NH5 LAX-NRT The First ANA First Square Experience

This is part 2 of a Tokyo trip report. For other parts please follow the links...

Ch 1: LAX First Class/Business Class Star Alliance Lounge
Ch 2: NH5 LAX-NRT The First ANA First Square Experience
Ch 3: Seven Nights at the Conrad Tokyo
Ch 4: NRT ANA Suite Lounge Satellite 5
Ch 5: NH6 NRT-LAX The Second ANA First Square (JA732A)

Now let's continue on to the F cabin behind the curtain...

First Class ONLY!

We were hanging out in the Star Alliance lounge waiting for our gate escort as we were told would happen at check-in. Right when the announcement was made in the lounge for boarding S showed up (ANA's assistant station manager at LAX). How did she time is so well?? S offered to carry our bags. I can't get over having someone smaller than me carrying my bags so I declined and rolled my own. I did give her a bag of goodies to give to the cabin crew though!

Today we got Gate 123A which is on the north and older side of TBIT so we had a bit of a walk to go. When we got to the gate literally no one was there except for the ANA ground agents. I was confused since I thought boarding had just started.

Before I could even completely process the empty gate all of the agents rapid fired us with greetings, smiles, "Welcome aboard," and "Thank you for flying with us today!" In my utter confusion things started to go by in a blur. I barely remember getting my boarding pass scanned. I don't remember if there was one bridge or two bridges. I just knew that once I stepped on board I was somehow in the F cabin being greeted by countless flight attendants in both Japanese and English.

The only explanation for this is "Japanese customer service." You can be totally confused and yet you'll end up where you need to go because you will be courteously nudged in the right direction.

Seat 1K

I somehow ended up in Seat 2K happy as a little kid. BT was in Seat 1K. Today there were 6 out of 8 seats in first class occupied and the seat next to me was open

My first impression of the seat in real life, "Wow." It's big, and there's storage everywhere. The seat is so big that you actually have difficulty looking out the window as there's a shelf between the seat and the window. You also have to lean forward to even see out a window.

I was in such a state of shock still that I didn't know what to do with myself and my bags.
I put my bags onto the seat and asked the nearest flight attendant, "Where do I put my bags???"
"You can place them underneath the footrest here."
"Oh!"

And that was when an assault of gifts happened.
"Champagne?"
"Uh ok."
I was given a rundown of the amenities and the seat functions. The Rimowa kit (dark gray for this flight), Sony digital noise cancelling headphones, and the ANA magico accu-pressure device were already placed in front of the screen. A flight attendant also presented me with pajamas and slippers which she opened up and placed at my feet.

I changed in to my pajamas right away because I wanted to be as comfortable as possible.

Rimowa amenity kit, ANA magico device, Sony digital noise cancelling headphones

Back at my seat I started examining the amenities. The ANA magico device was probably the strangest amenity I have ever seen on a plane. It's supposed to be an accu-pressure device that helps release muscle tension and comes with its own little carrying bag that I thought was really cute. It also came with a manual to different uses for it.

Pre-departure beverage

The Rimowa amenity kit is probably one of the most sought after collectors items in F class flights as each airline has different colors. ANA alone seems to change the color of their kits periodically. I particularly liked the dark gray color. Inside it came with The Ginza face wash and facial lotion along with the standard toothbrush and other things. 

In F you get the Sony digital noise cancelling headphones. I've never had a pair of these before but I can certainly see its merits when trying to watch something on the IFE. 

And of course, any discarded plastic wrappings were immediately removed by a flight attendant because first class passengers should not be bothered with trash. Ahh Japanese customer service! 

Another flight attendant showed up at my seat with a basket of even more amenities. I selected the leg refreshing sheet, another toothbrush, lip balm, and a refreshing scent card. I asked this flight attendant if everyone had boarded already. She blinked and replied, "I believe so."

This meant we were literally the last people to board - rock star style. The ANA staff had timed it so perfectly. (Not that I would have minded boarding a little early.)

I had another flight attendant come and introduce herself to me. She spoke to me in rapid fire Japanese but I was able to understand that she was apologizing for the short duration of the flight and told me to relax and enjoy it. Well can we just fly in circles above Japan for a bit?? I wouldn't mind!

