Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from London to Tokyo. Left side wins both ends of the flight. At departure it captures the Thames and London skyline; during the polar-adjacent routing over Russia and Siberia the views are largely symmetric (frozen taiga and tundra); and on arrival into Narita the left side delivers Tokyo Bay and the city. Left is the clear choice for the bookend views that matter most.

During takeoff from Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Heathrow departures heading east on runway 27L/27R (westerly wind operations) or 09L/09R (easterly operations) — on an eastbound departure toward Japan, aircraft typically climb out heading east or northeast. Left side gives you the Thames corridor, central London landmarks, and the City of London skyline as the aircraft banks right after takeoff. Right side faces south toward Surrey suburbs with little of interest. Notable sights include: Thames River snaking through central London, The Shard and City of London towers, Canary Wharf cluster in Docklands, Olympic Park area in Stratford.

When landing at New Tokyo International (NRT), sit on the Left side for the best views. NRT (Narita) sits northeast of Tokyo. Aircraft typically approach from the northeast on runway 34L/34R heading south, or from the south on runway 16L/16R heading north. On the standard approach from the north or northeast, the left side faces west toward Tokyo Bay and the city of Tokyo, giving clear views of the bay, the urban sprawl, and on clear days Mount Fuji on the far horizon to the southwest. Right side faces east over the Pacific and Chiba farmland. Notable sights include: Tokyo Bay and its reclaimed land, Tokyo metropolitan skyline to the west, Mount Fuji on the distant southwestern horizon (clear days only), Chiba city and industrial port areas.

The flight from Heathrow (LHR) to New Tokyo International (NRT) takes Approximately 11.5 to 12.5 hours.

The great circle route from LHR to NRT tracks northeast over the North Sea, across Denmark or southern Scandinavia, then across Finland and into Russia. The flight crosses the vast West Siberian Plain, the Ob and Yenisei river systems (enormous rivers visible as dark ribbons through snow and taiga), then the Central Siberian Plateau and Lake Baikal region. Further east it crosses the Russian Far East and descends over the Sea of Japan or Sakhalin Island before reaching Japan. In winter the entire Russian segment is snow-covered taiga and frozen rivers — stark but visually striking. Lake Baikal, if the routing passes close enough, is unmistakable as a long, narrow dark or ice-covered lake in an otherwise flat landscape.