Source: Emirates. A sample dish from the new Japanese menu.
Emirates now offers a specialized Japanese menu to its first and business class passengers traveling between Dubai and Haneda, Narita, and Kansai airports in Japan. The airline’s Dubai catering team partnered with a Japanese culinary provider to develop the dishes using the highest quality ingredients.
In addition to their international menu, first-class passengers can enjoy traditional kaiseki, a multi-course Japanese meal, while those in business class have the option of a bento box. Emirates is the first Middle Eastern airline to offer kaiseki-inspired meals.
To ensure authenticity, Emirates worked with Gate Gourmet Japan, a catering service based in Narita City known for its farm-to-table approach. Gate Gourmet Japan obtains fresh produce from nearby farms, such as Hokuso Vegetable Farm, located less than a kilometer away from their facility.
The first-class kaiseki features five courses: cold appetizers, a hot dish, seasoned rice, pickled vegetables, miso soup, and traditional Japanese sweets known as wagashi, typically served with green tea. Wagashi is made with various ingredients and methods, resulting in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures.
As Emirates describes, kaiseki is a traditional Japanese multi-course fine dining experience originating from the simple meals served at tea ceremonies centuries ago. Today, it is typically enjoyed during special occasions at specialized restaurants and traditional Japanese inns called ryokans.
Kaiseki emphasizes fresh, seasonal ingredients, with each course prepared and served quickly to maintain optimal freshness. The presentation mimics shapes found in nature, such as forests, mountains, islands, flowers, or leaves. Great care is taken to balance the color, texture, flavor, consistency, and shape of the food, as well as its harmony with the tableware’s aesthetics.
Business class passengers are offered a specially-curated bento box, reflecting high-end Japanese catering, which is ideal for in-flight dining. Bento, the art of arranging a meal in Japan, has a rich history spanning over a millennium. While often considered a take-out meal today, celebratory bento boxes are meticulously prepared with attention to detail and presentation. The beauty of the box, along with the texture and arrangement of the food within each section, reflects the kodawari, or dedication, of the maker, showcasing their culinary skill and artistry.
To further elevate the dining experience, Emirates partnered with the renowned Japanese tableware maker Noritake. The goal was to create an exclusive tableware design that embodies the concept of miyabi, which signifies elegance and refinement.
Noritake’s experts collaborated closely with Emirates’ product and catering teams, meticulously crafting tableware designs that complement the food and enhance its presentation. The use of tableware reflecting traditional Japanese design aims to provide passengers with an authentic Japanese meal experience, allowing Japanese customers to feel at ease and non-Japanese customers to appreciate the cultural nuances.
Emirates goes the extra mile to cater to its Japanese travelers on flights to and from Japan by having Japanese-speaking cabin crew on board. The in-flight entertainment system, ice, offers a wide selection of up to 2,500 channels of audio and visual entertainment, featuring Japanese films like If Cats Disappeared From The World, as well as popular Hollywood movies dubbed in Japanese, such as Zootropolis. Passengers can also choose from hundreds of music channels, audiobooks, and games.
Emirates passengers are provided generous baggage allowances, with 50kg for first class, 40kg for business class, and up to 35kg for economy class.
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