Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Tokyo to Shanghai. The right side delivers the most dramatic single moment of the flight: the climb out over Tokyo Bay with Mount Fuji on the horizon is genuinely spectacular and hard to match. The landing view on the left into Shanghai is interesting but more industrial. Right side wins overall.

During takeoff from Tokyo International (HND), sit on the Right side for the best views. HND's dominant runway 34R/34L sends aircraft northward over Tokyo Bay before turning southwest. The right side captures the full sweep of Tokyo Bay, the dense urban grid of central Tokyo, and on clear days Mount Fuji appearing to the west as the aircraft climbs and banks toward Shanghai. Notable sights include: Tokyo Bay, central Tokyo urban grid, Mount Fuji (distant, to the west), Yokohama waterfront.

When landing at Hongqiao International (SHA), sit on the Left side for the best views. Hongqiao typically uses runway 18L/18R for southward landings or 36 for northward approaches. On the common approach from the east, the left side faces east toward the Huangpu River, the dense Puxi skyline, and the broader Shanghai urban area spreading to the horizon, giving a clear read of the city's scale and layout. Notable sights include: Huangpu River, Puxi urban district, Suzhou Creek confluence, suburban Shanghai sprawl.

The flight from Tokyo International (HND) to Hongqiao International (SHA) takes Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.

The route crosses the East China Sea, which dominates the middle portion of the flight with open water and occasional small island chains including the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa region) visible in the early-to-mid portion. The Yangtze River delta and its vast muddy outflow into the East China Sea become visible on the right side during descent into Shanghai.