be.goingbegoing.me

Tokyo

Kantō, Japan · March 2023

Stayed: Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, three nights
Paid with: World of Hyatt points, 30,000 a night I think; JAL business on Alaska miles
Where: 35.67° N · 139.75° E

Getting there · JAL business class, Boston to Tokyo

Got on the BOS–NRT direct JAL business class at 60,000 Alaska points. It was pretty surreal getting on a plane at my home airport of Boston and getting off in Tokyo 14 hours later.

I really like the seat by the window in this configuration because it is very private and feels quiet and cozy.

JAL 7, Boston to Narita

Brendan sitting in the window seat at boarding

The suite: screen, ottoman and bedding

The wing over the clouds after takeoff

The starter plate and bread

The main course in the suite

Dessert with berries

A later snack: salad, a slider and a Coke

Where I stayed · Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills

Out the window

No pictures of the room, just the view.

Tokyo Tower in the haze from a high floor

Tokyo Tower and the city from the window

Clouds over the towers from the hotel

Breakfast: pastries, an omelet and juice

Part one · Ueno Park

Cherry blossoms around the pond

The pond under a gray sky, towers behind

The pond and a temple hall through the blossoms

Pink blossoms up close

A cherry tree in full bloom

Blossoms against the clouds

A dark trunk leaning over the pond

The path by the water under the cherry trees

Blossoms hanging over the water

A single blossom close

Branches over the pond

An octagonal hall on the pond

Cherry trees and an old street lamp

The stalls and the shrines

A food stall with red banners

Pickles and snacks at a stall

Rows of lanterns at a shrine

People at an incense burner

A temple hall among the blossoms

Rows of bronze lanterns

Bronze lanterns along the path

Part two · Ameyoko

Under the tracks

The shopping street beside the elevated tracks

Shops under the old railway building

A camera shop entrance in neon

The street with red lanterns

A narrow passage of stalls

Then the rain

A temple courtyard in the rain

After Tokyo, the trip went on to Kyoto by Shinkansen, then back to Narita for the flight home.

Home · JAL business class, Tokyo to Boston

I didn’t get any pictures of the seat or the plane on the way home, but I ordered the Japanese set meal.

JAL 8, Narita to Boston

A can of Canada Dry ginger ale with nuts and olives

The Japanese set meal: a lacquer box of small dishes

The Japanese menu

The main tray: rice, miso soup and braised beef

Matcha pudding with red bean and a strawberry