SIN-HND-NRT-LAX on SQ 777 Economy and SQ A380 Business Class

[yflyer]

I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing

Thanks, lawrencelim! And welcome to SQTalk!

[lawrencelim]

I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing

[yflyer]

Everything nicely capture! Thanks for taking the effort.

Thanks, dfs24!

Stayed in Marriott Shinagawa when they just opened. Didn't really like the lounge as it had no views, and I had to walk up the hill in Summer. The food in the lounge does look pretty good. My fav Marriott in JP is the one in Nagoya so far.

I also prefer lounges on high floors which have views. But apart from that, I found the Tokyo Marriott lounge to be pretty good, esp the F&B selection.

The meal on NRT-LAX looks really nice. Makes me hungry.

The Hanakoireki meal was one of the most elaborate in-flight meals I have had in J...

[yflyer]

Thanks for another enjoyable TR. I really like how your reports have the perfect amount of information and details (without rambling on like I tend to), and top quality pictures that enhances the overall reading experience. You have an alternative career awaiting.

Thanks, icn.sg! Your TR's are great too (I don't find them rambling), especially your excellent photos!

Nah, not a career, but a great way to destress, and a way for me to remember my own trips too!

It's interesting how much SQ has downgraded their inflight meal offerings on the SIN-HND sector. I was on the same flight in July last year, and while it was also a breakfast and refreshment service, the latter meal was a little more substantial. Here's a pic of both meals on that flight. You can tell which meal they cut down from it:

Thanks for the meal pics! I was shocked and amazed at how much food was catered on this sector previously!

Does Changi Airport have a Gold Track lane for *G passengers? Then again, Changi probably doesn't need one since we have decentralised security screening...

Nope...no Gold track. LH, BA and QF all have separate queues outside the holding room for their FF's, but not SQ.

That said, I prefer the decentralised screening system at Changi, as it is easier for the ground staff to locate late/missing pax...they can just spot them queuing a few metres away, rather than being stuck a long way off in some centralized security queue.

TThose shot that you take from the front of the cabin...that takes a whole new level of being 'thick-skinned'! I have always wanted to take such pictures, but I am conscious of the fact that if a fellow passenger took a picture of me, I wouldn't be too pleased too. It's always great to have trip reporters like you to do the 'dirty job' for us...

Well I don't think I've crossed any no-go social boundaries by taking pictures of the cabin...I would stop if anyone on the plane objected of course.

[yflyer]

Another possibility: 757. United also has a lot of them, and they may have winglets too.

Hmmm...I think a 757 would look skinnier than the plane in the picture...hard to say....

[dfs24]

Everything nicely capture! Thanks for taking the effort.

I think SQ is the only one left on SIN-NRT doing Meal + Snack? Either way, the main course in Y looks similar to what I had on HKG-NRT in J not too long ago.

Stayed in Marriott Shinagawa when they just opened. Didn't really like the lounge as it had no views, and I had to walk up the hill in Summer. The food in the lounge does look pretty good. My fav Marriott in JP is the one in Nagoya so far.

The meal on NRT-LAX looks really nice. Makes me hungry.

[SQflyergirl]

Does Changi Airport have a Gold Track lane for *G passengers?

The list of airports that have it is here from the pulldown menus:

http://www1.staralliance.com/en/bene...ts/gold-track/

[icn.sg]

Thanks for another enjoyable TR. I really like how your reports have the perfect amount of information and details (without rambling on like I tend to), and top quality pictures that enhances the overall reading experience. You have an alternative career awaiting.

It's interesting how much SQ has downgraded their inflight meal offerings on the SIN-HND sector. I was on the same flight in July last year, and while it was also a breakfast and refreshment service, the latter meal was a little more substantial. Here's a pic of both meals on that flight. You can tell which meal they cut down from it:

breakfast



refreshment - a deliciously thick slap of steak with miso paste



Does Changi Airport have a Gold Track lane for *G passengers? Then again, Changi probably doesn't need one since we have decentralised security screening...

Like many others who have commented, I am surprised they didn't bother to present the noodle sauce in a proper bowl. It just doesn't seem very SQ-like to me. I'm also curious how the crew prepare each item in the bento box. Do they heat each item individually and then place them in the box? Perhaps that'd be your task to find out on your next J flight!!! Show us how the entire process is done I am sure the crew would be happy to do a demo if you are able to charm them enough...;-)

I am quite sure the crew do not assemble each individual item in the box. They are probably plated on the ground. It's too tedious and many of the food items are too delicate to be done onboard.

Those shot that you take from the front of the cabin...that takes a whole new level of being 'thick-skinned'! I have always wanted to take such pictures, but I am conscious of the fact that if a fellow passenger took a picture of me, I wouldn't be too pleased too. It's always great to have trip reporters like you to do the 'dirty job' for us...

[leops1984]

Thanks for offering an opinion on this! I was also leaning towards 767 rather than 787...

Another possibility: 757. United also has a lot of them, and they may have winglets too.

