Posted by Seth on July 21, 2011 under Dining, Flying, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports | 
Tokyo for the weekend seemed like a good idea. Actually, it still does seem like a good idea and I’m considering booking more similar trips, but I’m also somewhat hopeful that the trend I experienced on my last trip reverses itself. I managed to book a somewhat creative routing, passing through Hawaii on the way. As the travel progressed through the three flights the flight duration got longer and the seats got smaller. That’s not the way you really want to fly.
LaGuardia to Denver was the first hop and it was a pretty reasonable flight once we got past the part where the originally assigned aircraft had a "major fuel leak" and we got underway. Fortunately flights out of LaGuardia are generally quite well padded on the schedule and we weren’t all that delayed into Denver in the end. The United Airlines 757-200 was pretty much as expected. Nothing special in the seat nor the service, though being called aside during the delay for a personal briefing from the agent managing the delay was a nice touch for Global Services members. As it was a breakfast flight the choices were eggs or cereal. I chose the eggs for some strange reason.
Despite the interesting texture imprint on top the eggs were actually pretty good. The sausage and potatoes were very flavorful; the fruit pretty bland.
Once in Denver I chose to buy my own meal for the onward flight. Yes, my upgrade had cleared for the Denver – Honolulu flight, but something in me decided that was the right move. In the end I actually gave away my seat so a couple could sit together, in large part because I had that food, so it worked out well for everyone in question. Also, I had a much better meal for lunch than would have otherwise been the case. As I mentioned in the full post on that flight the crew was exceptional, perhaps to a fault, once they realized I had downgraded myself. Had it not been for the downgrade, however, I’m not so convinced. Either way, the seat was definitely smaller, though Economy Plus certainly doesn’t suck.
The last flight of the day, from Honolulu to Tokyo’s Haneda airport, was the longest and also involved the smallest seat, a regular economy assignment on an Air Japan d/b/a ANA 767-300. The interior was pretty similar to a Continental 767 so that was at least familiar to me, if not especially comfortable. The seats were fine, but nothing special. They do have a footrest under the seat in front but that was less than useful for a passenger taller than 5′ 7" or so.
 |
| The bulkhead in the mini-cabin actually looks quite comfortable but I was not so lucky to secure such a seat assignment. |
I was rather impressed with the initial meal service on the flight. In economy we had a choice of a pork curry or scallops and asparagus main. Side included noodles as well as salmon and some veggies. One of the better coach meals I can remember recently.
Combined with the snack I picked up at the L&L just outside the airport it was sufficient to make for a pretty good dinner overall.
The flight also includes an arrival meal which wasn’t nearly as good as the first meal, but more than nothing. There were some pickled veggies, a fruit cup and a wrap that had some sort of meat-ish flavoring inside.
The best part of the flight for me was picking up a new carrier and a fun new line. The service was good, as is generally expected from the Asian carriers.
That the seats got progressively smaller during the trip as I got progressively more tired didn’t matter all that much; it turns out that I’ll sleep anywhere if I’m tired enough. Sure, I’d rather the trend was the other direction but I’ll take what I can get. Besides, I can claim it was prep for my pod hotel experience.
Just another day of living the dream.
Related Posts:
Tags: ANA, Boeing, Continental, Dining, elite status, Hawaii, in flight, Japan, New York, New York City, Photos, review, Tokyo, Trip Report, TYO2011, United, upgrade
Posted by Seth on July 13, 2011 under Dining, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports |
Tucked away under the tracks of Japan‘s famed Shinkansen bullet trains in central Tokyo is a dining experience that is hard to beat: Yakitori Alley. The area has become rather developed lately, with "real" restaurants filling in a number of the old shop areas and changing the feel a bit. Still, show up any evening and slide on to a stool and you’ll likely be left with some of the same thoughts I was.
They serve what?!?!
Everything, apparently. Given the translation mistakes that happen from time to time between Japanese and English part of me wants to think that these weren’t really options on the menu. But I know that is not true. They really are serving up gizzards, liver, heart, intestine, bowels and uterus, among other things. Turns out I’m not all that adventurous an eater, especially when the minimum order is two skewers and I’m on my own at the table and want to try more than one stall. Still, I did venture out to such "crazy" options as chicken meatballs and leeks.
