Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Vienna to Tokyo. Left side wins both takeoff and landing. During the flight itself, the routing over Siberia and northern China means neither side has a dramatic advantage at cruise altitude — it is largely boreal forest and tundra — but the left side catches the better views at both ends of the journey.

During takeoff from Schwechat (VIE), sit on the Left side for the best views. Vienna Schwechat typically departs eastward on runway 16/34 or 11/29. A left-side seat during an eastbound departure gives you a clear view back over central Vienna — the Ringstrasse, the Danube, and the Wienerwald hills to the west. The city grid is unmistakable from low altitude. Notable sights include: Vienna city center and Ringstrasse, the Danube river bend northwest of the airport, Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) hills to the west, Neusiedler See (Lake Neusiedl) to the southeast.

When landing at New Tokyo International (NRT), sit on the Left side for the best views. NRT approaches are typically from the east or southeast on runway 34L/34R, meaning the aircraft tracks northward over the Chiba Peninsula and Tokyo Bay. A left-side seat gives you the view over Tokyo Bay, the Tokyo metropolitan area, and Mount Fuji on the distant western horizon on clear days. The right side faces the Pacific Ocean. Notable sights include: Tokyo Bay and its reclaimed land structures, Tokyo metropolitan skyline to the northwest, Chiba city and peninsula below, Mount Fuji on the far western horizon (clear days only).

The flight from Schwechat (VIE) to New Tokyo International (NRT) takes Approximately 11 to 12 hours.

The route tracks northeast over Slovakia and Poland, then across the Baltic states or Belarus, into western Russia and across the vast West Siberian Plain. The flight crosses the Yenisei and Ob river systems — enormous rivers visible even from 35,000 feet as wide silver bands cutting through boreal taiga. Over eastern Siberia, Lake Baikal may be visible to the south depending on exact routing — the world's largest freshwater lake is unmistakable as a long narrow dark blue shape. The route then descends over northeastern China, crossing Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula or Yellow Sea before approaching Japan from the east.