Konnichi wa!

We're here! Here is a quick run down of our journey from the USA to Japan so far...

Tuesday, August 3, 7:10 am:  Learned that our flight from Des Moines to Chicago was canceled, internally panicked for 5 seconds, but soon learned that we were already re-booked on a flight that left only 20 minutes after the original one. Old itinerary: Des Moines to Chicago to Tokyo to Misawa. New itinerary: Des Moines to Denver to LA to Tokyo to Misawa. At first glance, this may seem like an inconvenience, but it actually shortened our longest flight (US to Tokyo) by about 2-3 hours, which is good news for anyone, but especially a pregnant passenger.Additionally, we were now on United flights the entire way which we thought could bolster our case for getting bumped from Coach to Business or First.

Made it through security with minimal delays (a lady had to pass through the metal detector about 4 times before remembering  that she had purchased something composed of metal in the gift shop...really?). When we got to the gate counter, we asked if there were any available seats in Business Class...nope. Literally as we were walking away from the counter, we decided to ask if there were any available seats in First Class (you would think that the desk agent would have volunteered this information since it was pretty clear why we were asking, but no). Regardless, we asked and were bumped to First Class for the Des Moines to Denver flight at no cost! There were no available Business or First Class seats from Denver to LA, but while in LA, Matt was able to secure Business Class seats for our LA to Tokyo flight using minimal amounts of our mileage points. Our fully reclining seats, individual movie screens, down comforters and pillows, and high quality food made all the difference in the world. We were able to sleep between 3 and 5 hours of the 10 hour flight and most of our remaining time was filled with many courses of drinks, hot nuts, appetizers, dinner, and dessert. We were one of about 10 passengers in this second floor seating area, sharing 2 bathrooms and 2 flight attendants.

Photo documentation from what will likely be our finest flight to Japan...

Matt had salad, grilled sirloin steak, steamed vegetables, and cheesecake, while I opted for the "Washoku Zen Selection" (pictured below) of layered egg, grilled scallop, beef tenderloin, shrimp, poached tuna, steemed leeks, and buckwheat soba noodles, served with green tea....and that was just the appetizer! My main course was barbeque eel with teriyaki sauce, steamed rice, and pickled vegetables with a selection of international cheeses and grapes for dessert. Breakfast consisted of a warm croissant, fresh fruit, and yogurt...sure beats the apple sauce I was given for breakfast in Coach on one of our last flights to Germany!