One other minor bit on the ordering options: each shop seems to only offer one type of beer. So if you’re looking for Asahi and you’re in a Sapporo stall you’ll be out of luck. I figured out eventually that the ones out on the street advertise their beer choice in the bins that make up the tables. I also learned long ago that I don’t really care that much about the beer amongst those choices so I just drank whatever was available.
I regret that I have but one stomach to give for my travels
In addition to all the choices of animal parts (and some veggies, too!) there are a number of stalls to choose from. Two sit in what appears to be the original area, literally in a passage under the train tracks. The others line an adjacent block, setting up their stools and tables out into the street to accommodate the large number of customers and to keep the social outdoor scene alive.
That’s a dozen or so restaurants, all vying for customers and all of which I wanted to try. The food is cheap enough (JPY160-200; $2-2.50 for most skewers) and the beer not too unreasonably priced (JPY550-600;$6-7.50 for a pint) that one can certainly try a number of the shops without breaking the bank. But there was no way I was only ordering one skewer at each stall. I’m sure the owners wouldn’t appreciate it and it is a horribly way to get a feel for the quality of a restaurant. But I really, really, really wanted to try more of them.
Damn, that was good
So I couldn’t eat at all the stalls or really even a lot of them. In the end I only made it through two before exhaustion, budget and beer consumption issues finally conspired against me. And they were damn good. The shop under the tracks (I ended up at the one with the pig in front) was better than the one outside, but it is also much smaller and harder to get a seat a if you aren’t there early. And neither was bad.
They grill the meat to order, which is to say that they put it on the grill when you order it and serve it when it is ready; you’re not going to ask for the intestines to be served medium rare. But the food is served up fresh and the beer is cold. Plus the food is actually really, really good, assuming you like grilled meats. Somewhat surprisingly to me the chicken was better than the pork (a bit rubbery on the latter in both places I tried it). Not surprisingly I preferred the regular chicken over the chicken meatballs (though I felt compelled to try both given some of the reviews I had read about the meatballs).
For better or for worse my visit was on a Saturday and that meant fewer locals enjoying the food and beer. It also meant that I could actually get a seat and eat and not feel like I was taking up space from folks who knew what they were doing there. Such is life, I suppose. Much like having not yet experienced the Tokyo subway at rush hour I think I’m willing to forgive missing that experience for the sake of my sanity.
Also, finding Yakitori Alley can be a bit of a challenge. The closest subway exit is A2 at the Hibiya station. Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk along side the railroad until you see the passage way with the glowing lights and the grill smoke rising from it. Exit C1 from the Ginza station offers more subway line connections and isn’t too much farther away. From here you’re closer to the "uncovered" yakitori stalls rather than the original ones under the tracks. You pretty much want to aim for the "o" in Yurakucho in the middle of this map.
Related Posts
Posted by Seth on July 12, 2011 under Hotel, Mileage Run, points, Review, Trip Reports |
Two years ago on my visit to Japan I slept in a plywood box. It was a crude approximation of the somewhat famous "pod" hotels as implemented by a hostel in the Asakusa region of Tokyo. On this trip I decided to actually plan a bit more in advance and find a proper pod hotel to try a couple nights. I ended up in the Hotel Nihonbashi Villa and, well, it was definitely a good deal for the price paid.
To be clear, I wasn’t expecting much. I needed a bed. And somewhere to shower in the morning. The capsule room at Nihonbashi Villa definitely met those requirements. They even threw in a small TV with a dozen or so channels and a radio/alarm clock, too. And it was cheap. I booked through hotels.com to get my Welcome Rewards credits and got a rate there of about $34/night, a bit less than the JPY2900/night advertised on the hotel’s site. For that price it probably rates a 3-4 star ranking.
The main negative bit about it was the heat. The capsule was stifling with the "door" closed. Cracking it just a couple inches at the bottom made a huge difference and the common room air conditioner kicked in nicely at that point. Plus pretty much all of Tokyo was on the verge of steaming in the heat and humidity. Still, the lack of ventilation was a bit rough. Jet lag can do amazing things, however, and I managed to sleep quite well both nights.
Also, if you’re much taller than 5’11" expect to fill the sleeping space completely. I was definitely "cozy" inside from head to toe, though there was plenty of width for me, even with the small shelf on the inside wall.
At check in you get a set of towels, a robe and a toiletry kit of a razor and toothbrush. It is clear that most guests are not book in advance types who plan the stay in advance.
