Japan Airlines First Class (JFK-NRT), April 2015
When it came time to board my flight, it was not hard leaving the disappointing Air France lounge on the early end just so I could get on the flight early. The lines were very long and unorganized, spilling out into the walkway with a lot of confused people ending up in the First/Business/Priority lane.
Being as relatively young as I am, I’ll admit to getting some added satisfaction being in that lane and being one of eight passengers to turn left into the first class area instead of right.
The Flight:
My seat was 2D, the left of the two center seats in the second row. I originally wanted a window seat but none were available — all eight first class seats were occupied.
My first impression of the seat was “huge.” There’s also so much to explore — compartments, pamphlets, buttons, packages. Once I was done settling in, I was greeted in Japanese with a wet towel and some champagne. The flight attendants spoke Japanese to me until I think they looked at the manifest and realized my last name was not Japanese but I didn’t mind it because it was a crash course refresher having not spoken it much in the past two years.
After looking through every compartment, the one inconvenient thing about the overall setup was that the USB and power socket are at the very front of the seat next to the TV so if you don’t have a long cord, you will have to leave your devices to charge there.
Upon finishing lunch service, the flight staff came around to pass out the hefty corduroy Loewe amenity bags (including some premium Shiseido products) and asked if I wanted to change into the pajamas. They only had medium and large in stock, so I chose medium, which was already quite long and large for me (I’m 5'8", 30 waist). After changing, flight attendants take and hang your clothes until you change again before arrival.
The available shows and films to watch were well varied. I ended up watching Big Hero 6, Interstellar, and Into the Woods. I can’t say that I was awake during the entire time though.
The service was impeccable. It’s definitely on the level of Cathay Pacific premium service, if not better. I had a really attentive and warm flight crew attending to me during this flight, which I will detail further below.
The Food:
The food and beverage lists (though booklets might be a more accurate way to describe them) were quite extensive and initially overwhelming. Shortly after take off, you get just the beverage list first as meal service begins with some amuse bouches that I paired with the Champagne Salon 2002. Light snacks were also offered, which I chose some wasabi peas and rice crackers.
After that, the food list was handed out. I initially thought I would lean towards the Western options but they did not seem as appealing as other lists I had seen from other flyers (no wagyu :x), so I opted for the lengthy Japanese course, where the only choices I had to make were what rice I wanted and if I wanted caviar. The caviar was on the Western menu so I originally was hesitant about whether it would be okay to ask for it as well but my lovely flight attendant asked me before I could think too much about it, to which I replied yes (of course).
An assortment of three “Japanese Delicacies” and typical izakaya fare from the a la carte menu were also brought out — wasabi flavored octopus (tako-wasa), spicy scallop, and simmered stem lettuce — which were mostly delicious and great appetizers. The spicy scallop was the only one that was a bit forgettable and slightly odd in texture.
The next course was the Kozara (small dish) arriving beautifully arranged with five small dishes — simmered spring vegetables, grilled sea bream “sakura” flavor with pea sauce, crabmeat and caviar, soy milk jelly, and steamed abalone dressed with cream cheese topped with sea urchin.
My favorite dish was actually the soy milk jelly. It was served with a great thick dashi full of umami. As described simply, it doesn’t sound exciting or appetizing but it was such a pleasant surprise. Other highlights were the crab meat and caviar and the sea bream dishes. The crab meat was so fresh and sweet and a really lovely dish. Although the grilled sea bream was overcooked and tough, it had good flavor, and the green pea puree was fresh, sweet, and delicious — and I don’t even love peas. The one let down was the abalone — a bit tough, and not too much flavor.
After I had finished, the flight attendant had realized she had forgotten to give me a napkin and chopsticks for the course but she was extremely sweet and apologetic. I had wondered if I was really supposed to eat this extremely Japanese dish with my small fork but I didn’t think too much into it and it wasn’t too much of a hindrance. Upon bringing the chopsticks, the flight attendant told me to smell them. Curiously, I complied discovering an intoxicating fragrance similar to being in a sauna or by a campfire — the scent of burnt or warm wood.
The flight attendants are really attentive, walking through quite often, and refilling beverages discreetly without asking. I had to be quick to ask to change drinks as I do hate to waste good booze. Given I was having the Japanese course, I wanted to try the Hakurakusei Junmai Daiginjo they had offered on the flight, and it was so good. I am not a sake connoisseur at all and usually can’t taste the difference between one or another but this, I could really taste the quality. It was extremely smooth and sweet and somewhat floral as well, without any sharpness or gag reflex. I just wanted to keep drinking more and more and I drank it fast.