Before I knew it we were pushing back and the safety video was playing. And I was still trying to process everything that has happened. 

If you enjoy jet engines and sheer raw power, there are some downsides to sitting in the nose of the plane. You're so far up front you literally can't hear the engines when they start or whenever they power up. I was a little sad that I wouldn't get the cabin vibrations when a GE90 starts up. You also can't see the wings or any of the awesome wing flexing action when flying through turbulence. Of course if you are a first class passenger you can walk anywhere on the plane....

Turning on to 25R for takeoff

The quick glimpse of the runway is quite a view when you're in the nose. It is like what the pilots are seeing.

The takeoff was really smooth off of Runway 25R. Past 10,000 feet some the usual announcements were made about electronics including a flight information announcement from the captain. This was also the cue for the flight attendants to start their service.

I was given the menu booklet which included the flight's menu for NH5 and NH6 and the drink menu and a warm wet towel (おしぼり). The chief pursor, Ms. T (because I forgot her full name), asked if I wanted anything to drink to which I said, "Krug please."

If you fly ANA F, you drink Krug - no excuses (unless pregnant or medicated). The wet towel is standard for Japanese customer service prior to a meal or drink. Depending on the environment you can get a warm or cold one. In this case it was warm and lavender scented (the scent of ANA F).

Pre-departure beverage transformed in to warm hot towel!

Ms. T quickly returned from the galley and opened up my table for my champagne. 

Schott Zwiesel champagne flute

Notice how both ANA napkins have the logo facing towards me? That's how high the attention to detail was. Anything with the ANA logo was always carefully placed with the logo facing towards me.

I'm pretty grateful that I took the time to get a minor in Japanese in my undergrad days because I was able to explain to Ms. T that I wanted my meal to be a split between the Western and Japanese side. Plus it was just easier for her to serve me in her native language. Ms. T took my order and served each course flawlessly despite my confusing order. I also asked for some flat water with lime because I was starting to get a headache from my now third glass of champagne for the day. 

The second flight attendant serving our side of the cabin brought out the amuse-bouche while I was sipping on my water and champagne. Ahh...first class life! 

Amuse-bouche,

ANA's in-flight menu changes every three months and it can be found online at their website. We were eating from the spring menu which is valid through May 2014. This menu's amuse-bouche includes: smoked salmon and scallop tartar in a tart cup, risotto wrapped in roasted beef with ponzu soy sauce, marinated mushroom in sherry vinegar, and a cheese pepper bar. 

I was pretty hungry from my micro-omelette earlier so I ate the amuse-bouche pretty fast. It was absolutely delicious and I couldn't wait to see what else was coming. After the amuse-bouche was cleaned up the table was set for the actual start of the meal. 

Let's eat!

In addition to the Krug you must have the caviar. Caviar and champagne go hand-in-hand. And if you're flying first class you live it up. So....

Caviar appetizer

I'm just a lowly citizen. I've never had caviar before like this in my life. And my goodness this was delicious. Do try caviar on the plane.

It was during this time that I also noticed a neat feature of the in flight entertainment system. Seat to seat messaging! I had a few good laughs with this. Unfortunately it doesn't let you know if you have any messages unless you are specifically on the messaging screen.

Here's a funny side story.

BT loves photo ops. So he asked Ms T. to place the bottle of Krug on his table so that he could take a photo of the bottle with the glass. 

"Certainly Mr. BT," as she put the bottle down.

...and then she never came back for it.

...so he drank a bottle by himself....

Making the flight worth it? Yes. 

Krug Grande Cuvee

Now back to our regular programming!

The dining table is actually designed such that you can move it out of the way and get out of your seat. This is actually awesome because the meals in F can last a few hours and I have had my share of being trapped in my seat in the back of the plane. It enabled me to take pictures like this of San Francisco between courses.

What a view of SF during a meal!!

My next course was Japanese course. Ms. T explained that she will now switch the table setting to Japanese. She removed the Western silverware and placed a black tray with chopsticks on it (with the logo facing me of course).