My other (minor) complaint is that I was in a capsule on the 4th floor and the showers were on the first, with just a sweltering stairwell to connect them. Such is life.
Speaking of showers, the best analogy I can draw is a high school gym with a few semi-private stalls. Clean enough (though not necessarily clean) and more than functional, but definitely a shared use facility. There was also a small sink area for finishing up prep before returning to your room to get dressed and head out for the day.
The common area offers free WiFi but there is none in the room areas. The common areas also have a couch, vending machines and it is the designated smoking area for guests in the pods; fortunately the capsule areas are non-smoking.
Would I do it again? Probably if the trip was night or two. Would I do it again during the hottest week of the year in Tokyo? Absolutely not. Would I try to save some cash if it was more than one person by doing two of them? Not a chance. The capsule/pod hotels are great for the very specific demographic that they aim at. For most other folks they are a really, really bad idea.
Related Posts
Posted by Seth on July 11, 2011 under Trip Reports |
OK, fine. It is already dead by the time it gets to the market, so not much of a life. It is still rather amazing to see just how quickly a tuna gets processed at Tokyo‘s Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, better known by its location name, Tsukiji. The fish are brought in from the boats early every morning. In a matter of hours they are reviewed, purchased, transported, sectioned and sold again to buyers who will be serving them for lunch or dinner later that same day.
I visited the market back in March of 2009 and when I got to Tokyo this past weekend that was really the only absolute "must-do" of my plans. I’m incredibly glad I did. The process for getting in to the auction part of the market is a bit harder now. You have to show up early and apply for one of the 140 passes that are issued each day. Thanks to jetlag and being lost I missed out on that part of the trip so I have to rely on my videos from last time for the auction bit.
Once the auction concludes the fish is loaded on a cart and wheeled through the narrow aisles of the market to the stall of their buyer, and I was awake and in the right place this trip to capture the experience.
From there the fish has to be cleaned and sectioned. This is the most impressive part of the process to me, mostly because the tuna are so huge and so expensive that any waste can mean lost money on the transaction. Plus the tools these guys use are awesome. It is not your typical chef’s knife that is going to be able to cut a 200 pound fish into pieces.
Quarter by quarter the fish is prepared. Some of the cuts are made by just one person. Some of the bigger ones, however, are made using a knife that is more like a sword and that cannot be handled by just one person. Plus you need one or two guys to hold the fish while it is being cut. The whole thing is a pretty awesome process to watch.
Eventually a second set of buyers (like the guy in the blue hat) get involved, taking the sectioned pieces for their individual shop, restaurant or secondary processor.
It is amazing just how quickly this whole process happens. It is a matter of 60-90 minutes before the fish is moving out the door and on its way to your stomach.
Related Posts
Posted by Seth on July 7, 2011 under Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
I’m sitting on a United Airlines 767-300 somewhere over the Pacific Ocean right now, wondering just which screws are loose in my head today. Yeah, I’ve always been a little crazy, particularly when it comes to travel, but today might be the nuttiest yet. And so, as we pass the half-way point to Hawaii (I hope I win the contest!) I’m wondering to myself just what was I thinking. I chose to downgrade myself for no good reason.
My flight itinerary is reasonably simple, if not a bit circuitous. I’m booked from New York City‘s LaGuardia to Denver to Honolulu to Tokyo‘s Haneda airports on the outbound half of a weekend mileage run to Japan. By virtue of my elite status I received upgrades on the first two segments and I happily selected my seats in row 1 as I often do. There was a bit of a delay getting out of LGA but we did eventually and I even had time to grab some food in Denver during the connection. Sure, I was upgraded but I like choosing my own meal when I have the chance so I grabbed a burrito for the flight and made my way over to the gate.
Boarding was pretty simple and I was all set to curl myself into my assigned seat, 1J, and enjoy the flight.
The guy sitting in 1H asked if I’d mind trading seats with his wife in 2A. Window for window and while I’d be losing the bulkhead row that I generally prefer I’d get to be on the port side of the plane which, when flying into Honolulu generally means better views on the landing (similar to San Diego). All in all a relatively fair trade and it doesn’t cost me all that much to make two other people quite happy. I gladly accept. That’s when things get strange.
