There’s something about the 747 that just captures the imagination of people. While I think plenty of other aircraft look great, the 747 is unique in its beauty, and its presence parked at a gate always draws a crowd. This day was no exception, and I actually had to wait a couple minutes for the crowd to clear to grab a photo.

Delta has a fairly significant presence in Tokyo, with flights to Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Detroit, New York (since discontinued), and Atlanta, and all of the flights leave within an hour or two of each other. As a result, the gate area was very, very busy.

My upgrade to business cleared shortly before boarding, and I was eager to get on board and escape the hustle and bustle of the gate. Sadly, I didn’t get an Upper Deck seat to get the true 747 experience, but the seat itself is the same on the main deck.

At my seat were all the usual amenities, including two pillows, a Westin Heavenly Bedding duvet, slippers, headphones and a Tumi Amenity Kit.

I settled in and was offered a pre-departure beverage, with choices of sparkling wine, orange juice, or beer. I opted for a glass of orange juice.

Shortly before takeoff, the purser came by and took my main course order. The Japanese selection was all taken, as it usually is on Tokyo flights. You can reserve one in advance if you wish to guarantee it being available. The Western selection had four options: Stewed beef with gnocchi gratin, seared mango chicken with orzo, paella with chicken, shrimp, and sausage, and a sweet and sour pork. I debated opting for the pork, but decided to have the stewed beef instead.

Takeoff is always a thrill on the 747. After we powered down the runway and lifted off, I started watching a movie. Once we leveled off, the meal service began. The starter on Delta flights is typically a seafood option, like shrimp or salmon. I’m not a huge fan of seafood, especially cold seafood, so I typically pass. This flight though, had a tasty roast beef with wasabi cream.

The salad and soup course came next. A typical mixed salad was served, though with peaches and potatoes. The yogurt mayonnaise dressing was a bit unusual. The tomato caprese soup was tasty, as was the pretzel roll.

Following the appetizer was the main entree. The stewed beef was tasty and quite tender, though just a tad overcooked. The gnocchi gratin was also quite good. As I’m not a big fan of green vegetables, I passed on those.

After the meal the dessert cart came around. While there are plenty of tasty pastries and a fruit and cheese plate, I typically opt for the ice cream sundae, and today was no exception.

After a full day in Tokyo, I was exhausted, and fell asleep pretty quickly after the meal service. In fact, I slept all the way until final descent into Seattle.

Seattle has seen huge growth in recent years as Delta has built up its Asian gateway. Expansion plans are underway, and they are badly needed. The international arrivals facility is undersized for the amount of passengers, and even with NEXUS, I had to wait several minutes for a kiosk. I typically travel without baggage, but in the case I had three pieces I had to wait for. Thankfully, all showed up without issue.

The international security checkpoint is also a huge, overcrowded mess and if you have the time I’d actually recommend heading airside and using the security checkpoint there. It also is the only way to get Pre Check.

Our inbound from Tokyo was slightly delayed, and as such I didn’t have much of a layover. I quickly boarded the 757-300 that would finally bring me home.

I had chosen my usual window seat, and enjoyed a beautiful view of the mountains after takeoff from Seattle.

Since my layover was so short, I didn’t have a chance to grab some lunch, so I grabbed a sandwich from the buy on board menu, which Delta calls Flight Fuel. The sandwich and chips were fine, but the real treat was the Dancing Deer brownie.

The rest of the flight was uneventful. I was exhausted and ready to be home, and fell asleep after the beverage service, waking up on final approach into Minneapolis.

After 16 weeks living overseas, I finally arrived home. While I was definitely nervous, I would not trade this experience for anything. The vast majority of my travel is centered around short trips. While I get a taste, I don’t typically have the time to fully appreciate the locations I visit. This opportunity to live abroad for 4 months was life changing, in every sense of the word. I got to immerse myself in a new culture, and get to know some incredible people. But as much I enjoyed my time in the Philippines, I was definitely happy to sleep in my own bed for the first time in 114 days.