Japan Airlines Business Class Review: Boston to Tokyo RT

Oh, how I love trying a new business class product. I nerd out over them – researching them endlessly and reading about other people’s experiences. We were super excited to try Japan Airlines Business Class not once, but twice on a direct flight from Boston (BOS) to Tokyo (NRT) and then again on the return flight from NRT to BOS. It was our first time flying a Japanese airline. This review covers all the different aspects of our business class experience with a special focus on the vegetarian options on Japan Airlines business class because I’m a foodie (check out my post to the best Tokyo vegan and vegetarian restaurants if you need restaurant recommendations while you’re in the city) and the meal service is the best part about flying premium cabins. Get ready for my completely honest Japan Airlines Business class review.

By the way, if you are planning a trip to Japan, be sure to check out my post on the 23 essential things to know before traveling to Japan. These tips will help you have a seamless trip.

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How I booked Japan Airlines Business Class

I was casually looking at random redemption opportunities (as one does) early on in the year and stumbled upon JAL Business Class tickets from BOS to NRT on American Airlines. There were quite a few dates available throughout the year but I saw the most and best availability in late November – December. 

My fiance, Eric, had quite a few American Airlines miles but we were just short of the amount needed for two RT tickets so we ended up purchasing the remaining miles. The total cost of the tickets was 240,000 points for two RT tickets + $1,239. The taxes and fees were only $5.60 per ticket per way meaning the majority of that cash value was the points we needed to buy. 

Considering that the actual value of the tickets was $21,080, I counted that as a major win.

Now, American Airlines points are a little more challenging to earn because not many credit cards transfer to American Airlines. The best ways to earn points are an American Airlines branded card or the Bilt MasterCard.

If you pay rent, the Bilt MasterCard is seriously a fantastic option because you can pay your rent with the card and there are ZERO fees associated with the transaction. It’s the only credit card out there that you can pay rent with without incurring a transaction fee. It’s pretty amazing to be able to earn points on the money you spend on rent so I highly recommend getting that card!

Of course, there are other ways to earn American Aadvantage miles than just credit card spend such as using their shopping portal, flying American or their partner airlines, etc.

Japan Airlines Business Class Lounges

It is quite possible that I nerd out about lounges as much as I do premium cabins. I love checking out a new lounge, bouncing around the moment I enter to explore the space. To me lounge access is just as much a part of the experience of flying business class as the flight itself.

Boston 

JAL does not have its own lounge in Boston. However, passengers get access to the British Airways Gallery Lounge located in Terminal E. The lounge was located immediately across our gate so it was really convenient to spend a couple of hours there before the flight.

There was plenty of light flooding the lounge and a good amount of seating options. The bar wasn’t open considering it was morning but the bar space looked really nice. They did have a self serve area where you could pour yourself wine, beer, etc.

The food was surprisingly tasty and there were a solid amount of vegetarian options. I had this tofu in a cilantro curry and glazed carrots and it was definitely better than most lounge food I’ve had (minus the CapitalOne lounge food which is just phenomenal). I also had a decaf cappuccino (so that I could sleep on the flight) that was prepared through one of the automatic machines but still tasty. 

Tokyo

The business class lounge in NRT is called the JAL Sakura Lounge. It’s a two story lounge with ample amounts of seats, showers, massage chairs, etc. The dining area is on the main floor and you can wait in the line to grab food or scan a QR code and pick it up when it’s ready. The bottom floor has seating and drinks but you aren’t allowed to bring meals down there.

Overall, the lounge was really comfortable and a solid spot to spend a few hours before our flight. 

I will say there weren’t many vegetarian options at all and the ones they did have were fairly bland and mediocre.

Boarding experience

In both BOS and NRT the boarding process was really quick and easy. They started boarding 25 minutes before departure time which I thought was crazy yet somehow they boarded and departed on time in just 25 minutes. 

Once we got on the aircraft we showed our boarding pass to the flight attendant and they pointed us towards our seats where a water bottle, our amenity kit, and bedding were waiting for us.

We were presented with a welcome beverage both times. From Boston it was a tasty juice mixture (as it was an early daytime flight) and from Tokyo we had the option of champagne and orange juice. 

Japan Airlines does not offer pajamas for their business class customers (I’m not sure if they do in first class or not). We were asked if we wanted a cardigan from our flight to BOS – NRT which we said yes too and it was very comfortable (you don’t get to keep the cardigan btw). However, we weren’t offered one on our return flight which was kind of a bummer.

Layout of the cabin 

The highest cabin on our flight was business class so there was no first class cabin.

The business class cabin is configured in a 2-2-2 staggered layout meaning that even if you are seated next to someone, you get a decent amount of privacy, especially if you raise the partition in between the seats.

Even the middle seats looked like a pretty great option given the staggered layout. 

With the ingenious design of Apex Suites, all seats have direct aisle access. 

If you’re traveling alone, I recommend getting one of the window seats as it has much more privacy than the other seats even though there isn’t much storage space at the seat – more on that below. 

