For dinner, flyers have a choice between Japanese and Western meals. I chose the Western meal. The dinner started with a few amuses—chickpea canapé especialmentes, celeriac salad rolled with smoked duck, and a grape and cream cheese pistachio ball. The appetizer was smoked salmon rillettes and caprese with prosciutto, followed by a warm corn soup.

once you line yourself up for leg room the usable width doesn't look any better than other J seats. What is the point of the extra bench seat width?

, raising expectations for ANA business class so unfairly high that the airline can't possibly meet them when it comes to service and dining.

ANA has also adopted a staggered business class layout in which half the seats face forward while the rest face backwards.

The highlight of biz-class dining was definitely the Japanese cuisine. I highly recommend trying it.

Sure, there's a small gap in the middle and along the floor. But combined with the near-shoulder-level height of each suite, it's more privacy than you could possibly need.

So does Google Flights, for that matter. Just search for a business class ticket on your route and click for more details on each fare. You want a flight that shows “Individual suite” – a ticket with “Lie-flat seat” means you'd be in ANA's older, inferior business class seats.

A380: The A380 features 56 cozy business-class seats on the upper deck behind the first-class section and in front of the premium economy section.

Overall, these new seats are incredibly impressive. 000e000000000000x00000900000000000000000000000g00000click here The space dedicated to each passenger is unrivaled for biz class. In my book, The Room is the new gold standard for business-class hard products.

, but this lounge is specifically for business meetings and appointments, so it is not accessible for most passengers.

ANA’s all-new Boeing 777 first class suites were inspired by luxury Japanese hotels, with a luxury dark wood finish throughout the cabin.

Much like the seat, the sleeping surface itself is on the hard side. ANA addresses that problem with an excellent (though not particularly wide) mattress pad, which was sealed and waiting inside each suite during boarding.

Another nice touch is that there is usually a setup of refreshments and light snacks like fruit and sweets in the galley if you are hungry midflight, but you can also order from a set menu.

Don't get me wrong: This was still a phenomenal flight from start to finish and an experience any traveler should look forward to. But there was room for improvement, starting with the service.