Despite so many flights and connections, the only thing that went wrong during the trip was one missing suitcase, thanks to Lufthansa, which was eventually recovered two weeks into the trip - but that's another story!
After arriving from an overnight in Seoul, we only had two days in Tokyo and stayed at the excellent Narita Port hotel, near the airport. On day one, we got the hotel's shuttle bus into Narita town and had a wander around the temples and food stalls behind the train station as dusk was falling. Wonderfully atmospheric and sedate, compared to our day trip into Tokyo, the following day.
On departure day, the regular shuttle bus picked us up and made the 15 minute journey to NRT. At the entrance, the bus was boarded by airport security who were checking passports, which caused a flurry of panic amongst most people on the bus who, of course, had their passports in their bags in the back of the bus. The security guys were patient and polite, however, and saluted the bus as we eventually drove off into the airport.
Arriving a good three hours before departure in order to sample the thrills of first class travel was a bit of a mistake - the Swiss check-in opened 2.5 hours before departure, so we sat around waiting to drop our bags, but soon there was an announcement that check-in had opened slightly ahead of schedule.
There is a dedicated First and Business Class check-in area for all Star Alliance carriers, so we made our way to the Swiss First Class desk. No queue at all meant for a speedy check-in, with our bags going straight through to Belfast, although there was a problem issuing our boarding passes for the BMI flights home and we were advised that they would be issued at LHR ,which was a minor niggle. After checking-in, we were escorted through security, via the crew channel, and onward to the lounge. Our escort (who insisted on wheeling our carry-on luggage herself) asked if we wanted to use the United or ANA lounge - we plumped for ANA, reasoning that it would be more authentically Japanese!
The ANA First Class lounge was, however, slightly disappointing, as the seats didn't look that comfortable and, at 11am, there was apparently no hot food on offer. Neither was there champagne, although we were brought individual bottles of Frexinet cava. But whilst exploring the lounge, I discovered a 'hatch', from which a friendly lady was dispensing bowls of hot noodles to order, so that was breakfast taken care of. Off the main lounge, there was a room with computers and self-contained 'suites', complete with individual televisions, a work station and a seat to stretch out on. There was also a smoking room which overlooked the runway. At midday, the hot food was brought out with both tasty-looking Asian and European dishes to choose from, as well as platters of amazing Japanese desserts.
Soon, our escort arrived to take us to the gate where we breezed past the queue, had our passports quickly checked and led straight to the aircraft door.
Upon boarding, I saw that the F cabin on the A340 had the old-style seats, which I had expected anyway, in a two-row, 1-2-1 config. The seat and its controls were a little bit shabby, although in good working order. Later, the cabin steward informed me that, even though our aircraft was due for a refit in Business over the next few months, with flat beds replacing the angled lie-flat seats, First Class will retain the old-style seats. There were three other passengers, two Japanese businessmen and a Japanese schoolgirl who was returning to school in Geneva. I wish I had a dad like hers!
We were immediately welcomed and served with an amuse bouche of a filled pastry bun with yakitori chicken, as well as a glass of Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle champers.
Although the flight departed more or less on time, we were informed that we would be arriving into Zurich slightly late, so I was a bit concerned about our rather tight connection to Heathrow, but was determined not to let it spoil the flight.
About an hour into the flight, lunch was served and my wife joined me at the ottoman and we dined on venison and guinea fowl, whilst watching the snowy mountains of Siberia drifting by the window. A truly amazing experience.
After lunch, I flicked through the entertainment options, although nothing particularly appealed. I asked for the seat to be converted into a bed, which was done quickly and I settled down to one of the best sleeps I have ever had on an aeroplane - probably about seven hours solid. It was amazingly comfortable and quiet and it was only the lure of the pre-arrival snack which got me upright.
Offered a choice between veal cordon bleu or spinach quiche, I decided on the meat option, as well as a couple more glasses of the fizzy stuff. Arrival into Zurich was, as advised, about ten minutes late but the efficiency of transferring between terminals ensured we easily made our connection to LHR.
In conclusion, consistently great service and comfort from Swiss, despite the First Class cabin showing its age and the perfect way to end such an amazing trip.
