Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Toronto to Tokyo. Left side wins both the departure over Toronto and the arrival over Tokyo Bay, and along the polar routing the left side also faces south giving occasional views of the Canadian Rockies during the early climb and better light angles over the Pacific.

During takeoff from Lester B Pearson International (YYZ), sit on the Left side for the best views. YYZ departures on runway 23 (the most common westerly departure) swing left and northward, putting Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline on the left side. You get a clear view of the CN Tower, downtown core, and the lake stretching east toward Hamilton Bay. Notable sights include: CN Tower and downtown Toronto skyline, Lake Ontario shoreline, Toronto Islands, Hamilton Bay to the southwest.

When landing at New Tokyo International (NRT), sit on the Left side for the best views. NRT approaches from the northeast on runway 34L/34R bring the left side over Tokyo Bay and the dense urban sprawl of greater Tokyo. You get a sweeping view of Tokyo Bay, the city grid extending to the horizon, and on clear days Mount Fuji visible as a distant cone to the southwest. Notable sights include: Tokyo Bay, greater Tokyo urban grid, Mount Fuji (distant, southwest), Chiba coastline.

The flight from Lester B Pearson International (YYZ) to New Tokyo International (NRT) takes Approximately 13 to 14 hours.

The great circle route from YYZ to NRT tracks northwest over Ontario and Manitoba, crosses the Canadian Rockies over Alberta or British Columbia, then arcs across the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Island chain before descending over the North Pacific toward Honshu. Key features include the Canadian Shield lakes of northern Ontario, the Rocky Mountain peaks visible from altitude over Alberta, the volcanic Aleutian Islands as scattered dark specks in the grey Pacific, and the Kamchatka Peninsula coastline of Russia before crossing into Japanese airspace over the Tohoku coast.