Seats

There are 3 different types of business class seats in the cabin and our seat had a little card explaining the different features of the seats. For both flights Eric and I had the window seat and the aisle seat right next to it. 

There are pros and cons of these two seats. The pros of the window seat are that you have lots of privacy because of the staggered layout. It almost feels like a closed suite especially if you put the partition up. You also have the beautiful windows with dimmer options so you can control how much light you have coming in. The one con of this seat is that there is not very much storage. I kept handing things over to Eric for him to store at his seat.

For the aisle seats, the pros were the amount of storage – there was a little shelf area and an easily accessible mesh pouch. The con is that it is less private considering it is open to the aisle. Though if you get up a lot in flights the easy direct aisle access may be a pro for you.

All the seats do have an outlet to make charging your electronics easy.

I also found that the seat controls weren’t as customizable as other airlines. You could put the seat in a lay-flat position and a couple of other configurations in between. I just wasn’t able to customize it quite in the way I wanted to. Either that or I am inept at working the remote control.

Regardless, I was still very comfortable the entire time, especially because they give you a mattress pad to add on top of your seat for when you’re sleeping.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit included your basic essentials – dental kit, eye mask, etc. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about the kit. I did love the vibrant color of the pouch and plan on reusing it. 

In flight entertainment

The screen at every seat in Japan Airlines Business Class is pretty massive. It was the first thing I noticed when I sat down. I will be honest I didn’t watch a single movie because I’m a nerd and decided to binge read all the books I downloaded. However, Eric did watch a few movies and said the entertainment selection was good.

The same remote you use to select your entertainment you can also use to adjust to turn the light off and on, call the flight attendant, andddd order food/drinks off their order anytime menu.

Food and beverage

This is where this review gets juicy. Grab some popcorn and get ready,

We had insanely different experiences from one flight to another so I’ve broken this section down into a separate review of each flight. 

For meal service you get the option to choose between a Japanese menu or Western menu. Or, if you’re like us and are vegetarian or vegan, you request a meal in advance and see what happens. 

Flight from BOS to NRT

Main meal service

Amuse bouche

The meal service started off positive and then went downhill so fast it’s not even funny. We selected our beverages – I chose a surprisingly delicious Japanese red wine – and then were given a bowl of nuts and olives.

The nuts were very tasty and we were starting to get excited about the meal service until one of the flight attendants came by and in a panicked state, grabbed our bowls (we were still eating, mind you) and whisked them away. We were so shocked we didn’t say anything.  She then came back and replaced the bowls with fruit because “we had ordered the special menu”. My guess is that the nuts had honey on them and, even though we had selected the vegetarian menu meaning we are clearly not vegan, she took them away. 

We were pretty disappointed, especially because we were enjoying the nuts and it was a little strange that she didn’t just let us eat them or ask if we wanted to eat them.

Starter

It got worse. As the guy next to us was given this beautiful Bento box and a miso soup for his starter course (he had ordered the Japanese meal), our plates were placed in front of us. I kid you not it was a plate of lettuce and raw veggies with a side of…more lettuce and raw veggies with NOTHING on them. No salt, no pepper, and certainly no dressing. 

At this point we were fairly upset. We’ve flown plenty of other business class products who have made real effort with their vegetarian food. This was appalling. Who would eat just lettuce and raw veggies!? Other passengers were also given bread and of course, we weren’t. When we asked for some, they said they had run out, because it wasn’t a part of our “special meal”. 

Main Course

The main course was a mediocre pasta dish with bland veggies and cheese. I’ve had better vegetarian pasta served in economy. This was certainly not up to the standards of a business class meal service. Everyone else around us were given these stunningly beautiful dishes and I think I heard a moan escape the lips of the gentleman seated across from us. I was pretty sad, I won’t lie to you and Eric, who is an amateur chef, was just downright pissed.

I have no photos of the main course because it was just too depressing. Instead, here’s a photo of us from happier times.

Dessert

At this point we were feeling pretty disheartened and then at least tried to have high hopes for dessert. The other passengers were given this yuzu panna cotta which is obviously vegetarian so we were hoping for the same. Nope. A bowl of fruits.

I about lost it here and my fiance did lose it. He pulled a flight attendant aside and was like look I know this isn’t your fault but just because we are vegetarian doesn’t mean we don’t like food. Why would we be served a bowl of fruits and not an actual dessert, especially when the dessert is obviously vegetarian?

She was really kind and went to check to see if there were other panna cottas left. Thankfully two passengers hadn’t shown up so she brought us their dessert. It was simply sinfully delicious, bursting with flavor and a perfect balance of citrus and sweetness. 

I also have no photos of the panna cotta because we were so excited to eat it that we did so without snapping a photo.

In between meals

You were able to order dishes from their anytime menu. However, the flight attendant told us she couldn’t confirm if anything that appeared vegetarian on the menu was actually vegetarian so we would need to order at our own risk….um wtf?

