Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Tokyo to Shanghai. While the left seat wins at takeoff with Tokyo Bay views, the right seat delivers the more dramatic payoff on landing with the Pudong skyline and Huangpu River. Over the East China Sea cruise portion, neither side has a significant advantage, but the right side also gets slightly better views of the Chinese coastline on descent. Right seat edges it overall.

During takeoff from New Tokyo International (NRT), sit on the Left side for the best views. NRT's primary departure runways (34L/34R) head roughly northward, meaning a left-seat passenger faces west toward Tokyo Bay and the Kanto Plain. You get a clear view of Tokyo Bay's broad expanse and the city sprawl as the aircraft banks southwest toward Shanghai. The right side faces inland toward Chiba's flat agricultural land, which is far less interesting. Notable sights include: Tokyo Bay, the Tokyo metropolitan skyline to the northwest, Chiba coastal lowlands, and the Boso Peninsula coastline.

When landing at Hongqiao International (SHA), sit on the Right side for the best views. Hongqiao typically uses runways 18L/18R or 36L/36R depending on wind. On the common southward approach (runway 18), aircraft track over the Yangtze River delta from the north, and the right side gives you the best view of the Huangpu River snaking through central Shanghai and the Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower. The left side faces west toward flat suburban sprawl. Notable sights include: Huangpu River, Pudong skyline (Shanghai Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower), Suzhou Creek confluence, and the dense urban grid of Puxi district.

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

The flight crosses the East China Sea, which dominates the middle portion of the route — largely open water with occasional small island groups including the Ryukyu chain visible far to the south. The Zhoushan Archipelago and the outer islands of Zhejiang Province appear on the right side as the aircraft begins descent toward Shanghai, marking the transition from open sea to the Yangtze River delta coastline.