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Tokyo Fuji Shibazakura by MH Economy and SQ Business

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  • Tokyo Fuji Shibazakura by MH Economy and SQ Business

    Due to work commitments, I had postponed my earlier planned trip to Tokyo during the sakura season to early May, also to make use of the long weekend Labour Day long weekend. While during some research, I also found out that May is the season of the Shibazakura, a pink moss type of plant, and it is a must view during this period, especially the Fuji Shibazakura festival. Having experienced the sakura season before, this would be something new for me. Also, with the Japanese Yen's value having dropped considerably, visiting Japan has actually became cheaper now!

    Flights to Tokyo were booked on a mix of MH and SQ, with one-way up on MH Economy (MH offering the cheapest one-way fare which is even lower than AirAsia X), with the return being on a redemption SQ Business Class ticket.

    Fast forward to 30th Apr, we proceeded in the evening to Changi to check-in for the flight. I had performed online check-in earlier and both the SIN-KUL and KUL-NRT sectors seemed pretty full. In the end, both sectors were totally sold out in both Business and Economy!

    Check in at the bag-drop counters 1.5hr prior to departure, which had no queues compared to the regular lines.




    Boarding passes for both sectors were issued.




    After doing some duty-free shopping and grabbing a bite, we headed to F52 where our plane was already being prepared for departure.





    30 April 2015
    Malaysia Airlines
    MH 610
    Singapore (SIN) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
    B737-800
    9M-MLO
    Economy Class


    Boarding was soon called and it was performed in a very orderly manner. Only caught a quick glimpse of the plane during boarding.




    Welcomed at the door with newspapers available on a trolley. Passed through Business Class which was totally full into the Economy cabin. 9M-MLO is fitted with the BSI interior.

    Economy seats.




    Settled into our seats. IFE screens were showing a welcome message.




    Seat pitch, at 30", is just barely better than budget airlines.




    Seat pocket contents. The inflight magazine was of the April edition on this flight. Guess all will be changed overnight.




    View from the window.




    Boarding still in progress. Flight ended up totally full but cabin crew were quick and efficient in settling everyone down.




    Inflight entertainment options were already available for use on the ground.




    Doors were closed right on schedule and we pushed back. Flight time was announced as 1hr, but the actually flight only took a mere 34min from takeoff to landing.

    Safety video was played.

    Last edited by ycp81; 10 May 2015, 10:39 PM.
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  • #2
    Instead of the usual Rwy02C, we taxied across the Southern Cross bridge to Rwy02L for departure.




    Took off from Rwy02L for the short hop to Kuala Lumpur.

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    I switched to the flight map on the IFE screen as the flight is too short to watch any programmes.




    Seat belt signs switched off and service started.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42qN0Ih5to4


    Progress of the flight.




    The usual MH short-haul inflight service started with distribution of packets of salted peanuts.




    Followed by a choice of mango or apple juices served from trays.




    Service is very efficient and being a full flight, the crew really did their best to attend to all requests, with the most absurd being a few passengers requesting for blankets halfway through the 30min flight while the crew was conducting the refreshment service.


    Very soon, we started our descent and cabin was prepared for landing.




    Cabin lights were dimmed for landing and the signature blue BSI cabin lights were illuminated.




    Approaching Kuala Lumpur International Airport.




    And landing on Rwy32L, 15min ahead of schedule.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeD8myuDWo4


    Parked at the Main Terminal Building.




    Thank you for flying Malaysia Airlines.




    Economy seats.




    Business cabin.




    A typical short-haul flight on MH with efficient service and on-time arrival.
    Last edited by ycp81; 16 May 2015, 03:30 PM.
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    • #3
      The transit stop was only scheduled for a short 1h15m, which meant it was off the aircraft, a quick browse at the shops and boarding would be starting. Our flight to Narita would be departing from the Main Terminal Building as well, thus there was no need to take the train to the satellite terminal.

      The famous aircraft model display at KLIA.




      Our aircraft being catered. The aircraft scheduled for the flight was initially the A330, but was changed to a B772 slightly less than a month ago.




      Departing from H4 for the red-eye to Narita.




      9M-MRC. a B777-200, will be operating the flight this evening. With the 2 MH incidents involving B772s, there is no denying that a short wave of solemnness overcame me just before boarding the aircraft.





      30 April 2015
      Malaysia Airlines
      MH 88
      Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Tokyo Narita (NRT)
      B777-200
      9M-MRC
      Economy Class


      Boarding was called shortly after we cleared through security at the gate and again it was very orderly. Guess this is the norm for Japan-bound flights as Japanese, whom I guess made up at least half the passengers, are well-known for their orderliness.

      Welcomed at the door and directed to the correct aisle. Economy class on MH's B772s are fitted in a not-so-usual 2-5-2 configuration. On each seat is placed a pillow, blanket and headset.




