The upside of my flight to Japan was that I got bumped up from economy to first class. On a 13 hour flight this is no small thing and makes a huge difference for me in sleeping comfort. 
The downside was that the flight was delayed for an hour due to the airline filming a commercial at our gate, which is the strangest reason I have ever heard of for delaying a flight. There was a silver lining, however. Due to the late departure, we took off right as the sun was setting and I had a spectacular view out my window. Right above the horizon the sky was brilliant orange, striated with clouds that faded into a deep navy blue. Absolutely gorgeous!