2026 GW '80-Hour Around-the-World' Travelogue in Economy Class Episode 5

▽ Itinerary for this trip (planned) ▽

7 hours and 25 minutes after departure~

I am very satisfied that I was able to go sightseeing within the limited time. I will write and post a note article during the time until boarding. When the boarding start time arrived, the staff guided us to line up in three groups: 'Premium Class passengers/Premium members,' 'Other rear seat passengers (row 60 and beyond),' and 'Other front seat passengers.' My seat number is 40H, so I fall into the front seat passenger category and will board toward the end.

Once again, I take my seat in the right aisle of the center four-seat row on the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 777. It is a nearly full flight, and at a glance, about 70-80% of the passengers are Asian. At 1:10 PM, we depart and take off a little earlier than scheduled. Now, I brace myself for a flight that will last over 12 hours.

The legroom feels a bit tight, but I don't feel any pain during the 12-hour flight. In the past, the reputation of China Eastern Airlines and other Chinese airlines among Japanese people was by no means good.

I feel that many people complained about the 'people' in particular, saying things like it was 'cheap' but 'the crew was...' or 'the Chinese passengers were...' Perhaps because of that influence, I also had a somewhat negative image of Chinese airlines and have somehow avoided using them until now.

However, now that I have actually flown on a Chinese airline, it seems that the bad reputation from the past hardly applies. Although the crew members don't exactly smile, they perform each service efficiently and promptly, and the Chinese passengers are all spending their time quietly, making for a very calm atmosphere in the cabin.

The airfare is also inexpensive, and that affordability stands out especially when purchasing one-way tickets. By actually flying with them, I was able to learn about the merits and current state of Chinese airlines, so I might end up incorporating them into my around-the-world travel routes more often from now on.

9 hours and 18 minutes after departure~

About an hour and a half after takeoff, the first in-flight meal is served. The options were 'Beef & Rice' or 'Chicken & Pasta,' and I chose the 'Beef & Rice.' The rice is Japonica rice, the same as in Japan, and the beef is seasoned in a Chinese style, which is the perfect combination for someone like me who has been craving Chinese food. I finish it off immediately.

While I was eating, a flight attendant came around with tongs, taking warm bread out of a bag and handing it to each passenger. The passengers were receiving the bread with their bare hands, so I tried doing the same, but it felt like a strange experience.

After the in-flight meal was cleared away, the lights were dimmed after a while. I turned on my reading light and continued writing in my diary for a while. About three hours later, I started to doze off, so I quietly closed my PC and went to sleep.

14 hours and 22 minutes since departure~

I woke up two hours later. Checking the route map, we are passing over Russia. Due to the current Russia-Ukraine situation, Japanese airlines no longer fly over Russia on their Tokyo-Europe routes. The last time I flew on a Japanese airline's Tokyo-Europe route was in December 2019, seven years ago, on a JAL flight from Frankfurt to Narita. Therefore, this is the first time since then that I have passed over Russia by plane.

Regardless of which airline you use, the difficulty of booking a flight from Tokyo to Europe has increased. While you can enjoy the best service on a Japanese airline, the high ticket prices and flight times exceeding 14 hours are bottlenecks.

I used to be able to travel efficiently to Europe by flying to Southeast Asia first and then taking a Middle Eastern airline via the Middle East, but due to the situation in Iran, this route has also become uncertain.

The remaining option of using a Chinese airline is cheap and allows for flying over Russia, making it an efficient way to travel. However, with the deterioration of Japan-China relations, flights between China and regional Japanese cities have been suspended one after another, making it difficult to use depending on where you live.

As described above, all the main means of traveling between Tokyo and Europe have become much more difficult than before the COVID-19 pandemic. It could even be said that the route between Tokyo and Europe has been blocked. This fact not only makes it difficult for Japanese people to travel to Europe, but it has also made traveling around the world (especially on a tight schedule) considerably more difficult.

That is precisely why I want to fulfill my role as a world-travel researcher properly. Instead of ending with the typical "I bought a business class round-the-world ticket, so I was able to ride JAL or ANA business class at a great price and the travel to Europe was comfortable. Everyone, please try it too.", I hope to continue providing information that more people can use as a means of traveling around the world, such as economy class and LCCs.

Well, no matter how much I try to act cool, it just ends up sounding like the jealousy of a poor person.

14 hours and 46 minutes since departure~

As I was idly thinking about the means of travel between Tokyo and Europe, the cabin lights came on and the second in-flight meal was distributed. There are supposed to be two types available, but the flight attendant told me, "I'm sorry, we only have pork and rice left now.", and the pork and rice meal was handed to me. It consisted of rice topped with two large, meatball-like pieces of pork, seasoned in a Chinese style.

I was able to finish it without any problems, but the pork had a slightly strange texture and taste, and I feel like it would be a matter of personal preference. The British couple sitting next to me (a European man and an African woman) both left more than half of it.

The plane approaches the Ural Mountains and heads toward the central region of Russia. We have come a long way, but Russia still continues. Someone once compared the feeling of not being able to get through Shizuoka Prefecture when traveling from Tokyo to Nagoya using a Seishun 18 Kippu to the feeling of 'thinking Russia is so long' when traveling from Japan to Europe. I see, that makes perfect sense.

16 hours and 52 minutes since departure~

After spending about two hours watching videos, a light bread snack is served as the final in-flight service before landing. This is the fourth meal of the day, counting from the in-flight meal I had on the Haneda to Shanghai flight. Since I haven't been exercising much, I really can't eat anymore. I just have a drink and have it collected as is.

The cabin crew speaks to me and other (presumably) Asian passengers in Chinese every time. Then, if I ask 'Could you explain that in English?' or 'Sorry?', or if there is a two- or three-second silence, they switch to English and explain it again. I had heard rumors that this was a common occurrence on Chinese airlines, so I'm glad I was able to verify it for myself.

After passing through Russia, which felt like it would last forever, we head from Finland toward the Scandinavian Peninsula. It feels like we are just one step away once we clear Russia, but we still need to travel for more than two hours to reach London.Whether we detour around Russian airspace or not, I am forced to realize that there is a considerable distance between East Asia and Europe, and it takes a significant amount of time to travel between them.

To be continued in Episode 6