There are few people who enjoy eating airplane food, my dad being one of them. But then again, he’s the kind of guy who buys Spam and instant ramen by the case. I despise airplane food so much that when I book my flight I always pre-order the vegetarian meal…I figure it’s hard to screw up salad. So, imagine my surprise the first time I went to Japan. Instead of mystery “beef” or “chicken”, a rock-hard dinner roll, and assorted inedibles, I enjoyed chicken curry, simmered vegetable stew, a silky egg custard with shrimp, and a fresh fruit salad (not that prepackaged fruit cup thing). For our snack, instead of a soggy old ham-and-cheese hoagie, we had cold ramen noodles served with a tasty dipping sauce and garnished with strips of cucumber. Also, those overcome with a Trans-Pacific snack attack can order a steaming cup of instant noodles…which beats a bag o’ peanuts any day.

Japan has a well-deserved reputation for delicious food, and apparently that starts on your airplane ride there. After your meal, you may want to sit back with a cup of hot green tea and tackle your paperwork, catch up on your correspondence, or enjoy an aggravating round of Sudoku…just whip out one of your uni-ball pens from Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd. These ergonomically designed pens with silky-smooth ink flow have been Japan’s premier brand for the last 50 years. The company is dedicated to continually improving its technology…the hugely successful uni-ball line has durable fade/water resistant inks that embed itself in paper, preventing fraudulent check-washing. The pens have a long shelf life and will not dry out, and the uni-ball line is specially designed to not leak or explode in flight. Just as good airplane food (and free airplane liquor) can make a 13-hour flight fly by, a good pen can make a game of Sudoku…well, equally frustrating, but ergonomically enjoyable, at least.