My Trip to Tokyo
As I announced yesterday, today is my last day at my "day job" and the first day of my life as a full-time points consultant and blogger. When I made the decision to become The Points Guy full-time, I also decided to go on a memorable (and exotic) "emancipation" trip to kick it off.
With a trip to Europe planned for later in the summer, and the tropics being a little too muggy right now, where did I decide to go? Asia, of course! However, I only have five days for this trip since I'll be at the Travel Blog Exchange in Vancouver next week. Not enough time? Nonsense.
I'll save my grand Asian adventure for the next time, but with three days on the ground, I definitely have enough time for North Asia. Especially because this trip is more symbolic than anything else, marking a break between my past work and my future endeavors, and most important, it will be relevant for my readers.
A couple weeks ago Delta ran an incredible sale on flights to Tokyo, and a lot of TPG readers ended up buying fares. That got me thinking that it might make sense to go to Tokyo for my inaugural TPG trip - especially since I've never been, and it would be great to compare notes with many of you.
Once I decided on Tokyo, I thought it would only be appropriate to fly Delta into Haneda to test out the new route and that airport's new international terminal. I also wanted to stay at the Park Hyatt, since I am a Hyatt Diamond and Park Hyatt is my favorite brand of hotels (not to mention the fact that I've been jonesing to visit the hotel since seeing Lost in Translation).
Since Tokyo tourism is down drastically due to the recent natural and nuclear disasters, I reached out to Delta and Hyatt to let them know that I'd be making a trip and I gave them a little background about my circumstances. Amazingly, they both offered to sponsor my trip. I decided to accept their offer since I've actually never flown on Delta's newest plane; the Boeing 777-LR with the Business Elite lie-flat seats (which will allow me to get fully rested and maximize my short time on the ground), and I'm excited to lounge at the exclusive Sky Pool at the Park Hyatt Tokyo.
Just to be clear though, while my trip is mostly comped, you can still expect a full, candid trip report on both my hotel and flight experiences (JFK-LAX-HND in BusinessElite and NRT-JFK on the 747 in BusinessElite on the upper deck and also in Delta's new Economy Comfort cabin). Additionally, I'll be taking a lot of yourTokyo recommendations and will be doing some Japanese giveaways to commenters on that post (it's not too late to add your thoughts)!
If you want to follow my travels, I'll be tweeting (so follow me) and blogging from the road. Domo arigato again to Delta and Hyatt, and most importantly, to all of you who have given me great Tokyo tips.
I hope that this is the first of many wonderful, productive trips I take as The Points Guy thanks to all of your contributions and feedback. See you in the skies!
This is one installment in my series on my trip to Tokyo. You can find my past posts on the trip below, including:
My Trip to Tokyo, My Initial Thoughts on Tokyo
Tokyo Day One Part One – Arrival at Haneda, Meiji Shrine, and Harajuku
Tokyo Day One Part Two – Shibuya, Park Hyatt Spa and Tokyo Hands
Tokyo Day Two Part One – Walking Around Shinjuku and Tokyo Hands
Tokyo Day Two Part Two – A Tale of Three Very Different Dining Experiences
Day Three Part One - Inside Access to Tsukiji Fish Market and Tuna Auction
Tokyo Day Three Part Two – Sushi at 6:30am, Tempura and a Night Out in Shinjuku
Tokyo Day Four – Jetlag Blues, Relaxing at the Park Hyatt and Hanging at the Delta SkyClub at Narita
Delta to Tokyo – 757 BusinessElite Review – JFK to LAX
Delta to Tokyo 777LR BusinessElite Review LAX to Haneda
Delta to Tokyo – 747 Upper Deck BusinessElite and Economy Comfort Review Narita to JFK
Park Hyatt Tokyo Review
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