I’m Blogging from Japan

I am writing this post comfortably sitting on the plane on my way to 3 weeks of vacation in Japan. Except for my husband, all my closed-by neighbors are Japanese. It is my first time that I had the chance to sit in the Executive First Suite where the seat transforms in a flat bed. It is awesome! My husband and I decided many years ago that will go to Japan once we accumulated enough points to get the best seats. This is it!

On a long flight like this, it takes 13 hours from Toronto to Tokyo, you appreciate the extra space. The only drawback of the cocoon is that you are more or less alone. The seats in the middle, which are side by side are the best option for people that travel together. But honestly, it is hard to communicate; especially since you have to overcome the noise of the engine. On the positive side, the room is quiet, which is great for sleeping.

What about the food?

I drank a glass of Champagne Drappier for the apero while the Yali Sauvignon Blanc from Chili was a nice choice with the black cod.

Our first meal service was:

• Smoked salmon with capers, finely diced red onions and pumpernickel bread
• Organic Field Greens and Grape Tomated served with a Balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The dressing was in an individual bottle. Like French, I ate the salad after the main course
• We have 4 choices for the main course. I selected a tasty braised black cod with fennel served over a tomato, saffron and potato broth. I really enjoyed the cubes of tomato and potatoes. I would love to get my hand on this recipe.
• Then, we had a selection of cheese: camembert, yellow cheddar and Oka with crackers.
• For dessert, I opted for fresh fruit, I still can believe that I resisted the tempting warm chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.

There was also a Japanese menu that was available on pre-request. They served snack  in between, if you like.

I did not leave the plane with an empty stomach. The pre-arrival breakfast includes juice, sliced seasonal fruits, yogurt, croissants and pains au chocolat. We have a choice between a chive omelette or a blueberry pancakes. The egg dish delivers a weird combination of flavors.

The Japanese breakfast was okayu, a rice porridge served warm with pickles. Okayu is often served to sick people. It is basically rice cooked in a lot of water. You add the pickles to give flavor to a tasteless porridge.

The sleep cocoon tops my air travel experience. I guess that we will start to accumulate points to fly executive class to go to Australia next.
April17th, 2010 Update: I flew Air Canada. They upgraded their seats on the planes they use for services to Asia. This is the exact plane, the B777 in the 200 configuration.

More about Japan

I will post short videos of cool things I see in Japan during my stay. Several bloggers or friends agreed to write guest posts. This way, you will not only hear about Japan for 3 weeks.