flying first class…up in the sky

getting up to board a 10-hour flight was a little easier when we knew that the gate was right there one level below us. and i found that i only had one thing left in my suitcase that i could wear - but why did i even PACK a white dress??

oh well, whatever.  at least it was clean.

dropping off our suitcases and going through security took almost no time, and then we headed off in search of the lounge that we had access to.  on the way there i eyed the hermes store and debated going in to look around, but i figured i couldn’t buy anything anyway and the bean would have zero interest so we just kept on walking.

the lounge was really nice, but it was pretty crowded in there.  we got lucky and found seats at the window, which was kinda fun.

and the food was really good, as it was everywhere else in japan.

we were both fascinated by this rice dispenser.  

there was a massage room, where they had these big comfy chairs in little cubicles.  we had about a half hour before we had to head to the gate, so we each took a chair and got a little pre-flight massage.

i really wish we could have cool stuff like this in our public restrooms - you’d take a piece of toilet paper, spray some sanitizer on it and you could wipe down the toilet seat to make sure it was sanitized before you used it.

when we got to the gate and found a spot to wait for our turn to board the plane, i snapped this because i knew i wanted to preserve that moment in time.  i look at this picture and i instantly remember how much fun the two of us had had together on this first trip to asia, and it reminds me of a trip the hub booked for me and the old lady when she was about 9 or 10.  we took a train to san diego and rented a car when we got there and spent the weekend together, just the two of us.  bonding moments with my kids are so precious, and i cherish those memories so much.

and then it was time to board the plane!

the hub had splurged on our return flight and booked us in first class, which we were super excited about.  the premium economy seats on our way out were perfectly lovely, but there’s nothing quite like first class seating for a long flight.  we had our own space, seats that would turn into beds, and so many amenities:

we were really excited for those pajamas.

i was a big fan of the slippers.

and the FOOD.  check out the menu for our flight:

but first, my last onigiri from 7-11 needed to be enjoyed.

i washed it down with an ice cold coke and followed it up with some warm nuts.

next, a fresh salad and the smoked tuna and marinated shrimp small plate served with a warm roll.

of course, i ordered the grilled beef filet with roasted potatoes and veggies for my main.

and when the attendant offered an ice cream sundae for dessert, i didn’t say no.

with my sweet pajama set on and my belly full and happy, it was time to stretch out and take a nice little nappy-nap.

a couple of hours later, i happily accepted the mid-flight snack.  i don’t remember exactly what it was, but it was some sort of sandwich with a side of pasta salad and a fruit cup.

and later, i enjoyed breakfast while watching downloaded episodes of “selling sunset” on my ipad.

almost there!

and at 6:30am local time, we were back on american soil.  it’s so weird to go back in time.

we’d received our approval for global entry while we were gone (great timing), so when i spotted a desk to do the required interview to complete the application process just past baggage claim we stopped to get it done.  it’s damn near impossible to find a location near home to do it, and since we were already there with only one family in line ahead of us, it was a no-brainer.  i was really excited to see the hub and i knew he was waiting for us, but he agreed that it made sense to finish the process while it was right in front of us.

speaking of the hub, while he was just as happy that we were home he definitely didn’t love the two extra (very full) suitcases that we’d brought home.  i tried to use the “most of these are gifts” and “everything there is so high quality and inexpensive” but it wasn’t working.  oops.

and when he watched us open those bags and saw all the AMAZING stuff we had…well, he still wasn’t convinced.

i’d managed to bring home one 7-11 melonpan:

and all of the amenities from the disney hotels, even the little kid items.  i just knew i would have kids who i could gift them to, and they’d love it (spoiler: i was right).

the bean and i had run out of toothpaste, so we tried this one that looked really cool.  turns out, brushing one’s teeth with salt is…not wonderful.  

and after two weeks away, there’s no better first meal home than a #1 combo from in-n-out.

and with that, the recaps of our fabulous trip to japan and korea are officially done.  talk about your yay!/boo. situation, amirite?

from seoul back to tokyo

and just like that, our quickie trip to korea was over and we were back at the airport for an early morning flight back to tokyo.

i love asian airlines.  they feed you.

we even got a glimpse of mt. fuji from the plane, which was awesome since we didn’t have time to try and squeeze in a day trip so this would be the only chance we got to see it.

once we landed, we caught an uber to take us to our next hotel so that we could drop off our luggage (i say “luggage” and not “carryons” because one of our last purchases in korea was a suitcase that we then filled with all of our souvenirs and skincare).  from there we headed to the train station which was oh-so-conveniently located just down the street.

and when we got off that train, it didn’t take too long to see that we were definitely in the right place.

and then it was a really short walk (once we figured out the right way to go) to our activity for the day - a visit to sanrio puroland, one of two sanrio-themed amusement parks in japan.  the bonus?  this one is indoors and air conditioned.  woohoo!

there are only two actual rides in the park, and it was already after 1:00 in the afternoon.  this meant that it was fairly crowded in there already and the wait time for the first ride we saw was well over an hour.  but i’d seen online that there was a paid priority pass, so after asking a staff member she pointed to a vending machine around the corner to check for availability.  and for a mere 2,000 yen (which converts to under $14) we walked right onto the ride without having to wait even a minute.

it was a cute little boat ride, with all kinds of silly scenes that we didn’t fully understand.  but we appreciated the sanrio-ness of it all.

there were, of course, lots of fun little gift shops to browse through.

and then we somehow stumbled onto this room that contained a truly frightening animatronics scene but which also had an ice cream vending machine.

we walked around a little and caught a glimpse of the live show down on the ground level.

we decided to stop here to grab a late lunch.

photo op!

there were lots of gachapon and claw machines, and the bean had a blast trying to win more little toys and trinkets.

photo booth!

we stumbled upon the second ride, which also had a really long line but also an immediately available priority pass.  so we coughed up another 2,000 yen and hopped on.

ride photos:

and then when we found this adorable restaurant, we stopped to share another small meal because why not?

by then, it was closing time.  we took one last look around and then headed on out.

back at the station, we found this cute little booth to sit in and wait for the next train.

we had one more planned activity for the day, which took us to shibuya.

we joined a bazillion other people as we crossed the famous shibuya scramble.

the one thing i really wanted to see while we were here was the statue memorializing hachiko the dog.  he would walk to the train station with his owner every day and wait for him to come back from work.  sadly, his owner died and that sweet dog waited there until the day he died.

after a little confusion, we found our way to our next activity - a quick elevator ride to the top of this building to get a fantastic view of the city below.

we went up this escalator to keep climbing up to the very top, chasing the sunset the whole way.

but we realized that we could get a better view of the shibuya scramble if we went down a level.

back down on ground level, we found an all-you-can-eat meatfest for dinner.

and we had to shop in their very large don quixote.

our home for the night was the hotel JAL city tokyo toyosu. the room was lovely and clean and comfortable.

i liked how the toilet room had its own teeny-tiny sink to wash your hands after doing your business.

our trip was winding down and while there was still so much we would have loved to do, i knew we were both missing the hub. and the old lady and the old man. and the dogs.  we were having the most wonderful time making lots of memories together and i know it’s a trip neither of us will ever forget.