Veteran miles-and-points blogger Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time has kicked off a new trip report series documenting a first class quest to Japan — the kind of multi-leg, premium-cabin journey his readers follow for inspiration on how to redeem points for seats that would otherwise cost a small fortune.
The introduction post sets up the trip: a long-haul run to Japan flown entirely in first class, with the routing, cabin choices and booking strategy all to be unpacked across the series. Schlappig has flown hundreds of airlines, mostly up front, and his reports typically walk through how he booked each segment, what the hard and soft products are like, and whether the miles spent were worth it.
For anyone who has never priced a first class ticket to Tokyo, the appeal is obvious. Cash fares in premium cabins to Japan routinely run into five figures round trip, while savvy redemptions using airline partner programmes can slash that dramatically. Trip reports like this one double as practical research: which seats have doors, how the dining holds up on a daytime versus overnight sector, and which carriers offer the smoothest transfer experience en route to Asia.
Japan itself is the draw as much as the flight. The series lands squarely in the sweet spot for travellers planning a big-ticket Asia trip — the ones weighing whether to splurge points on the front cabin rather than the hotel, or vice versa. Expect the usual trip-report substance as it unfolds: lounge access along the way, onboard service comparisons between carriers, and arrival logistics into Tokyo or Osaka.
Worth noting is the timing. Japan remains one of the most in-demand long-haul destinations for points redemptions, and award space in first class is notoriously tight, especially in cherry blossom season and autumn foliage months. Following someone else's booking play-by-play is one of the better ways to learn the release windows and partner routings that actually work.
If you're plotting your own premium trip to Japan, keep an eye on how this series develops — the introduction is just the setup, and the real value will be in the flight-by-flight reviews and redemption details that follow. And even if you'd never fly first class, the reports are a useful window into what airlines are serving up front right now, from suites with double beds to dine-on-demand menus, which is handy context when comparing business class products you might realistically book.
