Another spectacular day for flying – in fact, the weather in NY was in the double digits and more pleasant than Toronto. Traffic leaving Manhattan was atrocious and it took us approx 1h 15m to arrive at JFK.

It was barely a 10 second wait before an agent from the First Class desk helped us. After checking all necessary documents (vaccinations, visa to CGK etc), we had boarding passes in hand. Security was quick with Pre Check and we headed to the ANA lounge located one floor above security. We were asked to turn right into the J lounge and we entered into a dining / bar area. Past this was another room with sofas and was a fairly big space – everyone had space to spread all over the area and never felt crowded. We spent the next hour eating a light breakfast, light lunch and worked a bit. An announcement was made that boarding had started and everyone could make their way to the gate.

Outside T7

Check in area

ANA lounge with J to the right after we entered and F to the left

Dining / Bar area

Massive lounge area with couches

The gate area was a 5 minute walk from the lounge and we walked up to get scanned and into the boarding tube. There was only one bridge for boarding. We entered and passed through F into the first J cabin which was a mini cabin. This 777 has 3 J cabins (mini, big, mini) and it felt good to have a sense of privacy. We were welcomed by Asuka working our side of the cabin and she said she would be taking care of us and to let her know if we needed anything.

PDB’s were offered and I went with the bubbles. First impression of the seat was that it was really wide and comfortable. The TV was massive (not as massive as the screens in F) and quality was super crisp with a highly sensitive touchscreen.

Boarding was done and doors closed soon after. Once we were pushed back, the ANA ground staff waved goodbye to us and there was even a water cannon salute (not sure why though). After take off, our meal + drink choices were taken for the lunch service.

Our birdie

The Room

PDB with amenity kit

The mini cabin

Bye!

Later NY

CX pj’s

The menu from Japan and USA

Time for lunch

More bubbles

Amuse bouche – notice the turbulence showing in the glass

Marinated shrimp with cured ham

Braised beef with mashed potatoes – excellent

With rice and miso soup to accompany the main

Lunch with a view

Ended the service with ice cream – didnt take a picture but check my Instagram ANA J 2023 story highlight to see some comedy with trying to eat it. Here’s a shot of Junior also attempting to eat his rock hard ice cream.

After lunch, I turned the seat into bed mode and went down for a few hours

Another view from the galley window

Mid way through the flight, I woke up for a snack.
ANA curry to start

Chicken Focaccia

Last meal service before landing – went with the Chicken Fricassee

The crew surprised Junior with a little treat to celebrate his birthday

We eventually landed at HND. Taxi to the gate was quick and we were able to disembark soon after.

Final shot of the plane

We made our way to immigration and along the way, there were many staff members indicating to have the VJW forms ready to show. Our forms were checked multiple times and we made it to immigration eventually. After immigration, we filled out the customs forms at the automated kiosk and we passed through. With our Suica cards in hand, we hopped on the Keikyu line to Shinagawa station.

The seat and service were definitely the highlight of the trip. The seat is wider than the industry average for business class and there was a lot of room if you are someone with wide shoulders. It also helps if you are a side sleeper like me and can stretch your knees out a little more than usual. The crew were very attentive during our flight; they answered the call bell within seconds and would even come around checking on everyone to make sure we were ok.