The man in 2B, acknowledging that it is a long shot, asks if he can "make it worth my while" to trade with his wife who is seated in row 17. That’s in the Economy Plus section of the plane, not the first class cabin. I’m pretty sure I shocked him and his wife when I said yes. More so when I refused to take the cash he tried to offer me in trade. I know I was a little surprised at myself.
And so I ended up with this view for the 6.5 hour long flight.
Needless to say, the Purser was quite confused when they started to take meal orders up front as there was no Mr. Miller to be found. She eventually tracked me down in 17J and she too was surprised that I made the trade of my own volition and without remorse. She admonished me just a tiny bit but was accepting of my explanation that I did it of my free will.
Here’s the craziest part of the whole thing: I’m not really sure I got that bad of a deal. The 767-300 domestic configuration on United is called the "ghetto bird" for a reason; the first class cabin really isn’t all that significant an upgrade over Economy Plus. I had the meal that I wanted. I had the drinks that I wanted (I have more than enough drink chits anyways and there may have been a comp or two as part of the trade). I have enough leg room that I can cross my legs when I feel like it. Yes, my seat is a bit narrower, but it isn’t sufficiently so that I really notice. So why help another couple on their way to Hawaii start the trip off a bit special?
Yeah, I know that I’m nuts. A part of me is wondering while writing this why I don’t really care. After all, I was sweating the upgrade before it actually came through. In the end, however, I legitimately do not mind having made the swap.
Definitely a few screws loose.
ps- Just bought my seat mate a beer with my drink chits. Gotta use ‘em some how, right?
Posted by Seth on May 25, 2011 under Flying, frequent flyer, News, points |
If you’ve got the days to spare (4 night minimum) and can find flights that work, this is a deal not to be missed. The Japan National Tourism Organization has partnered with JAL, Continental, ANA and United Airlines as well as five hotels in Tokyo to offer up a simply unbelievable package. It is pricing at $780 including all taxes and fees and includes round-trip air and four nights of hotel in Tokyo.
Considering that the best sale fares seem to hit around $575 or so adding on $200 for the hotel is a bargain unless you planned on sleeping in a plywood box like I did last time I was there. And the hotels participating appear to be pretty nice (one has rack rates over $250/night).
Availability is spotty but it is there for some departure dates. Bookings must be done through an affiliated travel agency, not online. And there are no guarantees that you’ll earn frequent flyer points on the flights as they could be considered consolidator tickets. Still, if the inventory shows up and you can spare the time this is a phenomenal deal. Plenty of time to have a blast in Tokyo.
If you need some ideas of things to do once you get there, consider these:
Related Posts:
Posted by Seth on March 17, 2011 under News |
Interesting report from Damien over at upgrd noting that Lufthansa has pulled Tokyo off the market. The change is in effect for flights through 28 March at this point. Flights previously scheduled for service to Tokyo are now routing to Osaka and Nagoya with a stop in Seoul in both directions. Keeping flight crews out of Tokyo overnights explains the Seoul stops and there are plenty of reasons to have the flights terminate in Osaka or Nagoya rather than Tokyo.
It does raise the question, however, of what some of the other airlines are doing for flight crews on trips to or from Tokyo. As of today US-based carriers are mostly running their schedules as normal (the new Haneda flights are being suspended), without the re-routes or alternate destinations. And while flights departing Tokyo are packed the inbounds have seen a "measurable decline" in traffic, according to United Airlines.
Needless to say, my planned trip to Tokyo next weekend is now off. The only question remaining is whether I try to do it in the fall or try to head somewhere else in Asia now. I guess it all depends on how flexible the phone agents are.
Posted by Seth on April 2, 2010 under Flying, News |
Delta Airlines has decided to go a bit crazy this afternoon with coach pricing to Tokyo, Sydney and other destinations in Asia. They’ve loaded a number of fares <$500 for trips from New York City and Cleveland to Narita. They’ve also loaded ~$900 fares from New York and Minneapolis to Sydney; from San Francisco Sydney can be had for <$700.
These fares are a great deal if you don’t mind going that far in coach and if you can spare the time off. Most of them have 3+ day minimum stays required and are only valid through the next couple weeks.
Deals have also been spotted in Denver, Houston and Los Angeles. If you’re itching to get on a plane, give your favorite airport a try and see what you come up with.
Good luck!