      We took the 2-seaters at the second last row on the left. The seats are of the first-generation type with personal 6" IFE screens. Think SQ's non-retrofitted B772s. Even though the seats do not have the latest gadgets, they are very comfortable and legroom is awesome, boasting a 34" pitch!




      We had brand new May edition of the inflight magazine.




      A row of B738s beside us.




      Boarding again is completed very efficiently for a 100% full flight. 6 cabin crew will be serving us in Economy tonight, with 2 stewardess and a steward at our rear economy cabin. Flight time was estimated to be around 6h30m.




      Pushed back slightly behind schedule and safety video played. The video quality on these tiny screens was really quite bad...




      Had a short taxi to Rwy32R and we departed in the darkness to Narita!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThJQgSYRZD4


      Climbing over Putrajaya.




      Seat belt signs turned off and service announcement was made. All announcements were made in 3 languages, Malay, English and Japanese.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9s68CiJijI


      I switched to the interactive mode of the IFE system and surprisingly the screen quality improved dramatically. However, no touch-screen here and navigation is through the classic handsets.

      Last edited by ycp81; 10 May 2015, 10:23 PM.
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      • #4
        Audio-video on demand is available and selections are more than sufficient for this mid-haul flight. Initially chose to watch the movie "Horrible Bosses 2" but haing being very pampered by today's seatback screen sizes of 8" and bigger, it was not "shiok" (a Singlish term to mean satisfying) to watch the movie on a teeny weeny 6" screen.




        Refreshment service commenced shortly after seatbelt signs were switched off.




        No choices for refreshment. We were offered a huge tuna croissant, a pack of peanuts and choices of drinks. I went for an apple juice and a tea. The tuna croissant was not bad and sufficiently filled me up.




        After finishing the snack, I decided to switch the IFE to flight map mode and call it a night.






        Amenities in the lavatory.




        Clearing the trash.




        Immediately after refreshment service, cabin lights were turned off and I settled into bed. The seats are really comfortable with thick cushioning and generous recline (see picture below). I just prefer these old-style seats to the current slim-line and hard seats increasingly used by many carriers.




        Slept for about 3hrs and woke up as we were nearing Okinawa.




        Sun is gradually rising.




        About 2.5hrs before arrival, the cabin lights were switched on in preparation for breakfast. It is not everyday one can have a breakfast while watching sunrise.




        Breakfast tray was delivered, which consisted of a yoghurt, warm roll with butter, cut fruits and a hot dish (Nasi Lemak or Omelette with sausages). I had an orange juice with the meal. As the seat belt signs were switched on due to slight turbulence, crew were not able to offer hot beverages.

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        • #5
          Great first half of your TR, ycp81. I want to visit Tokyo again soon.

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          • #6
            Fresh fruits (papaya, pineapple and melon cubes) and strawberry yoghurt.




            My omelette selection, which came with potato wedges, a chicken sausage and a grilled juicy tomato. The omelette also contained spinach wrapped within. Overall, it was a pretty generous and delicious breakfast dish!




            The other choice was Nasi Lemak with Sambal prawns, half a boiled egg and condiments. Pretty average and AirAsia can do a better Nasi Lemak than this.




            Admiring the sunrise while having breakfast.




            Skimming above a massive cloud layer with some turbulence. Guess the weather must be pretty bad down there.




            After a while, turbulence subsided and seat belt signs were turned off. As the crew had already cleared the meal trays, they proactively came out with trays of pre-poured hot coffee/tea and offered to passengers. I chose a coffee.




            Service on this flight was rather good, with friendly and efficient crew. Typical of an average SQ economy flight I would say, just in a different coloured kebaya. I think a couple of drink runs were conducted mid-flight as well as I sort of remembering seeing crew walking down the aisle with trays of drinks during my slumber.

            A view of the fully packed Economy cabin.




            Nothing but clouds out there.




            About 40min prior to arrival, the pilot came on and announced the weather in Tokyo as well as the estimated arrival time. Cabin crew were asked to prepare for landing.

            Preparations for arrival and headsets were collected.




            Approaching inland.




            Descending into Narita.




            Video of the approach, with clear skies and nice rural scenery.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRIp4o0Fl0


            On finals as we approached from the north.

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            • #7
              Smooth landing into Tokyo Narita International Rwy16L, 20 minutes ahead of schedule.






              Taxiing to Terminal 2.




              Passing the newly opened Low-Cost Terminal, Terminal 3. Guess the biggest operator out of the new terminal is Jetstar Japan.




              Reached Terminal 2, which is the hub terminal for Oneworld carriers




              Parked beside a JAL B763.




              Video of the landing and taxi.

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwuxyGzp-AY


              Disembarking, with crew thanking pax and bade farewell at the doors.






              A rather messy business class cabin haha. But seat pitch is incredible!




              View of aircraft after disembarked.




