Japan TR (include JL & CX F review)

[boomy]

Despite the short delay in departure we landed on time in NRT. Terminal 2 was almost deserted at that time. There was one AA flight that landed just before us and most pax from that one went out already.
As I said earlier our flight was an all Japanese pax flight (well, almost) so we got to breeze through the visitors line while the locals had to queue up for immigration. Our bags were among the first to come out, good to know priority tags are still respected at some airports. We even managed to catch the early shuttle to our hotel so definitely a good start to our holiday.
But then came the never ending drive from NRT to Conrad. It felt like eternity crawling through the rush hour traffic in Tokyo.
Finally, after 90 minutes (which seemed longer then our 9 hours flight!) we finally arrived.

 

[boomy]

Conrad Tokyo
The wonderful world of Conrad hotels. This is why I'm loyal to Hilton, to enjoy some luxury from time to time that otherwise I could never afford.
Warm greetings by the staff at check-in, diamond status recognised and we get suite upgrade on the 32nd floor.
Living room

Bedroom

Bathroom

The photo doesn't do justice to the huge size of the bathroom, including a double shower.
New additions to our growing Conrad zoo.

Special cake delivered for our "anniversary", which we celebrate from time to time, mostly for upgrade proposes

 

[boomy]

We decided to spend the evening in the hotel and started with the elegant executive lounge.

Conrad use it's own label on the wines.

Later did a few laps in the pool.

Nice individual jacuzzis.

Love this machine I found in the changing room, it dries up bathing suites in 10 seconds!

 

[boomy]

View from our suite in the morning. Temperature shows cool 8 degrees outside.

 

[boomy]

Went to have breakfast in the restaurant.

A La Carte menu

This mug is huge!

Coffee was good but could barley finish it.
I ordered the Mexican Huevos Rancheros.

The missus ordered traditional Japanese breakfast.

After a good breakfast it's time to go out and explore the city.

 

[TomVexille]

Love a good Japanese breakfast

 

[jojen]

Fabulous trip report so far Boomy. We went to Japan for the first time last year and loved it. Found the people to be so polite, orderly and friendly when we were lost ( mainly in the train stations !! )
We stayed at the Conrad and really enjoyed it. If you get time make sure you have afternoon tea in the Executive lounge.

We will have to celebrate our anniversary on our next visit !!

jojen

 

[Kangol]

As soon as I made the booking I called JAL SYD office. There were no restrictions and all seats were available for selection over the phone.
Same thing with CX btw, I was looking at ExpertFlyer the other day to change my seating and some seats in F were shown as premium members only or something like that but when I called CX I could select any seat I wanted although I'm not a member of their FF programme.

Thanks.
I called the SYD office, which took me to the HKG office and asked re the seats. They said 1A and 1K were unavailable - did not give a reason why, even though I am OWE. Just "unavailable". I asked if I could select either of them closer to the time and they said I'd have to speak to airport staff. I was told OLCI is T-72.
She did put in a request for 1A but I don't know how that will pan out..

 

[boomy]

We started the tour in Tokyo with a visit to the fish market which is located a short walking distance from our hotel.
I don't believe in waking up early on holidays so we had a good night sleep and after a relaxed breakfast we went to the market. It meant that we missed the famous auction that is happening every day early in the morning but nevertheless we enjoyed walking around checking out the merchandise.

TUNA

Is that a fish or a huge prawn

Scallops on steroi_s.

All packed and ready to eat.

 

[boomy]

Some cute signs at the entrance.


All these fish made us hungry so we decided to queue up at one of the many small restaurants near the market.

It's amazing how popular these family owned restaurants are. People from all over the world come to this market to sample the fresh fish.
The menu is displayed outside and patrons are asked to order before they go inside.

I'm a huge fan of tuna so I chose a plate of different styles of tuna sashimi.

 

[TomVexille]

Tuna looks amazing

 

[boomy]

Later we went to the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills but unfortunately it's closed until the end of April.
At least we saw this giant spider outside.

Then we went to the Museum of Photography in Ebisu, just to find out it's closed for renovations. We have some bad luck with choosing museums in this city
At least the Museum of Yebisu Beer near by was open.


Guided tours are offered only in Japanese so we took a self-guided tour followed by refreshing local beer.
We had lunch at Afuri Ramen restaurant.

Order and payment are done via this "vending machine" located at the entrance, a popular system in Japan.

 

[boomy]

The famous Joel Robuchon restaurant in Ebisu and Westin hotel in the background.

We spent the afternoon shopping in Shibuya.

 

[boomy]

Dinner was booked at Ginza Kyubey. At first I was a bit worried that we are not going to understand most of the dishes we are going to have because of the language barrier but fortunately the chef new basic English and was very communicative. There was another foreign couple (from Mexico) sitting next to us and the chef end up talking more to the four of us then with the locals! We also got to meet the owner who gave some background about the business and was proud to name all kinds of celebrities who are regulars.
We chose set menus that included appetisers, sashimi and sushi. We ate all kinds of interesting fish and seafood we never tried before and I had 2 bottles of a very good 55% alcohol sake so it was an excellent night
Some photos:

 

[TomVexille]

Jealous :mrgreen:

 

[LadyC]

Delicious! Another option if you have the time and inclination, try to go to Sushi Bar Yasuda in Minato. Great sushi and the owner spent 20 years in the US so speaks English exceptionally well. This was good as we could get a lot of detail on the different fish and where it was sourced from.

 

[boomy]

Delicious! Another option if you have the time and inclination, try to go to Sushi Bar Yasuda in Minato. Great sushi and the owner spent 20 years in the US so speaks English exceptionally well. This was good as we could get a lot of detail on the different fish and where it was sourced from.

Thanks for that. I actually tried to book Yasuda (also recommended by another member) but no luck on the one night we could go there.
Oh well, leave something for next time.

 

[boomy]

Day 3
After breakfast we headed to the Skytree Tower which was not yet finished last time I visited Tokyo.
On the way there we stopped at Senso-ji Temple and walked through the market that is mainly an attraction for tourists.


Cute candy

Starting the walk towards the tower.

We walked along the river, There was no need for any maps, the tower can be seen from anywhere in the area.

 

[samillionaire]

I assume you have booked all your hotel but if you haven't, the Capitol is amazing. Beautiful mix of japanese and western culture.
Also I'll pm you with a sushi address, great price and Jiro's quality.

keen to know which restaurant too!

 

[boomy]

Almost there... This thing is VERY tall!

Once arrived there was a massive queue for the lifts. The sign said 90 minutes! Since queues are a waste of time, especially on holidays, I was glad there was a way to bypass this one. A normal ticket cost ~¥2,000 and express ticket with no waiting time at all cost ~¥2,900.
The lift took us to the 350th floor where the main viewing platform is. The Skytree is the tallest tower in the world and second only to Burj Khalifa as the tallest structure in the world.
On a clear day Mount Fuji can be seen but unfortunately today wasn't one of those days.

The city looks endless from above, it really gives a perspective of its massive size.
Another tip for anyone who plans to visit here, no need to squeeze between all the people on the main floor to see the view. Same views can be enjoyed one or two floors down where it's much less crowded.
Glass floor