Zurich to Tokyo flight path: ZRH to NRT

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Zurich to Tokyo. The right side bookends the flight with genuine mountain drama — the Alps at departure and a possible Fuji sighting at arrival — plus better exposure to Central Asian ranges and desert terrain during the cruise, while the left side spends most of the flight over featureless steppe and open water.

During takeoff from Zurich (ZRH), sit on the Right side for the best views. Departing Zurich to the south before turning east toward the Balkans/Central Asia routing (avoiding Russian airspace), the right side gives a close, climbing view of the Swiss Alps just minutes after wheels-up. The left side mostly shows the flatter Swiss plateau and Jura foothills, far less dramatic. Notable sights include: Rigi and Pilatus peaks, Lake Zurich, the snow-capped Bernese/Glarus Alps on the horizon.

When landing at New Tokyo International (NRT), sit on the Right side for the best views. On the descent into Narita, arriving from the north/northwest and lining up for a southbound approach, the right side faces west across the Boso Peninsula and Tokyo Bay, giving passengers a chance to see Mount Fuji's distinctive silhouette on the horizon on a clear day. The left side mainly faces open Pacific water with little to see. Notable sights include: Mount Fuji (distant, on clear days), Tokyo Bay, Chiba farmland and coastline, Boso Peninsula hills.

The flight from Zurich (ZRH) to New Tokyo International (NRT) takes about 12 hours 45 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 5,962 miles (9,595 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

Route avoids Russian airspace, tracking southeast over the Caucasus region, the Caspian Sea, the Tian Shan mountains and Taklamakan/Gobi desert fringes of Central Asia and western China, then east across Mongolia or northern China toward the Korean Peninsula and the Sea of Japan before making landfall over Honshu.