Taking off to the north you will soon bank right and all flights are held at 7000ft until over the water. Taking off south could get a quick left turn or a longer 270degree to the right. That is the one that has the best sightseeing. In any case you are going East so there is no sun until somewhere about 2 hours west of SEA/SFO.

Cloud cover is usually pretty consistent and the best you will likely see of Japan, and it is the same on both sides is the transition from feet dry to feet wet.

Arriving from or departing for Europe has all the views in this country. The position of NRT means Eastbound traffic gets pretty much zilch.