Japan Airlines First Class Review

Japan Airlines first class is such a treat and I'm super glad I was able to finally experience it. The Asian airlines always seem to deliver superb products and this one is no different.

Japan Airlines First Class Pros

Terrific Service
Great Food and drinks
Incredibly Spacious and Private
Free Pajamas and Amenity Kit
Free Wi-Fi

Japan Airlines First Class Cons

Outdated seat and tech
Old cabin
Cabin very hot and hard to sleep in

How I Booked My Japan Airlines First Class Ticket

I booked my Japan Airlines First Class ticket 330 days before departure for 70,000 Alaska Airlines Miles (before devaluation) plus ~$18.10 in taxes and fees. This specific flight was

JL15 Departing Los Angeles LAX 13:30 arriving at Tokyo Haneda HND 17:30

Japan Airlines First Class Seats

There are 8 first class onboard the aircraft in a 1-2-1 configuration. I was in seat 1A and found it to be great.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class cabin. Cabin feels old and doesn't quite wow people.

The seat itself was super spacious but unfortunately looked pretty old and dated. The color scheme wasn't the most exciting but nonetheless it was still a very spacious and comfortable seat.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class are incredibly spacious. Really spacious seat.

Similar to the seat, the in-flight entertainment system is not the most modern either. The TV is big but the tech is pretty outdated. The screen isn't HD and has a glossy look to it.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class TV. Big but not HD TV.

The wired TV remote is also not the most intuitive and with an outdated UI.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class TV remote. Outdated TV remote.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class headphones. Noise cancelling headphones.

The seat had lots of storage space and I liked that the control panels could adjust different parts of the seat individually.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class seat controls. Seat controls.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class seat controls. More seat controls.

Since there were only 4 of us in first class, the flight attendants made the empty seat adjacent to us into the bed so we basically had 2 seats to ourselves, which was awesome.

The bed gets set with a mattress topper and was very comfortable. Unfortunately, the cabin was way too warm and I found it very difficult to sleep.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class has lie-flat beds. Comforter and mattress pad.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class has lie-flat beds. Spacious bed.

Japan Airlines First Class Wifi

First class passengers get free Wi-Fi onboard. There was a little Wi-fi card with instructions on how to connect. It was very easy to get online to and I had no complaints about the speed. Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class has free wi-fi. Wi-fi card instructions

Japan Airlines First Class Amenities

Japan Airlines hands out Zero Halliburton branded amenity kits, pajamas, and slippers to first class passengers. I was impressed at how much stuff was in the amenity kit. It had all the usual things like toothbrush and toothpaste but also had several Shiseido creams and lotions.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class amenity kit. Lots of stuff in the amenity kit.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class amenity kit comes with Shiseido creams and lotions. Even more stuff from the amenity kit.

The pajamas were comfy, but they looked bland and generic. The pockets being sewn on the outside of the pants felt a bit cheap.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class pajamas. Comfy but generic pajamas.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class slippers. Open toe slippers.

One of the most memorable things about this flight was that at the end of the flight, the cabin manager thanked me for flying JAL first class and gave me a handwritten card along with some souvenirs! It was the perfect finish to the already incredible service. The model A350-900 plane still sits on my desk today.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class hands out a gift bag and handwritten note. Japan Airlines First Class gift bag.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class souvenirs. Japan Airlines First Class souvenirs.

Japan Airlines First Class Food

Aside from the service, the highlight of this flight was definitely the food. It truly was a gastronomical experience. The presentation of the dishes was flawless and the food and drinks were top notch.

There were several courses of appetizers and each one was fantastic. If anything, the main course was a bit of a letdown but the sushi, caviar, and soups all made up for it.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class pre departure drink and appetizer. Appetizer and champagne.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class caviar. Caviar.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class sushi appetizer. Sushi at 38,000 feet is amazing.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class appetizers. Gorgeous plating.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class soup. Yummy soup.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class beef roll main dish. This main dish was still good but probably the worst part of the meal.

Even the dessert was really good. Afterward, the flight attendant came by with a basket full of snacks.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class dessert. Pretty tasty dessert.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class snacks. Post meal snacks.

The interesting thing is that it was only after all of the main food was served that the caviar was offered by the flight attendant. You can probably just order it for your appetizer.

Before landing, we were served a small meal consisting of a fruit plate. Since there's only one formal meal service on this flight, I recommend ordering from the anytime menu beforehand.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class breakfast fruit plate. Fruit plate before landing.

I ordered some rice dish and the ramen from the anytime menu and really enjoyed the ramen. I'd recommend trying that.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class anytime meal. I thought this rice dish was mediocre and I wasn't impressed by it.

Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER First Class vegan ramen from anytime menu. The ramen from the anytime menu was really good.

The surprising star of the meal service was this incredible Royal Blue Tea. This is a must order and was amazing.

Japan Airlines First Class Royal blue tea. Absolutely incredible Royal Blue Tea. You must try this.

Japan Airlines First Class Cappucino. Pretty cool it came with a French press!

Japan Airlines First Class Bathroom

The bathroom wasn't anything special except that the toilet has a bidet! I thought that was pretty cool haha.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Japan Airlines First Class is a terrific product. Although the seat and entertainment system aren't the most modern, the exceptional service and food more than make up for it. I really felt the hospitality that the Japanese are known for and it made for an exceptional flight. I'd highly recommend flying Japan Airlines first class if you can.