This review is part of the Travel Report (A Weekday in Singapore) and contains reviews of airlines, hotels and lounges during my trip down to Singapore. Hope you can enjoy them all!

Introduction | Japan Airlines

Flying to Japan is one of my favorite adventures to go on, and after spending a few years hoarding a ton of AA points, I finally had a chance to use them on JAL First Class. This flight was the first leg of the trip, with me flying from San Francisco to Tokyo. Booking this part was actually a bit tricky, since I wasn’t sure if there was any way I could connect from Tokyo to Singapore - I decided to add a layover to rest and scour some ramen/sightseeing for a day.

I’ve also documented this flight and shared my experience on my Youtube channel!

Booking | Japan Airlines

First Class flights are never cheap, and at the time of booking, the cost of this flight was an astounding $11,665.00!, No, I didn’t pay cash or credit for this kind of service, but rather, I used 80,000 AA miles and a $75 expedite fee (since I was booking before 21 days of departure). This was a fantastic use case for AA miles and why it' makes sense to accumulate these points for these aspirational moments.

Boarding | Japan Airlines

Before boarding, I headed off to the Cathay Pacific Business/First Class lounge, which you can read about here! It was worth getting some food and relaxation before boarding the flight.

But I’m sure you guys are curious what the flight was like! Japan Airlines is one of those airlines you have to experience firsthand - generally speaking, their business and first class is one off the best in the industry, with the soft product being superior in many ways. Their service is superior and their ability to create some amazing moments is why they’re a 5-star airline on Skytrax.

Boarding with any Japanese airlines is the best. Everyone is in line and organized, and there were no crazy fights or arguments about who goes first. Why can’t we all just get along at all other airlines…I was queued into the 1st line to board (3rd to board after one parental couple and 1st class mate). It took…30 seconds to board. Man.

Seat 1A |. Japan Airlines

First Class on Japan Airlines is far from flashy compared to Emirates or Singapore, but upon embarking onto the plane, it just felt special Specialized touches of your last name and the breakdown of everything are all the major highlights of this trip.

The seat feels incredibly luxurious with the rich brown leather and earth tones. Configured in the 1-2-1 layout across two rows, I chose seat 1A (I died of happiness after finding out I got this enviable seat) and had close to 3-4 windows by myself. Seating is incredibly private and the middle seats have a great partition that can be used if you don’t want to talk to your neighbor or just had an argument with your spouse or girlfriend.

With Seat 1A, it’s a window seat on the left side of the aircraft. But man, this seating and design, it’s incredibly understated. The cabin crew were amused by this asian guy taking pictures and asked if I wanted to chill with the seat and have my picture taken, which I gladly obliged. Compared to Asiana and Singapore first class, it still retains a ton of privacy with the wall that separates you from the aisle and seat behind. In fact, it feels more spacious actually than Singapore First Class and more roomy than Asiana.

Seat 1A Continued | Japan Airlines

The amenity was great, if not too amazing. Compared to its counterparts, they provided something else to combat that. After the amenity kits, we were also given a lovely skincare set from Shiseido (oh hell yea) that contained some ridiculously expensive toner, cleaner and moisturizer. In addition, the flight attendants gave out Bose canceling headphones and a day blanket, which I didn’t bother, since I prefer the cold over the warm environment.

Seat controls on this bad boy is quite awesome, with intuitive designs and even massaging functions. You bet I put this guy to work for the whole flight. The TV screen was even bigger than I imagined, and the remote control next to the console was where you controlled the majority of the content, although you could touch the screen. It was too far in my opinion to be doing some touch activity. The remote control does lag a bit, but that’s easily dealt with some little patience.

Boarding was quick - evident for Japanese airlines, and we were immediately on our way to Japan! We were actually idling in SFO for a bit due to a ton of traffic from incoming aircrafts. But nevertheless, we were up in the air!

Dining | Japan Airlines

If you know me, you know that I LOVE to eat, and I practically only ate a small ball of wonton, two sushi and a Sapporo Premium beer. That’s it. (for most that’s a meal, I digress) One of the liquor I immediately aimed for the was the Suntory Hibiki 17 year old and the Pol Rogers Winston Churchill 2006. These drinks are what I wished I could own in 3-5 years of savings. The flight attendant were super supportive and even gave me the bottle to take pictures with.

If you thought business class elections were good, then you haven’t seen anything yet. Meal service began after the lovely attendant came to set up. Imagine this as a Michelin star in the sky. Presentation is something that I really admire on these kind of flights, and with Japanese cuisine its sometimes a work of art. This time, I brought the right cameras and lens to capture the beauty of these intricate dishes.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Each course was created so beautifully and the seafood, MY GOSH, it’s so fresh. The raw shrimp and the soba noodles to the caviar to the lobster made this meal so worth it.

Amenities | Japan Airlines

Bathroom on the plane? pretty standard, but epically clean, I mean spot on clean - and hey, what do we have, a Japanese bidet toilet? Oh heck yea! Toothbrushes and mouthwashes are provided, and you get some real towels, which is a blessing.

For Japan Airlines first class, you are also given free wifi onboard, which was pretty great for checking some email and messages, although not Netflix or Youtube worthy. I was able to get some Facebook posts ready along with checking my status on my incoming hotel stay at the Hilton Tokyo.

And then comes the turndown service. Man of man, this is better than the Asiana first class flight I had three years ago. When the flight attendant noticed me yawning, she asked if I wanted to get some sleep, to which I was happily obliged. I’ve recorded this with two directions to showcase just how awesome this is. The bed…it’s actually better than some hotel beds. Japan Airlines has provided these ridiculously comfy mattress pads and blankets that rival some 5 star hotels. I can see why most people sleep immediately on this flight. It’s that good. I’m a pretty big fellow, but I’m dead sure I could fit another person on this bed if I wanted to. It’s huge.

And then everyone slept….until two hours left into the flight. Since I was arriving at 7:00pm at night in Tokyo, I tried to stay awake for as long as I can. Prior to arrival, hot towels were being distributed when people started waking up, and pre-arrival meals orders were being taken. Coffee on the plane was awesome - I was given a cute french press and a super awesome mug that came with it.

Conclusion

One of my favorite and most memorable flights ever.

From the moment I began my journey onto the airplane, the cabin crew was incredibly friendly and super attentive, and made the flight so much more amazing. Japanese carriers put a ton of attention and value into having great service, and that’s what makes traveling to Japan so valuable. Lots of culture and respect to be learned going there.