              I must say that MH offers a reasonably good service at a very competitive fare. Maybe I was lucky to encounter dedicated and friendly cabin crew (especially with stories of declining service standards and low morals of crew) but I did not find any difference in service standards from my previous flights with MH. Catering was good (maybe because Tokyo is a premium route?) and flight was comfortable even with the full cabin. Frills may not be as much as premium carriers, (such as no menus, hot towels or amenity kits in Economy) but they are of minor details. Overall, it was certainly value-for-money to fly with Malaysia Airlines!


              Narita's Terminal 2 is definitely a major hub for Japan Airlines.



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              • #8
                Thanks for taking the time to write this report.

                Your A330 became a 772 because MTA had a hard landing in MEL and is still out of action until now. So a downgrade for Y pax, but certainly an upgrade for those in J.

                Having flown MH on this route many many times, the crew are generally happy to get this. They only get Japanese routes like once to twice a year. The allowance is high and the workload for the flight quite acceptable. The crew on routes like CMB/DEL/HAN are generally less motivated.

                Besides, maybe the impending cuts makes everyone wary and be at their best. Nonetheless, this looks like a typical MH flight I enjoy!

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                • #9
                  Surprisingly, immigration at Narita's Terminal 2 was totally empty and we passed through within 5 minutes. I would have though that it would be the period of the morning peak arrivals from South-East Asian countries. Apparently, this was not the case, as the arrival board at baggage claim showed only 4 arrival flights around our arrival time. Guess with Haneda's expansion for international flights, many of the premium morning arrivals have been moved to Haneda instead.




                  Another 5 minutes for baggage collection and we were out of the baggage claim in record time! Bought tickets for the Airport Limousine bus service, which came with a 2-days subway pass, to Shinjuku my hotel will be located.

                  Stayed at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, which was newly opened just a week prior to this trip! Spot the Godzilla!




                  Room size was Tokyo-sized and reasonable but bathroom was really huge with a separate shower/bath area!






                  View from room.




                  Godzilla! It was right outside the lobby of the hotel at the 8th storey.




                  Lunch at a popular katsu restaurant in Takashimaya Shinjuku.






                  Shinjuku station




                  Tempura for dinner!




                  Followed by oh-so-sinful-but-so-delicious cakes from HARBS to end the first day in Tokyo!



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                  • #10
                    Hachiko, we meet again!




                    Shibuya pedestrian scramble!




                    Exploring the nooks and crannies of Shibuya.






                    A delicious warm bowl of Ichiran ramen!




                    Roadside stall with long queues selling ice-cream in crispy warm bread. Very nice!




                    Strolling through Yoyogi park. Spring has arrived and the greenery has sprouted.




                    Quaint shopping lanes in Harujuku.






                    Teatime at a floral-themed Aoyama Flower Market Café in Harujuku.






                    Even the takeaways from the local supermarkets are so tasty!

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                    • #11
                      Highlight of the trip was the visit to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival. Booked a day tour as it was the Japan Golden Week holidays and public transportation is expected to be packed. However, the Golden Week rush was worst than expected with lengthy jams on the highways, resulting in our original 2hr drive to Fuji becoming a 4-5hr drive each way! Note to self: No more trips to Japan during the Golden Week.

                      After an almost 5hr bus ride, the first stop was Azaleas garden at Hotel de Yama, Hakone, overlooking Lake Aishi. The Azaleas were just starting to bloom and thus were not as colourful as expected.








                      Grabbing a bento set for lunch.




                      Along the way to Fuji Shiazakura, with the sun almost setting due to the constant jams.




                      Finally reached the site of Shibazakura, 1hr before closing! Better late than never! A few tour buses also arrived at this time due to the horrible jams along the way.








                      A field of pink, white and purple.




                      Mt Fuji decided to make an appearance just before sunset! And the view was spectacular!!






                      Another tiring 4hrs of jam back to Tokyo where I grabbed a cheap and tasty beef rice bowl and called it a day.

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                      • #12
                        that's a great pic of Mt Fuji and the pink moss!

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                        • #13
                          Very nice! I was just in Tokyo over the weekend and made the tough choice to view wisterias over the pink moss. May I suggest you try out Butagumi for tonkatsu if you do drop by Tokyo again

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                          • #14
                            A bowl of thick miso ramen.




                            Visit to Asakusa, which was super duper crowded!




                            Nice stroll in great weather to Tokyo Skytree.








                            Sinful cheesecake platter at Cheese Garden.




                            Ginza evening.




                            World's largest Uniqlo store in Ginza! 12 storeys!!




                            Snacking on Takoyaki




                            And Yakitori




                            Simple meal




                            Kabukicho comes to 'life' in the evening.

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                            • #15
                              Dont mind me, but the cheese looks awesome!

                              When I went to the uniqlo at ginza, took me about 45min to finish looking at everything and making my purchase. The gf took twice the amount of time. and i remember sitting at one of the sofas staring at the construction site opposite and stoning my life away.

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