Travel Japan - Preplanning and Day 1

Japan was on our bucket's list for many years, but every time we plan to go, something would come up and spoiled it, especially the past couple of years.  Late 2022, we decided that this is it with news of Japan opening up.  With the in-laws having difficult time walking and the eldest going to high school soon, there was no better time.

The two best seasons to see Japan are spring and autumn for obvious reasons, but we heard summer was hot and humid and in the winter, certain places are closed or closed early.  We picked spring to coincide with the kids' spring break.  With dates confirmed, we selected ZIPAIR, the budget line of ANA.  We found youtube videos and read online forums, but since they're relatively new, there wasn't much reviews to rely on.  We took our chances and purchased the tickets near the end of January.

Next were the hotel bookings, followed by JR Pass as recommended by YouTubers.

The day has arrived, we got to LAX a couple hours early in the morning.

Tom Bradley International Terminal taken with Nikon Z5 and Nikkor 26mm

Adelaide and Andrew spending their time...

Taken with Leica M10 and 35mm Summicron

Our plane arrived.

Boeing 777 taken with Nikon Z5 and Nikkor 26mm

Boarded and settling down.

Inside ZIPAIR Boeing 777 taken with iPhone 14 Pro Max

The cabin interior was decent and clean, and seems comfortable enough.  The seats are approximately domestic economy size in width and legroom.  We downloaded movies and shows on our devices since ZIPAIR doesn't have monitors for the passengers.  They do provide free internet/WiFi, but it was slow and spotty at best.  As a budget line, everything was a la carte, including meals, seat selection, carry-on limits, and check-ins.  We purchased their package deals, which included a meal, seat selection, and up to 23 kg of check-in luggage per person.

The purchased meals were served approximately an hour into the 12 hours or so flight.  The beef curry was decent, but the other ones were more like cafeteria food.  Good thing we brought snacks.  The rest of the flight, we entertained ourselves with downloaded movies and youtube videos of Japan, reading, and sleeping.  We arrived in Japan in the afternoon of Day 2.