Read more from this trip – Spring Break in the Maldives and Tokyo:

• Introduction: Spring Break in the Maldives and Tokyo
• British Airways Galleries Lounge, Washington Dulles
• Qatar Airways Qsuite Business Class, Washington Dulles to Doha (IAD-DOH)
• Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge
• Qatar Airways Qsuite Business Class, Doha to Malé (DOH-MLE)
• Conrad Maldives
  • Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – Introduction and Seaplane Experience
  • Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – Superior Water Villa
  • Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – Food and Beverage
  • Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – Activities and Spas
• Cathay Pacific Airways Business Class Malé to Hong Kong (MLE-HKG)
• Cathay Pacific Airways Regional Business Class Hong Kong to Tokyo (HKG-NRT)
• Conrad Tokyo
• Sushi Shin, Tokyo Food Review
• Tokyo’s most exclusive dining experience – Yakumo Saryo, Tokyo Food Review
• Japan Airlines First Class Lounge – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
• Japan Airlines First Class, Tokyo Narita to New York (NRT-JFK)

Introduction

Lounge Visit Details:

• Date visited: March 24, 2019
• Where: Tokyo Narita Terminal 2
• Class: First Class Lounge

I arrived at Tokyo Narita Terminal 2 roughly 2-hours before my 6:30pm flight using the Narita Express train. It takes just 53 minutes to go from Tokyo Station to Narita, which is hard to beat. The JAL First Class Lounge is open from 7:30am-10pm and it’s so good you’ll want to build some time into your schedule to enjoy it.

Check-in

The First Class check-in area is located at section L. This exclusive check-in area is open to First Class passengers, JAL Mileage Bank / Diamond members, JAL Global Club Premier members and oneworld Emerald members.

There were a few people ahead of me in line, but I was the only giraffe in the terminal. The line moved quickly and a smiling check-in agent greeted me. For some reason the agent couldn’t pull up my reservation, which she apologized for no less than 20-times. I had a printed copy of my American Airlines issued award ticket, which I handed to the agent and she was eventually able to sort it out.

JAL has a “Fast Security Lane,” which is located just past the First Class check-in area. There wasn’t anyone else utilizing the Fast Security Lane so baggage inspection was a breeze.

The Lounge

I was greeted by a friendly lounge attendant who tagged my carry-on with a JAL First Class bag tag. She then escorted me into the lounge and offered to get me a beverage. I opted for a glass of champagne, which she quickly came back with.

Warning: JAL Lounges located in the Main Building 3rd and 4th floor are under renovation through Fall 2019. During this period One World passengers not flying on JAL are not permitted in the lounge.

Seating

The lounge features a lot of seating, but not all seats have power outlets, which you should be mindful of when selecting a place to sit.

Pro Tip – Grab a seat by the window for excellent views of the tarmac.

Shoe Shine Service

Near the smoking lounge lies one of the unique features of the JAL First Class Lounge. JAL in collaboration with British Shoemaker John Lobb offers shoe shine services. I had my pair of giraffe boots shined. They provide you with comfortable slippers to wear while your shoes are being shined.

Food

A second unique feature of the lounge is the hand-rolled sushi counter. They only serve you 3-pieces at a time, but you can go up for seconds, thirds, etc. The quality is very good. They change the menu weekly, which can be found on JAL’s website.

The lounge also features freshly baked breads from Maison Kayser. The bakery uses natural yeast that is allowed to rise for 20 hours. Next to the bread you’ll find cookies from Qu’il Fait Bon, which started in Kyoto. Testament to the popularity of their delicious cookies the brand has expanded to 12 locations around Japan.

Beverages

You wont go thirsty in the JAL First Class Lounge. There’s a wide arrange of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available.

The lounge served G.H. Mumm Brut Grand Cordon Champagne, which retails for around $50 a bottle. The champagne was quite nice with flavors of fresh berries and peach-driven stone fruits. There was also Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, which retails for around $20 a bottle.

If you’re looking for beer there are 2 automatic beer machines with Asahi Super Dry Dry Premium rice lager on tap. These machines are truly modern marvels. Place your glass in the machine, push the button and it will serve you a perfectly poured glass of ice cold beer.

If you fancy a cocktail before your flight there’s a variety of self serve hard liquor. The quality of the vodka is a bit underwhelming for a first class lounge, but the gin is respectable.

The whisky selection is far better than the vodka or gin. They had Bowmore 18-year on offer, which retails for over $80 a bottle.

For those who prefer sake there was a wide variety on display behind the sushi bar.

Overall Verdict

First Class Giraffe Approved

The lounge is excellent and it’s worth building a few hours into your itinerary to check it out.