This trip from Mongolia to Tokyo started at 2:00 am. I had alarms set for 3:am but inadvertent calls from the US changed that lol. It’s an early start to trip and a flight that leaves at 7:00 am getting to Tokyo’s Narita airport at just before 1:00pm. Thank goodness I had purchased the business class seat because I had a great and relaxing sleep on this flight.
The carriers in Mongolia are very strict about carry on luggage. I found this out the hard way on my flight from Tokyo to Mongolia when my carryon was forced to be checked. My SwissGear bag meets all the international carryon size requirements but the weight was their issue I had purchased locks for the bag (and I recommend you do too Incase you face something like this) but this had not been forced on the previous flights and the difference was cabin class. In coach the weight limit is much less than first and the level of enforcement is much higher.
This along with the lounge, the additional leg room and seat width and the abundance of service and food and ease of bathroom access has driven me to conclude that from now on if the price difference from economy to business is $500 or less I am upgrading.
Next tip is for peace of mind. That carry-on has all the clothes and shoes and other important items I don’t want to deal with trying to replace on this venture. With that being the case I had purchased the locks mentioned above to deter any lazy thieves … hoping they might go for the unprotected bags first lol. But the other safety measure I took was getting a tracking device for my bags and keys. For this task I went with the Apple Air Tags and I’m very pleased with their performance. They are useless (my experience) once the bag has been taken to be checked but when on the bus and when leaving them in the hotel rooms they worked fantastic and do provide added peace of mind.
A great insider tip. That bus in the video is the ticket for getting to Tokyo from Narita airport. The bus runs every 10 minutes (check the schedule) and the price is amazing at 1,300 yen - under $9.00. The ticket counter at Narita is fast and friendly and the kiosks in Tokyo station couldn’t easier and more convenient to use, if I can do it you can do it. The ticket office in Tokyo station is outside the main station by the Shinkansen tickets area, close to where the buses pick you up. The bus brings you right to Tokyo station next to Shinkansen ticket offices and also next to the taxi stops. Very convenient and if your are a Go app user like me, just walk a few feet away from the main taxi area and you can use your app (credit card payment so you can keep your cash and the app shows the driver exactly where your going so no communication issues) or you can just grab the next cab and pay cash. If you go the cash option show the driver where you want to go in Google maps if your japanese is as weak as mine (improving every day).
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