Posted by Seth on March 31, 2010 under frequent flyer, News |
American Airlines and jetBlue announced an agreement today that will see the carriers begin to sell flights on each other’s metal and also shift a number of landing slots around. American will cede eight slot pairs at Washington, DC’s National Airport to jetBlue in exchange for twelve slot pairs at New York City’s JFK airport. jetBlue will remain the leading carrier at JFK measured by frequencies even after this swap. At the same time, in conjunction with the five slot pairs at National that they are expected to acquire from US Airways, jetBlue will be able to build a significant operation up very quickly at the airport starting late this year.
In addition to the slot swap the two carriers have announced plans to offer interline connections to each others’ flights at JFK and in Boston. American Airlines’ customers will be able to leverage jetBlue’s position as the leading domestic carrier at both of these airports by booking single tickets through for routes where AA doesn’t offer service but jetBlue does. At the same time, jetBlue customers will be able to book connections onto AA’s international flights through the two airports. American is second only to Delta in international operations at JFK, offering connections to London, deep South America, Tokyo and a number of destinations in continental Europe. AA is also a leader in the transatlantic market in Boston.
It should be noted that, at this time, the agreement does not specify code-sharing between the two carriers or interline ticketing beyond the very specific destinations. It is a very limited partnership, at least for now. Mostly it means a single ticket can be issued for the connections and that luggage can be checked at the originating jetBlue station for outbound long-haul international travel.
Of course, any discussion such as this one leads to questions about additional tie-ups in operations and in the loyalty programs. And, this announcement still leaves plenty of opportunities and options, but no definitive answers on most of those issues. Will jetBlue be joining up with OneWorld, the global alliance that AA is a major player in? Not right now but the future is wide open? What about jetBlue’s interline agreements with partial owner Lufthansa and with Aer Lingus? Both of those will continue as they have been operating previously. Oh, and still no details on how the frequent flyer loyalty programs will integrate in terms of earning points or other benefits across the new partnership.
For American this seems to be a move to retain market share in the transatlantic market. They currently offer very few onward destinations for passengers connecting through JFK who aren’t staying in New York City. The move will allow them to increase that coverage significantly with a minimal investment. For jetBlue the ability to attract customers who are keen to travel more outside the Americas is a significant hole in their route network that they will be able to better fill now.
In many ways this partnership seems to be placing jetBlue into a role similar to that of Alaska Airlines. They provide a broad regional coverage and partner with a number of different airlines from a variety of alliances. They don’t have to declare loyalty to just one alliance and they don’t have to fully integrate their loyalty scheme with those programs. They forge alliances of convenience and partner to fill strategic gaps. Customers from both sides win and the airlines are able to grow without significant capital outlay.
At this point it probably doesn’t make too much sense for jetBlue to join one of the global alliances, particularly given their strong position at JFK and Boston and their ability to strike opportune partnerships to improve their route footprint with whichever partner presents that opportunity to them at a particular connection point.
Tags: Aer Lingus, Alaska Air, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, frequent flyer, JetBlue, London, Lufthansa, New York City, OneWorld, Tokyo, Washington DC
Posted by Seth on March 17, 2010 under News |
The American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) program is one of those benefits that their cardholders find either incredibly valuable or an incredible waste of marketing materials. The benefits are certainly tangible but the cost to get there can be quite high. Paying extra to be in a fancy hotel just to get the free breakfast doesn’t always make sense, especially when one wouldn’t otherwise be in that level of hotel.
Still, the annual update of the properties in the program is a much anticipated event by many as the changes can change booking habits for a number of customers. In previous years the property list came as a huge glossy book with tons of photos and detailed descriptions of each property. This year the update was a matte post card with only the new properties listed. Indeed, budget cuts are deep, even in the luxury travel sector.
So, what are the new properties this year? There are over 60 new hotels joining the program, about half of which are Four Seasons properties. In addition to the 30ish Four Seasons properties there are a number of Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency locations joining the program (Tokyo, Goa, Shanghai and Aruba) as well as a couple Mandarin Oriental properties added (Barcelona, Las Vegas and Jakarta). There are a number of non-affiliated hotels as well such as The Pierre, Montage Beverly Hills, The Resort at Pelican Hill, Lizard Island and La Momounia Marrakech.
This year’s new additions look like a solid group of properties and represent good growth in the FHR program. Too bad that I’ll still likely not use it this year.
