Length of flight to Japan, etc.?

[ArmandV]

Just out of curiosity, how long was your flight to Japan from your city/country? What did you do to keep yourself occupied during the flight? What airline did you take and how would you rate their service?

For me, the length to Narita from Los Angeles is about 11 hours (coming home is about 9 hours as we aren't fighting the trade winds). I mainly either watched the in-flight movies, read or slept. The first time was on United and they kept us well-fed and our glasses filled. Very good service. Likewise, the second time I flew on Singapore Air and they too provided excellent service.

 

[RockLee]

Ahh interesting question ! When I went to Sapporo(Hokkaido ) from Belgium I spend 1,5 to 2 hours from Belgium to Vienna.Then it was about 12 hours to Narita airport and I kept myself occupied watching the 4 movies after eachother and watching some even twice .Listening to music and sleeping was also an option...but ever had the pleasure to sleep in a airplaneseat?? I had THE worst time to get asleep, mainly because it was only light for a few hours... When I got in Narita it was 8 hours until I had my flight to Sapporo wich took me 1,5 hour..surprizingly I fell asleep even before the plane took off? @_@

 

[ArmandV]

I slept on the flight home from Japan last summer starting not too long after dinner was served and I woke up just before breakfast (which, I guess, was about a couple of hours before landing). I guess I slept pretty good even though the guy next to me was pretty big. Wish I could have afforded first class.

 

[Keiichi]

From Hawaii, about 9 hours from Honolulu to Narita, and about 7 hours back.
I stalled time by watching those JAL movies and trying to sleep. I still cannot guess how I actually killed so much time, yet have it feel like an eternity at the same time.

Keiichi

 

[Davey]

i havnt been to japan yet, but my longest flight experience is when i was in Brisbane(oz) and i fly from brisbane to perth (5 hours) from perth to kuala lumpur (6 hours) and from kuala lumpur to amsterdam (13 hours) so totaly 24 hours... most nice thing

ALL IN 1 DAY.... hehe

i read magazine's think about my girl that i needed to say goodbye from and didnt see for 7 months ( verry nice to hear the song ... 100days that makes me older since i saw your pretty face... BOEHOE crying in airplain... ) see movies, listen to music.. and best of all PLAY NINTENDO WOW i love Malaysian Airlines YATTA

( sorry that i cant have expierence about japan, just wanted to tell my flight experience... i will tell you guys about japan after summertime)

THEY GOT A BIG 10 ++++++ rate from me... mmm nice stewardes... nice outfit...

 

[GaijinPunch]

From Hawaii, about 9 hours from Honolulu to Narita, and about 7 hours back.
I stalled time by watching those JAL movies and trying to sleep. I still cannot guess how I actually killed so much time, yet have it feel like an eternity at the same time.

Indeed. It's a painful flight, even though it's the quickets US state to Japan flight. The fact that flying from Honolulu to everywhere is packed like sardines does not help, and they always manage to give the Exit row seats to midgets, instead of 6'3" people such as myself.

 

[Brooker]

I've always flown from Seattle to Vancouver to Narita or Osaka. With the layover it's usually about 13 hours. On one flight I didn't sleep and it was terrible. Just staring at the seat in front of me for hour after hour. You have to sleep on a flight that long. Do whatever you have to. Take pills, drink yourself into a coma, whatever.

 

[Pachipro]

From the time we depart our home in Nashville, TN to the time we enter the inlaws home in Sagamihara, Kanagawa-ken it is just about 24 hrs. We usually fly American Airlines to Dallas, TX where we catch a 14 hr flight to Narita. Then we either take the train or a bus to Sagami-ono station where we then catch a cab.

American Airlines is the best we have travelled so far in that they give the most leg room in coach. In fact the leg room is so good that one can even cross ones legs while reading. For this we have only flown American the past 5 years. The only bad thing is that they don't serve free alcohol anymore. The service is quite good and they keep you well fed.