先ずけ（後ろ）、前菜（前）
Sakizuke (rear), Zensai (front)

The Sakizuke is a starter of dressed squid with a spicy cod roe. The Zensai contains simmered prawn in soy-based sauce, asparagus rolled with smoked salmon, simmered ivory shell in soy-based sauce, vegetable rolled with grilled beef, tofu pickled in miso paste, simmered sweet potato in lemon sauce (YUM), and simmered black bean with syrup.

If there are multiple layers of food heaven, I visiting new layers of it with each course. What am I at? 3rd level heaven right now?

The next course was the Owan which is a clear broth soup with simmered duck coated with kudzu starch in seafood stock along with some vegetables. 4th heaven! Surprisingly I think this was my most favorite part of the meal. Maybe because I was in an airplane and it was a little bit cold but this soup really hit the spot. I should have ordered another one!

お椀、Owan

All the while Ms. T. was expertly timing the pace between courses. When I was done I was given a little bit of time to relax before moving on to the next meal. I suppose I was being watched but I had no inclination of it.

With the same precision the next course came which was the Otsukuri which contained sashimi of quick-seared tuna, boiled octopus, and steamed crabmeat. 5th heaven!

お造り, Otsukuri

After I finished Ms. T reconfirmed with me that it was time to move back to the Western menu for my main dish. The black tray and chopsticks were removed and the Western table setting was redone. Ms. T brought the main out shortly afterwards.

Entree!

The main consists of a prawn and scallop brochette, sauteed Chilean seabass with saffron sauce. 

I'll say it again. Saffron sauce. I LOVE saffron! I was firmly in 5th heaven not wanting to leave. The temperature of the food was perfect and the flavors were spectacular. 

My next course was the cheese course with camembert, stilton, and morbier cheese. I also got a little bottle of honey from Ms T since I wanted to have my camembert with honey. 6th heaven!

Cheese course

I was really starting to get full at this point but yes you must not forget the most amazing part of any meal. Dessert! It consisted of a strawberry syrup with two scoops of vanilla and one scoop of coffee. I've reached 7th heaven!!

Ice cream dessert

I was quite stuffed at this point but I didn't feel uncomfortably stuffed. I ordered some green tea to wrap things up which came with a plate of petit fours.

Petit fours (or threes?)

If you ever fly ANA please drink the green tea. The first time I flew ANA was with my mom and we were so impressed by the flavorful tea that each of us drank at least 6 large cups of it. It's one of my favorite flying memories and I forever remember ANA because of it.

お茶、Green tea

Both BT and I were utterly stuffed from our meals so we decided to see the rest of the airplane while our beds were being made.

Immediately on the other side of the F class curtain is business (J) class.

ANA Staggered Business Class Cabin

I have heard many good things about ANA's staggered business product which has all aisle access and lay flat seats. The cabin is in a 1-2-1 configuration. 

ANA Staggered Business Class Seat

We both tried them out a bit and found them to be quite comfortable. I especially liked the large side table with the cool blue lights. 

Behind the J cabin is the PY cabin or the premium economy cabin. If you are on a budget but can afford something a little nicer this is a great product to try out. You get more leg room, a wider seat, foot rest, business class desserts, and mid-flight snacks. For the plane nuts, it is right in the middle of the plane and you will get the best wing views in this small section. And what a wing that is on the 777-300ER.

JA731A Boeing 777-300ER Wing

JA731A Boeing 777-300ER Wing

Behind the premium economy mini-cabin is the economy cabin. I have flown ANA Y class many times. A lot of people hate the fixed back seats but I like them because I don't have to worry about intruding on the space of the person behind me. The seat pitch is quite good, the service is of course excellent even in Y. ANA's food catering is still great in Y too. (I won't forget that time my relatives were complaining about the lack of food on their flights on United and CX in economy while I was enjoying nikudon (肉丼))

ANA Economy Class

Back in the nose of the plane Ms. T had finished making my bed in the empty seat next to me (2G).

Seat 2G in bed setting

Bed mode is quite awesome. There's a mattress pad, blanket, memory foam pillow, and a normal pillow. I also noticed a hint of lavender scent as I settled in to the bed. I can never get tired of lavender scent.

I was actually pretty tired from the excitement of my trip so I was able to nap for a few hours. I found that the blanket was a little bit narrow which is a problem for me because I am a side sleeper. Otherwise I found the bed to be really comfortable. Frankly it is a luxury just to be able to stretch out and lay flat on an airplane.

