The real world for me has been more than a challenge recently – I’ll be honest. So I’m in need of a holiday, and I’m going in July.
When cups of coffee are your inspiration in the morning – it’s time for a break.
I must be mad, breaking one of my golden rules of not travelling during July/August.
But away – I need a break.
I’ve been fiddling around with Kayak for fun and entertainment recently, I came across some very reasonable fares between Tokyo and Frankfurt.
Whilst a quick trip (my usual style of travel) would be fun (and cheap – Etihad were throwing away tickets for £377 at one point), I experimented.
I fiddled with the ticket a fair bit – sadly, I was constricted by timings out of London and connections – so my idea of flying BA/JAL/Finnair went out of the window sadly.
However, there was one airline that will be new to me offering a return fare for £451.32 – and that would be Qatar Airways.
So the route. Prepare to laugh down the back for this Japan Trip.
Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz
So what is this route going to feature? Well the big DOH in the middle give you a guess of the equipment, but it will feature:
- London Heathrow – Frankfurt – British Airways Boeing 767
- Frankfurt to Doha – Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900
- Doha to Tokyo Haneda – Boeing 787
- Tokyo Narita to Doha – Boeing 777-200LR
- Doha to Frankfurt – Airbus A350-900
- Frankfurt to London City Airport – Embraer E175/E195
A lot of this is going to be new to me: least of all, Economy class in a 787 (haven’t done that yet), the A350 (completely new to me), the 777-200LR (that’s new) and a BA 767 (It’s new to me, but I’m lead to believe they are… badly aged).
I’m slowly converting this for the Japan trip….
Into something a bit more busier.
However – something came along today that will aid this Japan trip… a lot more than you’d think:
Why yes, it’s a JR Rail Pass. And since it was only £200 for the Green Car vs £150 for Ordinary, I plumped for the Green Car.
So as I put together the finishing touches to this trip (and there are two big things I need to still sort out), expect planes, trains and a lot of ramen…. and this.
What’s 5 Yen doing on my keyring? What does it have to do with flying? What does it have to do with anything?
I’m sure I can weave a long and meandering story to fill the pages of this blog…
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Looking forward to your trip report as heading there myself from Stockholm.
Andy I popped over a few years ago when I was burning BMI Diamond Club miles and IHG points like they were going out of business (plus I flew a Dreamliner when it was a relatively a brand new thing…).
Its everything you think it might be, yet nothing like it really is.
Certainly, I’ve been looking for an excuse to return… and I found it
Hope you’re doing okay in your real life, Kevin. Make sure you go to Kyoto!
James K… the real world… I think the song “Living for the weekend” is the state I’m in. There’s only so many times you can say to someone “Can you restart your computer please” before one gets loopy.
A mad break like this is called for 😉
I went in April, and visited Hiroshima – well worth a visit for 2, maybe 3 days.
City is brilliant, tons of history, an awesome castle to visit, and some interesting food to try.
And the Crowne Plaza is pretty good, has a lounge too!