Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Boston to Tokyo. Left side wins both departure and arrival. During the transpacific crossing the flight arcs north over Canada and the Aleutian chain — neither side has a decisive advantage over the open Pacific, but the left side faces generally south toward the sun during the northerly arc, giving slightly better light and visibility for any land features encountered. Left is the clear call for the bookend city views.

During takeoff from General Edward Lawrence Logan International (BOS), sit on the Left side for the best views. Logan's primary eastward departures on Runway 33L/22R take aircraft over Boston Harbor and then bank north. Left-side passengers get a sweeping view back over downtown Boston, the Charles River, and Cambridge as the aircraft climbs out over the harbor. The city grid, the Back Bay, and the Prudential Tower are all clearly identifiable from the left side during the turn. Notable sights include: Downtown Boston skyline and Back Bay, Charles River and Cambridge, Boston Harbor islands, Quincy and the South Shore coastline.

When landing at New Tokyo International (NRT), sit on the Left side for the best views. NRT sits northeast of Tokyo, and aircraft typically approach from the east or northeast on Runway 34L/34R, meaning the aircraft tracks southward on final. Left-side passengers face east toward the Pacific, but on the more common westerly approach over land, left-side passengers get a clear view of the Kanto Plain, the sprawling Tokyo metropolitan area, and on clear days Mount Tsukuba to the north. Right-side passengers may glimpse Tokyo Bay and the city center but the left side captures the agricultural patchwork of Chiba and the airport environment more directly. Notable sights include: Kanto Plain agricultural patchwork, Tokyo metropolitan sprawl to the southwest, Mount Tsukuba to the northwest, Tone River and Inba Lake near the airport.

The flight from General Edward Lawrence Logan International (BOS) to New Tokyo International (NRT) takes Approximately 13 to 14 hours westbound.

The great circle route tracks northwest over Maine and Quebec, then across Hudson Bay or northern Ontario, over the Canadian Rockies and Alaska Range, along or near the Aleutian Island chain across the North Pacific, then descends toward Hokkaido and Honshu. Key features include the St. Lawrence River valley, the Canadian Shield's lake-studded boreal landscape, the Alaska Range and Wrangell Mountains if routing over Alaska, the volcanic Aleutian Islands as scattered specks in the North Pacific, and finally the mountainous coastline of Hokkaido before the Tohoku region of Honshu.