[yflyer]

Thank you for the wonderful trip report yflyer ! I've always enjoyed your reports! Your insight into the Marriott proved to be very useful as I've been considering giving this property a try for months now but sadly I am still a slave to my other hotel programs. The spread for the cocktail hours for the executive lounge is the best I've seen.

The food you had in Tokyo, were mouth watering. It makes me miss my hometown so much that you've just prompted me to book a trip back there next month.

Thanks for the kind comments, soarbeyond!

Glad you found the Marriott review useful. I was very impressed with the Marriott as well. Yes, the cocktail spread, and the service hours for beverages, are top notch.

The food in Tokyo is amazing. I think we get good Japanese food in Singapore as well, but of course what you get in Tokyo is on a different level of excellence! Enjoy your trip next month!

The trip report onboard the flights were as detailed as can be and I really envy how you manage to take so many indepth shots of the seats and the cabins. I always have a fear/problem of doing so even when the plane is not filled up.

I felt a little self conscious at first, but after a while I developed quite thick skin and nowadays I just snap a lot of cabin photos without any embarrassment whatsoever. It helps that I generally board the aircraft early on in the process, as a KF Gold member, so the cabin is quite empty in the initial stages of boarding.

Lately I have also taken cabin ambience shots where I actually get up from my seat, go to the front of the cabin, in front of everyone, and take a picture or two, just to obtain a picture which gives you a sense of how spacious or cramped the cabin is.

I began doing this because of a sense of outrage at how 10-abreast 777's and 9-abreast 787's were becoming the norm, and I wanted to highlight how noticeable the difference in spaciousness was on 9-abreast 777's and 8-abreast 787's.

For those shots where I am in front of the cabin taking pictures, when I look at the pictures afterwards, I notice that many of the pax are actually looking at me while I am taking the picture (Although no-one has actually come up to me to object to being photographed). In any case, I blur all faces of passengers to protect their privacy.

I felt a little embarrassed taking those shots at first too, but as mentioned, have developed a thick skin over time. Normally I just tell myself that I need to get over the embarrassment and just do it...

On a separate note, I think the UA aircraft was a 767, judging by the upright rake of the winglets?

Thanks for offering an opinion on this! I was also leaning towards 767 rather than 787...

[yflyer]

Well, the disposable wooden chopsticks, isn't that what a regular Japanese restaurants are using?

But anyway, good quality disposable wooden chopsticks shouldn't have any splinters.

I think disposable chopsticks are fine. There are different grades of disposable chopsticks. The ones on SQ J are ok, but not the nicest I have seen. Probably wouldn't cost them much to change to a nicer set if enough people provided feedback on this.

[soarbeyond]

Thank you for the wonderful trip report yflyer ! I've always enjoyed your reports! Your insight into the Marriott proved to be very useful as I've been considering giving this property a try for months now but sadly I am still a slave to my other hotel programs. The spread for the cocktail hours for the executive lounge is the best I've seen.

The food you had in Tokyo, were mouth watering. It makes me miss my hometown so much that you've just prompted me to book a trip back there next month.

The trip report onboard the flights were as detailed as can be and I really envy how you manage to take so many indepth shots of the seats and the cabins. I always have a fear/problem of doing so even when the plane is not filled up.

On a separate note, I think the UA aircraft was a 767, judging by the upright rake of the winglets?

[orionmiz]

Well, the disposable wooden chopsticks, isn't that what a regular Japanese restaurants are using?

But anyway, good quality disposable wooden chopsticks shouldn't have any splinters.

[eminere™]

I have to admit I felt the same way when I saw the plastic soba dipping sauce cup. And yes, I am sure SQ could do better than those cheap looking chopsticks!

They must save the real cutlery and utensils for those in F/R.

I wonder if the individual items are arranged in the bento box before being loaded on the aircraft, or if the cabin crew need to assemble each dish in the bento box during the flight itself before serving. The arrangement of the individual items looked quite elaborate. If they do it in-flight, it must be quite time consuming...

I agree, it takes skill and (I'm assuming) lots of training, in addition to a flight attendant's numerous existing other core duties. The kaiseki presentation in R is nothing short of edible art.

[yflyer]

I've only read to where you were starting off on your journey to NRT and felt compelled to post that this is another amazing, amazing trip report, as usual. Japanese cuisine is my favourite and seeing all your pictures is making me very hungry...

Thanks, eminere™! Yes, a lot to explore and enjoy in Japanese cuisine!

I must say, the use of cheap disposable chopsticks, takeaway-style sachets of garnishes, and the plastic sauce dipping cup detracts from the overall presentation of the meal (and is a tad low-brow for SQ J, no?).

I have to admit I felt the same way when I saw the plastic soba dipping sauce cup. And yes, I am sure SQ could do better than those cheap looking chopsticks!

The food otherwise looks great!

Plastic dipping sauce cup aside, the presentation of the other items was pretty good! And tasted good too!

I wonder if the individual items are arranged in the bento box before being loaded on the aircraft, or if the cabin crew need to assemble each dish in the bento box during the flight itself before serving. The arrangement of the individual items looked quite elaborate. If they do it in-flight, it must be quite time consuming...