Hi there!
In summer 2022, I was on a Japan Airlines flight from the US to Japan in economy class.
This was a flight from Chicago to Tokyo Narita.
While JAL food might be a different on your flight, this can give you an idea of what to expect!
Is food free on Japan Airlines?
Yes, you get free meals on international flights to Japan when you fly on Japan Airlines from the United States!
Of course, things can change!
So it’s best to confirm directly with the Japan Airlines website if you have a confirmed flight or if it’s important in making your decision to fly JAL to Japan!
How many meals do you get on Japan Airlines?
You get 2 complimentary meals on a Japan Airlines flight from the US to Japan.
I will show you below what food was served on my JAL flight, and what time the meals were served.
Are drinks free on Japan Airlines?
Drinks are free on Japan Airlines.
There will be a drink cart that comes around with complimentary drinks several times throughout the flight, and that includes at meal times.
Alcohol is also free on a Japan Airlines flight from the US.
Again, things can change so best to confirm!
What food is served on an international Japan Airlines flight?
Menus can change!
If you are flying business class on Japan Airlines, then have a look at the business class food menu.
Now here is the food I got on my flight to Japan in economy. Everything was free.
The food that’s served on a Japan Airlines flight may vary based on your flight route.
👆 JAL gate at Chicago ORD airport: Scheduled departure time from gate 12:40pm Chicago time / 2:40am Japan time
Within 1.5 hours of departure, flight attendants came around with the first meal.
👆 2pm Chicago time / 4am Japan time: First meal is served.
We were given a choice between beef and chicken.
If you have special meal requirements (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, child meal, etc), that is something you request ahead of time.
I chose chicken.
So chicken was part of the main meal, which was served with rice, vegetable salad, fruit, egg salad with a piece of salmon, soba, and water.
Miso soup was also offered too. This was served in a small cup.
The drink cart also came around so you can get a drink to go with your meal, besides the water that came with the meal.
Then the flight attendants came around and offered hot green tea. (I think hot coffee was offered too.)
We were also given Japanese snacks.
And then some time after the meal, the lights were dimmed and the plane became dark.
I was happy that I brought a water bottle on the plane! I brought an empty water bottle through the security checkpoint, and then filled the water bottle past security. (I also brought along green tea powder so I could easily have green tea!)
If you do want water during the flight at non-meal times, I think it would be no problem to ask the flight attendant for some water.
This is one of the things I have done on long flights to Japan.
You can push the flight attendant call button to have them come to you, or you can head to the back of the plane to go find them to retrieve the water yourself. (I think #2 is the better option since it will also make for an excuse to get up and stretch out a bit!)
It wasn’t until later on in the flight that I walked towards the back of the plane.
It was then that I discovered that there were free snacks for the taking!
There was a note that said feel free to help yourself.
I didn’t feel like having anything, but it is worth walking around the plane to both move around your body and go in search of food! 😆
Or you could ask the flight attendants if there’s any food they could offer. 😜
Moving around is better though, especially on a long flight!
Then eventually… time for the next (final) meal!
👆 10:45pm Chicago time / 12:45pm Japan time: Second meal is served.
There was no choice.
Everyone got the same thing.
It was a hot dog. 😆
Around 1:35am Chicago time / 3:35pm Japan time: Scheduled arrival in Japan. (I don’t remember the actual status. It was probably on time or early.)
Japan Airlines food menu
For the first meal on a Japan Airlines flight from the US to Japan, there was a choice between Irish beef stew and chicken teriyaki.
The second meal was a hot dog.
See the current JAL food menu.
Entering Japan in October 2022
I also flew to Japan in October 2022 after Japan opened up to independent tourists. (That was on Hawaiian Airlines, so also see the Hawaiian Airlines food!)
I flew into KIX Kansai Airport, and the process of entering Japan was all quick and easy!
You do have to walk a lot, but there was minimal wait time in lines.
I am not sure if this is just because is was a less popular airport (compared to Tokyo’s Narita Airport or Haneda Airport), or if it’s because the flight just happened to arrive when few or no other flights did. (More flights arriving at the same time can lead to longer lines.)
My brother flew into Tokyo a couple days after me and reported waiting in line for an hour at immigration in the foreigner line. (The Japanese line was empty.)
What definitely did make the process go more quickly was filling out the recommended app for vaccine verification. It’s not necessary to have this filled out before you get on your flight to Japan, but if you don’t, you will just have to do everything when you land. People who couldn’t show the app were escorted to a separate section. I saw people sitting around and doing things on their phones. You can avoid spending the extra time when you land by having it already filled out!
So download the app before you go, and have everything filled out!
At the time I went, it was the mysos app, but starting mid-November, I understand there will be a different app.
If you are 3 times vaccinated, you don’t need to take a pre-flight covid test.
If you are not 3 times vaccinated, you need to take a pre-flight covid test to enter Japan.
When I entered Japan in the summer, a pre-flight covid test was necessary for everyone. At that time, the 2 hour rapid NAAT covid test at Walgreens worked successfully for me. (I actually got results emailed to me in more like 30 minutes.) I did this test in Michigan at a time that it was free, but there may be a fee of $130 now.
IMPORTANT!!! Entry requirements can change, so be sure you understand current Japan entry requirements! This is my experience! Your experience may vary!
HAPPY EATING PLANE FOOD ON A JAL FLIGHT TO JAPAN FROM THE U.S.!
If you are still figuring out where to go in Japan, check the homepage!