It was nice to be back in the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Narita Tokyo after a few years hiatus – while I had visited the Haneda lounge a number of times over the years I hadn’t flown out of Narita since I was stuck for 24hrs in limbo in January 2022. During this time I became quite familiar with the JAL First Class Lounge Narita including having to sleep downstairs overnight in the Sakura lounge. While I had reviewed the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Narita Tokyo previously during this time in the beginning 2022 it was during what I call the covid period as entry to Japan was still restricted and many countries were requiring negative covid PCR tests before entering. So I wanted to review this lounge again now the world was more or less back to ‘normal’.
What’s nutritious in the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Narita?
- While the majority of the foods served in this lounge came from an a la carte menu which was ordered through a map, there were three types of canapes available on a self-serve buffet. The small Smoked salmon blinis with cream cheese and the Bacon and spinach quiche slices were delicious bite-sized snacks. The smoked salmon and pieces of cream cheese helped balance out the carbohydrate coming from the bilinis while also providing a small amount of omega 3 fats. The spinach and eggs in the quiche are nutritious foods, however the calorie content is more than the blinis and terrine which is mostly likely to coming from the pastry and potentially some cream/cheese added to the egg filling.
- The individual plating of the canapes was really useful for encouraging small portions as it was hard to pick up more than two plates at a time.


- Absolutely delicious sushi made fresh in the lounge. While I have previously written about sushi and whether it is a healthy choice when eaten in a predominantly western context, this lounge is in Japan with a menu both with Japanese cuisine and Western cuisine. The sushi served here is beautifully presented and in small serve sizes. The pieces are quite small and you can order them individually or in a plate of three. The amount of white rice in each piece is fairly small and many varieties come with an source of protein such as tuna or prawn which helps to slow how quickly the body metabolises the white rice (which is important before a long-haul flight).

- The Chopped Salad was an innovative salad as I loved the mix of green leaves, pickled purple cabbage, carrots – all topped off with a drizzle of olive oil. The elements all come together to provide a great taste while also packing a nutrition punch! The purple cabbage is a standout for me – providing some prebiotic fibres, antioxidants and flavour. It was a fairly small serve on the large plate, inline with how other dishes were plated and presented. However I would liked to have seen a slightly larger serve so I could eat more vegetables without having to order another dish (some people might not have time of feel self conscious ordering another plate).

- Can you believe these strawberries? An absolutely beautiful red colour and shape, and the tasted so sweet. It was unbelievable to see each strawberry plated individually. It really made me savour the experience of eating the strawberry. Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C and polyphenols (a type of bioactive) making strawberries a fabulous food for good health, especially for a healthy heart and blood vessels.
- There was a sign accompanying the strawberries inviting people to visit the JAL farm and to pick strawberries which I thought was such a wonderful idea. Unfortunately I did not know about this until I was leaving Japan which is shame as I had a stop over for one night in Narita and the farm was advertised to be only a 10min drive from Narita airport.



Not so great. Caution.
- While these little meat terrine bites looked cute, they don’t necessarily rate too highly for nutrition benefit. That’s because terrine can be quite fatty and calorie dense depending on the type of terrine. This terrine did not have a description other than ‘meat terrine with cheese’ so these are listed here as a reminder to be mindful how many of these you eat – while one is most likely ok before a meal, try not to have more than one.

- I must admit the baked bolognese pasta dish was pretty delicious. It came out piping hot – too hot to eat for quite a while. The dish was mainly pasta and cheese, with a small amount of bolognese sauce. Interestingly it had barely any meat in the dish – it was like a sprinkle of meat. The dish was quite oily. It was great to see that a small side salad was served with the pasta dish as there were basically no vegetables in the pasta other than some very tiny carrots that I assume were part of the bolognese sauce.

- The Japanese curry is another delicious dish that unfortunately isn’t very nutritious. Consisting mostly of white rice and sauce, every time I have this dish it only comes with two small pieces of beef in it. While I love the taste of the curry I don’t like just eating sauce and white rice. I would prefer more substance to the dish (with more beef and some vegetables) before I fly.

- Danish pastries were also available and were similar to ones available in the Sakura lounge. Additional to the snacks in jars there were also different flavours of pastries available including cheese Danish and banana cream Danish. Pastries are usually high in energy and don’t really provide any nutrition benefit.

- There were a range of self-serve snacks available including soybean chips, cheese cookies, tea cookies, flavoured almonds and and sweet almond bar.

Last word on Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Narita Tokyo
I enjoyed the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Narita Tokyo. However I don’t like how The Table has a cafeteria-like feel to eat. Ordering off the app for most of the food in the lounge is handy but it takes away the interaction with lounge staff. The attention to food quality and presentation is clear. The small serve sizes of each of the dishes is great for health while travelling long-haul. While many dishes include white rice, the portion sizes are small and there is flexibility on how much you order e.g. you can order single pieces of sushi. Overall you can eat a balanced meal however this usually requires the ordering of a side salad with most dishes. So don’t forget to check out the brightly coloured side salads!
NOTE: All pictures of the Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Narita Tokyo are my own and I review the food from the foods available at the time I visited the lounge. There may be different options available at other times.
If you are flying out of Narita you might be interested in the food and nutrition review of American Airlines business class flying from Narita to Dallas, US.