To the land of sushi and ramen on Singapore Airlines we go!

Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Japan

The view from the window seat from night to morning

The Japan adventure began with a night flight from Singapore’s Changi Airport, Terminal 3. Since the flight was set to fly off at 11:55pm at night, there was no need to waste a day to take leave from work. It might be red-eye flight but I don’t think that it’s a waste of time: we not only get to sleep and have food (and entertain ourselves) but we also get to arrive early in the morning (around 8am). Since we will be traveling straight to Kyoto once we land in Narita Airport, and the journey takes about 4 hours or so, we would be just in time for checking-in to our AirBnB accommodation. Perfect timing!

We had already checked ourselves in online earlier on in the day, so checking in the luggage was a breeze. After waiting for the moment of take-off, it was time to board the plane. As usual, the order in which the passengers are called is orderly.

Some koi before we slowly made our way to our gate (we were early)

Waiting for boarding time.

Since it is about a 7 hour flight, there was time to sleep and catch up with a movie or two... or so I thought. Turns out that there was no entertainment, so we kinda just slept throughout the flight. I guess, the airline figured that since it was a red-eye flight they might as well let us passengers sleep. About 2 hours into the flight, we were served some light refreshments in the form of a mini burrito. There was chicken or shiitake mushroom, I choose mushroom while M choose the chicken. It wasn't too bad, a little on the dry side but that's what the orange juice is for.

Light refreshment (a.k.a supper) Chicken Flavor Burrito

Light refreshment (a.k.a supper) Shiitake Mushroom Flavor Burrito

Shortly after refreshment and a short nap, we were yet again served with breakfast. This time the food was more substantial (of course). There was an option between Western or Japanese, both M and I went for Western. It was alright, nothing to rave about but at least it was palatable and filled the tummy.

Underneath that omelet was hashbrown with chicken sausage and a tomato on the side.

Service was as usual prompt and friendly. The plane landed slightly earlier than predicted, but we were ready to get out and get our luggage! Of course before that, we also had to freshen up a bit – being on the plane for about 7 hours or so will definitely make you look fatigued (or in my case, a very shiny face lol).

Greeting at Narita Airport

On our way to immigration

It was about a 15-20 minute stroll to get to the immigration side but there were quite a bit of things to see.

We decided to freshen up first before heading to immigration. So that took us another 15 minutes lol

Since most of the facial care products were in the checked-in luggage and too bulky to lug around in the carry on (women have too many facial products!), I brought along a travel bottle that contained Son & Park’s Beauty Water (it’s a godsend I tell you!), which not only helped to freshen up my face but also cleanse it at the same time (very convenient), giving it that dewy cleansed look (bye bye oily shiny face!). Once my face was feeling nice and fresh, I slapped on some sunscreen and dabbed on that BB Cream (no need to be so complicated when you are on holiday, ok so maybe I am just lazy haha).

Almost there... after immigration we collected our luggage and made our way to get our JR Pass

With our faces fresh and chirpy, we made our way to the immigration and customs. After clearing immigration and customs, we made our way to the airport's train station (the JR ticket station to be precise) with luggage in tow, where we exchanged our Japan Rail Pass.

We hesitated a while before going in, not sure whether it was the correct place or not. But it was :)

The types of passes you can exchange here

When we arrived, there were quite a few people already in the queue so it took about 30 minutes or so before it was our turn. We had to fill up a form as well as show the voucher which we had already purchased in Singapore prior to our arrival in Japan.

Some takeaway tips

The queue, which seemed to only increase in number when we went in.

There was a lady in front of us who took quite a bit of time because she wasn't sure what she wanted. Goes to show that a little research and being prepared goes a long way, and does not hold up the queue. Anyways, Once it was our turn, it was a breeze to get our vouchers for the JR Passes, as well as reserve our seats and tickets from Narita to Shinagawa Station and from Shinagawa Station to Kyoto Station. The lady at the counter was very helpful and even helped us pick a more suitable timing to catch the Shinkansen from Shinagawa Station to Kyoto Station, giving us ample of time to walk to the platform.

The form we had to fill before getting the pass

Tip: If you have to catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto, Osaka or the other cities along the route, it is better if you transfer at Shinagawa Station rather than Tokyo Station. The reason being that if it is your first time, it will not only be quite a long walk (not a fun activity when you have luggage in tow and crowds to push your way through), but also confusing (and overwhelming) as Tokyo Station is bigger than Shinagawa Station and the crowd is not to be underestimated.

Finally, with pass (and tickets) in hand and seats reserved, it was off to Kyoto!

Getting to Kyoto from Narita Airport >>

About TravelBytez

When travel collides with a byte, a unit of information made up of bits, TravelBytez is formed: snippets of ramblings on travel, food, shopping, living and anything else that comes to mind.