I went with a cheese plate and some coffee. These cheese plate was simple yet tasty and the coffee was easily the best coffee I’ve had on an airplane.

Eric ordered some whiskey which was served with these mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth, truffle chocolates which was a nice touch.

Second meal service

Of course, we had the lowest expectations possible for our second meal service and good thing we did because we were served another super bland pasta and a sandwich that just had lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. No condiments, no salt, no pepper…no nothing.

So frustrating and so disappointing. Please do better, Japan Airlines!!!

Overall thoughts

I could not be more disappointed with an airline. The other business class passengers looked like they were enjoying their meal and the yuzu panna cotta was delicious so clearly, JAL is capable of making fantastic food…just not for vegans and vegetarians. 

Or, so I thought. Keep reading for our experience on the flight from NRT to BOS.

Flight from NRT to BOS

You’re probably thinking “omg, I can not read another sad food review” but trust me, this one is completely different.

Of course, we were very wary about what we were going to get and yet cautiously optimistic because we had done our research and found that a different chef would be operating this flight.

We also had just done two weeks in Japan and knew how good the food is and the commitment to excellence and pride that Japanese chefs take in their meals. 

Main meal service

We were mentally prepared to get the same garbage we had gotten on the way over so that we wouldn’t get our hopes up. Thankfully, before the meal service, the flight attendant came over and confirmed our dietary restrictions and then…she handed us a menu!!!

We were so excited we started cheering as she left chuckling. Maybe she had seen some other beat down vegans and vegetarians before?

Amuse Bouche

I was so excited when she placed our amuse bouche in front of us. Both the veggies and the mousse were delectable but for me the stand out was the fluffy, creaminess of the mousse and how the basil came through subtle but definitely present. I was so excited to try the rest!

Starter

Things, of course, just kept getting better. The starter was beautifully plated with three different and distinct flavors. It was hard to choose a favorite! I would say I’m a sucker for tahini and harissa so the cauliflower might have been the top contender. That being said I really enjoyed both the carrots and the chickpea salad.

They also brought us some bread and vegan butter. The bread was fine but the vegan butter was not tasty. I contemplated asking for normal butter but didn’t feel like doing the song and dance again to explain that there is a difference between vegans and vegetarians.

Main

We were given a vegan lasagna and it was the best vegan lasagna I’ve ever had. The mushroom gave it a wonderful meaty and hearty texture that paired excellently with the cumin flavored rosemary rice. I almost licked my plate clean!

Dessert

The dessert was a chocolate brownie that was rich and moist. I was incredibly impressed with it, considering it was vegan, and I ate every morsel and then looked over to Eric, hoping he wouldn’t be enjoying his brownie so I could steal it. Alas, he was every bit as in love with it as I was. Damn him.

Secondary meal service

We didn’t end up ordering anything off the menu in between meal services this time because we slept most of the flight and woke up just in time for our second meal before landing.

I was still pretty full from the excellent dinner we had so I didn’t eat too much of this one but was still overall impressed with it. 

It had some roasted veggies, what I think was either tofu or yuba, and a piece of fake meat perhaps? It was a little hard to identify everything but it was definitely vegan and tasty! 

It came with some bread, my arch nemesis – the vegan butter, and a little bowl of fruits. 

A night and day difference from our sad, sad sandwich on our last flight.

Overall thoughts

The dinner meal was so unbelievably creative and easily one of the best meals I’ve had in business class and the secondary meal service was also creative and quite good.

We eat vegan meals all the time so we certainly didn’t mind an all vegan menu, especially one so well done. I just wish I had some normal butter for my bread..but that’s about it.

I can only hope they standardize their quality for vegans and vegetarians on all routes and not just offer an excellent meal on their flights departing from Japan.

Service

The service on both of our flights was truly excellent. You can really feel the excellent Japanese hospitality. All of the flight attendants were incredibly kind and helpful. The combination of also being able to use the remote to order beverages or snacks really helped ensure that service was prompt. When we were noticeably upset about our meal on the BOS to NRT flight, they did everything in their power to help. 

Do I recommend Japan Airlines Business Class?

I absolutely recommend Japan AIrlines Business Class. It’s almost a flawless product with the highlights including their seats, impeccable service, food (on the NRT to BOS flight), attention to detail, and the remote where we can order any food/drink we wanted at any time. 

Had I just flown Japan Airlines from NRT to BOS I would have proclaimed this to be my favorite business class product (except for maybe QSuites?) but I can’t overlook the fact that on our BOS to NRT flight we had seriously horrible food. This was a huge disappointment and, considering meal service is one of our favorite parts of business class, it seriously detracted from the overall experience. 

If you are a vegetarian and have the opportunity to fly Japan Airlines Business Class, make sure it’s on a flight originating from Japan. 

I sincerely hope that JAL is able to consistently offer vegetarian/vegan options on the same caliber as our flight from NRT to BOS and recognize that vegans and vegetarians like good food too!

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