A flight attendant greets guests as they board a First Airlines "flight" in Tokyo, March 3, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Travel enthusiasts living in Japan can “visit” another country at First Airlines, a restaurant that uses virtual reality technology to transport customers to a variety of destinations.
First Airlines, on the eighth floor of Parkheim West in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district, re-creates the experience of an international flight right down to walking the streets of a foreign city.
The restaurant foyer simulates the waiting area at an airport gate, complete with a flight information display and a departure counter.
The dining experience at First Airlines in Tokyo includes a boarding pass and a stamp in your fake Japanese passport. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
A person dressed as a gate agent greets guests and hands them a boarding pass and a make-believe Japanese passport stamped with the name of their destination. I booked a first-class “flight” to Rome.
Other flights are available to Germany, Spain, New Zealand, Finland, France, Ukraine, Hawaii and New York City. The experience is two hours long with a three-course meal.
Once customers are checked in, a “flight attendant” guides them to their seats; the restaurant is built to resemble an aircraft interior, with actual seats from Airbus 310 and 340 airliners.
Flight attendants perform a safety brief at the First Airlines restaurant in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district, March 3, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Of 16 seats, 12 are first class and four are business class. The first-class seats are wider, recline and come with slippers and a basket for your “carry-on” items.
Flight attendants hold a safety briefing over a public-address system, deliver information about flotation devices and instruct passengers to fasten their seat belts.
The staff are former and future airline crew and candidates, according to the First Airlines website.
First Airlines, a restaurant in Tokyo, re-creates the experience of an international flight right down to walking the streets of a foreign city. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
At First Airlines, seats vibrate and a TV screen displays the takeoff from the pilots’ perspective. Once airborne, virtual-reality windows on the walls display the sky outside. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The seats vibrate and a TV screen displays the takeoff from the pilots’ perspective. Once airborne, virtual-reality windows on the walls display the sky outside.
Once the guests arrive at their destinations, the crew brings out virtual-reality headsets.
I walked the streets of Rome, Pisa and Florence and visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Colosseum. A voice-over provides tour information in either Japanese or English.
After the experience, guests are served appetizers and a flight attendant walks the aisles with a drink cart offering tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice and red or white wine.
Vegetarian options are available.
First Airlines' appetizer course consists of buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomatoes served with pesto sauce, pasta with tomato sauce, crackers with topping, a pizza slice and other tasty items. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The appetizer course is substantial and consists of small portions of buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomatoes served with pesto sauce, pasta with a tomato sauce, crackers with topping, a small pizza slice and other tasty items.
Unlike most airplane fare, the food served at First Airlines is delicious.
The main course aboard my flight was Seseragi pork roast; the vegetarian option was a giant portobello mushroom, cooked to perfection and topped with a truffle sauce, mashed potatoes and garlic bread.
A vegetarian option aboard a recent First Airlines flight included a giant portobello mushroom, cooked to perfection and topped with a truffle sauce, mashed potatoes and garlic bread. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Tiramisu cake and a coffee from First Airlines, a virtual-reality restaurant in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Finally, dessert arrived in the form of tiramisu cake with a choice of hot or cold tea or coffee. The cake’s mascarpone custard filling had a light and creamy taste, which really balanced out the coffee syrup.
This was a cool immersive experience, and I can’t wait to get more stamps on my passport.
First Airlines
Location: 802 Parkheim West, 3-31-5 Nishi Ikebukuro, Toshima city, Tokyo 171-0021
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Prices: 5,980 yen, or about $39.73 for business class and 6,580 yen for first class
Dress: Casual
Directions: An 8-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station