I was woken up by turbulence somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and the great snoring sounds of BT. It turns out he was on his back, mouth wide open, noise cancelling headphones on and snoring louder than any cabin noise. I think the Krug finally got to him. Sigh...I'm sure the cabin attendants found it amusing. 

I went back to 2G and relaxed for a bit before I decided that I was bored and wanted to snack. I woke BT up and asked if he wanted to have some snacks with me and he agreed. So we started with...

IPPUDO "FURUSATO" (Soy Sauce) Ramen

..the famous Ippudo Ramen. This was quite tasty but I have had better. To be fair, I think it is quite hard to get the ramen just right on board an airplane. The noodles were a little bit more soggy than I would have liked. On top of that my absolute best bowl of ramen that I've ever had (to this date) was almost 10 years ago in Hokkaido Japan at Chitose Airport. All in all, I am probably just picky.

BT, having had less courses than me during lunch also had the chicken curry and steamed rice which he had with green tea. Yes! There is freshly steamed rice on board! 

Chicken curry and steamed rice

By this time we had started to turn south towards Japan.

Air Show

I killed some time relaxing a bit more on the bed (sitting cross legged and reading off my tablet!) and watching parts of Frozen (Let it go...let it gooo!)

Ms. T did periodically check up on me to see if I needed anything. I usually just ordered green tea because I love ANA's green tea if you didn't know that already. 

Eventually it was time for our pre-arrival (light) meal (軽めのお食事). The Western option looked entirely unappealing to me and I figured the best way to kick off my vacation in Tokyo was to have a full Japanese course.

The Japanese option consisted of 

Kobachi: Mozuku seaweed in vingeared sauce 小鉢：もずく酢

Shusai: Grilled Chilean seabass with soy-based sauce　主催：チリアンシーバス幽庵焼き

Steamed rice, miso soup, and assorted Japanese pickles or rice porridge　御飯　味噌汁　香の物　お粥

and an Accompaniment of dried seaweed　海苔, natto (fermented soybean　納豆), or simmered Japanese clam in ginger-flavored soy sauce　生姜しじみ

I'm not a natto fan so I ordered the dried seaweed. In hindsight I wish I ordered the clams but the seaweed was enjoyable (I love seaweed!).

Light Japanese Meal

This meal was awesome. Don't let its simplicity fool you. The flavors were just too die for. I was immediately reminded why I love traditional Japanese breakfasts (minus natto) so much. The fish was sweet and full of flavor. The rice was so fragrant and better than anything I could steam on the ground. I wish I could have this for breakfast everyday! 

BT, not to be outdone, also ordered another bowl of ramen and decided to have some sake with it which Ms T happily obliged to. I had a sip of the sake and it was the smoothest sake I have ever had. The ANA F drink menu is another extensive menu in of itself full of quality drinks that you would spend an entire flight trying out.

More ramen with sake

I changed back in to my normal clothes after the meal. With another excellent meal out of the way and me sipping on my cup of green tea and looking out the window Ms. T and her partner in crime suddenly showed up at my seat with a large blue bag.

They thanked me for my patronage and gave me a little present that they put together themselves. I was so surprised. I had seen other people receiving gifts on these flights but I wasn't expecting that I would get one! 

Gift bag from cabin attendants

Inside the bag was a set of trivia postcards in Japanese and English, a copy of the menu, and some very awesome ANA postcards.

ANA postcard collection

Little did I know they also customized the menu for me! They left me a really heartfelt note and using blue and silver stars marked out what we ate on the menu so that I could always look back and remember. The note also included the flight information and the temperature in Tokyo.

Thank you note from cabin attendants

And then the magic ride in the clouds was coming to an end and we were in our final descent in to Narita Airport. We touched down and taxied for what seemed like forever until we reached our gate. We were of course amongst the first people to disembark. "Good by Ms. T. Thank you very much for your service today. It was excellent!"

I really didn't want to leave the airplane. And that is when you know the crew has done an excellent job. My one regret is not being able to remember all of their names.

JA731A After Performing NH5

And then we found ourselves in Japan...

Welcome to Japan!

Next chapter: Seven Nights at the Conrad Tokyo