LAX - NRT Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo Recap: Time in Tokyo Review: HND JAL First Class Lounge Review: JAL Business Class HND - GMP Review: IP Boutique Hotel Seoul Recap: Time in Seoul Review: ICN Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class ICN - HKG Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Recap: Time in Hong Kong Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific First Class HKG - SFO We spent two and a half days in Tokyo and while we didn't hit some of the biggest tourist attractions of the city, we were content to walk around the neighborhoods and just become absorbed. Tokyo is incredibly bustling and can be overwhelming at times, but it's also an incredibly clean and beautiful city full of very polite and helpful Japanese.  Kabukichō, Tokyo Our first day in Tokyo, we spent the day visiting different neighborhoods and a few tourist attractions in the city. We started off our morning at around 10 AM and headed for the Tokyo Metro. Big. Mistake. Even though it was later in the morning, the train was still packed full of morning commuters. We were literally stuffed into the train and I have never been closer to a total stranger in my life. Despite my discomfort, I had to note that regardless of my location directly in front of a man's armpit, there was no smell in the train car. I really appreciated the Japanese's sense of hygiene at that moment. For our first stop, we figured we should check out Shibuya Crossing, which is famous for being one of the biggest crossings in the world. Traffic stops in all directions to allow people to cross and it's usually packed full of people. Unfortunately, when we visited, for some reason there really weren't that many people in the area so it wasn't as impressive as we expected.  Shibuya Crossing From the crossing, we headed to Meiji Shrine, which is a large Shinto shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. Surrounding the shrine is a quite large evergreen forest, which is beautiful to walk through on your way in. It's really quite nice to disappear into a wooded area right in the middle of a huge city full of concrete and we took our time wandering around.  Meiji Shrine  Meiji Shrine After the shrine, it was time for lunch, so we popped in to a favorite restaurant that Chris had discovered on his last trip to Tokyo. It was dirt cheap and incredibly simple - a bowl of rice with thinly sliced beef and onions on top. Put that with a beer and it was a well-rounded and simple lunch that I actually enjoyed.  Rice and Beef Bowl Travel Planning: Fall in Asia Review: LAX Star Alliance Lounge Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class LAX - NRT Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo Recap: Time in Tokyo Review: HND JAL First Class Lounge Review: JAL Business Class HND - GMP Review: IP Boutique Hotel Seoul Recap: Time in Seoul Review: ICN Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class ICN - HKG Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Recap: Time in Hong Kong Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific First Class HKG - SFO When we found out that our award routing would take us to Tokyo for three nights, in Chris' mind, there was only one place to stay - the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The Park Hyatt in Tokyo is actually an incredibly iconic hotel and we found it was very well-known around the city. We never had a problem when telling taxi drivers the name of the hotel in English and they all knew where it was. As its biggest claim to fame, for those of you who have seen Lost in Translation, virtually the entire movie takes place at the Park Hyatt Tokyo and in the hotel's signature bar, the New York Bar. We landed at Narita around 7:30 PM and grabbed a train and a taxi from the airport, then arrived at the hotel around 9 PM. Despite getting quite a bit of sleep on our Singapore Suites flight, we were still pretty tired. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by several employees who helped us get our luggage out of the taxi and another who met us and asked for the name our reservation was under. She then proceeded to escort us through the entrance lobby and up to the hotel's actual lobby on the 41st floor of the building. Upon stepping out of the elevator, you will arrive into an atrium area with seating and amazing views of Tokyo. The area is mostly unused except in the evenings when it turns into the Peak Lounge. As Diamond guests, we were able to attend a complimentary happy hour in the Peak Lounge, which happens every day from 5 PM to 9 PM. The happy hour offered a full bar, several bottles of white and red wine and champagne, and a few snacks. The snacks were not substantial, but the happy hour was nice and I would recommend checking it out if you're back from sightseeing early enough. From the atrium area, she took us right and led us past one of the hotel's restaurants, Girandole, which is where you can get breakfast in the morning, then through the library and finally, into the reception area. At that point, we were met by another employee who took us straight to our suite to complete the check-in process.  Park Hyatt Tokyo Exterior  Park Hyatt Tokyo Entrance Elevator  Park Hyatt Tokyo Girandole Restaurant  Park Hyatt Tokyo Atrium  Park Hyatt Tokyo Library  Park Hyatt Tokyo Reception As I mentioned, check-in was completed in our room but I honestly was not a fan of the courtesy. To me, it was incredibly awkward to be walked into our room and to sit down in our living room, then be asked all the standard check-in questions and not be able to just relax once we arrived in the room. Luckily, it was a fairly quick process and of course the staff member was incredibly polite and professional. He explained the features of the hotel, asked us to select our Diamond benefits and then thankfully, we had the room to ourself.
Chris paid cash for a standard room and then used a suite upgrade that he received for participating in the Hyatt Diamond Challenge, so we were upgraded to a Park Suite King. We took a separate elevator that only goes to the guest floors up from the lobby to our room and the same bluish color scheme from the reception area continued into the hallways. Our doorway was flanked by ducks on pedestals, which made it look incredibly special and when we made it inside, the room was incredible. We walked in to a completely separate front entrance hall and only after walking through that could you see any of the suite. The layout was well thought-out and had distinct areas, but was only actually separated by an accordion style wall. The suite had a living room with dining table and desk, a large bedroom, an incredible bathroom and even a dressing table and large closet to place our luggage in. The room was beautifully appointed and the decor was timeless. There were light Japanese touches throughout, which really made us feel like we were in Japan despite actually being in a Western hotel chain. |
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