I also sampled the other sake, and it was sweeter and had a bite to it. It wasn’t as smooth. I found it actually a bit too strong in flavor for pairing with food so I went back to the Hakurakusei.
The Owan (lacquer bowl for soup) course consisted of a clear soup with shrimp mousse. The soup was so clean and fragrant, another delicious and clean dashi. The shrimp ball was extremely fluffy, similar to the texture of tofu with a subtle shrimp flavor. The shrimp ball also comes topped with some greens and yuzu peel for added texture and brightness.
The Shiizakana (substantial) course included Squid and Potato “Sushi” Style / Duck Roll with Welsh Onion, Smoked Salmon Roll with Asparagus, and Saffron Flavored Yam / Shrimp and Vegetables on Skewer.
The duck was a bit chewy but had good flavor with contrasting sweet and tart soy and onion pairing. The squid was very tender and the potato was super smooth and a little sweet. The sushi style created an interesting combination. The saffron flavored yam was bland and crumbly, not entirely pleasant, and the shrimp skewer was quite dry.
For mukozuke (seasonal sashimi), I was offered sea bream, and it was sweet and good.
I had two options for the Hanmono (rice) — Seasoned Rice with Chicken and Burdock or plain steamed rice. I of course opted for the former. The seasoned rice went well with the sweet simmered sable fish and the burdock gives added texture. A highlight was the daikon, which was beautifully rounded and simmered in dashi.
I decided to end the meal with a cheese course, which came with five different varieties.
Not much later into the flight, I somehow was still hungry so I wanted to start trying some of the items on the a la carte menu. The menu on the touch pad was unavailable for the first half of the flight and then when it was, all the food was shown as out of stock. The touch pad didn’t have any differing items not listed on the printed menu so I pushed the call button and asked if the curry was available and it was. A bit of a weird user experience there but I preferred asking in person anyway so this wasn’t an issue for me.
The Vegetable Keema Curry had a good variety of spices. The pickled vegetables that accompanied it were a good tart and textural contrast. The rice was a bit too sticky however.
The flight attendant asked if I wanted any side dishes and helpfully suggested a side salad and ice cream. Who was I to refuse? The Fresh Salad was quite nice. It was a mesclun salad mix with some added fresh peas and dried figs, served with a soy dressing and light ranch dressing on the side.
After a short nap, I was asked if I wanted a light pre-arrival meal. I opted for the udon and a glass of the ROYAL BLUE TEA “Queen of Blue” served chilled in a wine glass, which had a very mellow flavor with a slight bitterness and was quite refreshing. The udon was really good. The dashi was strong and a bit concentrated but it had really good flavor and warmed me up inside. It was topped with a sweet tofu pocket similar to ones used in inari sushi so adding the shichimi on top makes for a good balance.
I finished off the rest of my flight with one of my favorite cocktails, an umeshu soda (plum wine with club soda). It had a perfect balance of sweetness and bubbles and was the perfect refreshing way to start a new day in a new time zone in a new country.
The Details:
Japan Airlines First Class — NYC (JFK) to Tokyo (NRT)
Flight #: JL 5
Duration: ~14 hours; 1:15PM — 4:25PM
Price: 62,500 AA miles + $45.60 ($40 Telephone Ticketing Service + $5.60 in taxes and fees). I’ve read that you can try and get the telephone service fee waived since these flights aren’t available online to purchase.
8 first class seats with 2 rows in a 1–2–1 configuration with the middle seats having a partition that can be lowered — a good option for traveling partners.
I booked this flight 6 weeks before the departure date. I originally was searching for 2 first class seats to travel with a friend but she had to pull out last minute. Finding 2 seat availability was rather difficult that close to the travel date but availability does open up within a week or two if you are able to be flexible.
Final Thoughts:
This was truly an amazing experience, and the best way to start a planned six-week journey around the world. I had a lot of anxiety leading up to this flight because I would be traveling for a bulk of it alone, which I haven’t done before to this extent. But all that anxiety vanished once I boarded that plane and was welcomed so warmly.
Long haul economy flights have always been uncomfortable for me, as I’m unable to sleep or rest well resulting in wanting to get to my destination as soon as possible. But during long haul premium flights, this one especially, I just wanted to experience and try everything I could, not even wanting to sleep. I always say that the true testament to a great premium flight should be that you don’t want the flight to end. In that regard, this experience blew away every flight I’ve flown to this day.