Personally, I usually do not sleep the night before departure in order to get my body in sync with the time change. While on the plane I'll usually read, watch a movie or two, or nap. By the time we get to Japan, take a bath and eat, I am so tired that I crash out immediately. The next day I awake refreshed and I never experience any jet lag.

 

[RockLee]

Personally, I usually do not sleep the night before departure in order to get my body in sync with the time change. While on the plane I'll usually read, watch a movie or two, or nap. By the time we get to Japan, take a bath and eat, I am so tired that I crash out immediately. The next day I awake refreshed and I never experience any jet lag.

Ohhh I had jet lag really bad ! When I arrived in Japan, that evening when I touched my futon, not even 5 minutes passed before I was in dreamland I had to adjust 2 days before my system got used.God do I miss those times

 

[Gord]

Brooker - me too, I did the vancouver to seattle, seattle to narita thing. The fed me about 10 different times, so sleeping wasn't an option, a guys gotta eat! the movies were cool, I watched harry potter twice and eternal sunshine of the spotless mind just about 3 times. And I brought my laptop so that was fun for like, an hour. No jetlag for me, I rented my apartment after booking my plane tickets, so my day was vancouver to seattle by airplane, seattle to narita, narita to osaka by shinkansen, then unpacking everything and exploring shinosaka with my landlord. I woke up at the same time I always wake up, but all of a sudden i was on japan time. I might get a little messed up coming back, but the flight there I was too excited to sleep. JAPAN JAPAN! On the flight back home I might be depressed from leaving this paradise

 

[Arc Light]

Well, back in the day before anti-terrorist security, my flight from here to there was as follows: Norfolk, VA to St. Louis, MO was about 4 hours (I think). Then we went from STL to LAX, Anchorage Alaska, Iwakuni Air base, then to Kadena Air base. Roughly about 20-22 hours flying time, not including layovers. Including layovers, travel time was around 30 hours. Talk about jet lag.

That was all military flights.

 

[GaijinPunch]

Technology makes those flights WAY better now. Gameboy Advance, handheld DVD players... magazines worth reading. My first trip to Japan was 1996. Handheld games were ugly, and that was about the only cool toy other than an MD player. Much more painful.

 

[Dekamaster]

around 6 hours. I just listen to Jpop music available onboard. too bad they don't sell records

 

[mr.sumo.snr]

Drink champagne and orange juice and Becks beer for the first 6 hours en route to Frankfurt, watch at least one of the eight movies on offer over lunch - ask for extra cheese, and port...lots of port. Fall asleep (pass out) for about three hours Wake up and then spend the remaining three hours trying to sober up (always pack painkillers - they never carry anything stronger than aspirin on the airlines) and advise the flight attendant that the cabin feels a little stuffy - they SHOULD increase the oxygen mix then. Ask for chocolate...lots of chocolate. Arrive in Frankfurt; rush to catch the connecting flight to Heathrow. Arrive in London after a short 90 minute flight sober enough to drive a hire car two hours home. Finally, almost have a heart attack the first time a car overtakes you on a regular road - I always forget that you can overtake in UKland, and that the fastest vehicles on the roads are NOT the trucks!

 

[wintersweet]

I think it was 13 hours there from SFO, going up and over (and only 9 coming back, going straight across the ocean). It goes like this: excitement, excitement, excitement, read the inflight magazine (that takes about 10 minutes), checking out the TV, watch something a while, try to find some music that isn't awful, doze off, wake up, watch more TV, play old RPGs on an SNES simulator on my laptop, check and re-check my travel arrangements, try writing something on my laptop, stare out the window ...

I try not to sleep for most of the trip there (going west) since that means I crash as soon as I get to my room, and wake up freakishly early the next morning. I have a bad habit of sleeping late normally, so I capitalize on the jet lag to get lots of things done for the first few days (until my bad habits catch up with me). On the way back to the US (east), sleeping is OK...

Except now I'm not allowed to sleep on planes anymore because I have sleep apnea. If only I could afford first class, I could plug in my breathing machine... Sigh.