title pretty much says it. going to tokyo and kyoto for about 10 days and im torn on whether to even bring the mavic. ive heard japan has gotten pretty strict about this stuff and the last thing i want is to have it confiscated or get in some kind of trouble in a foreign country

does anyone know if you need to register it there or get some kind of permit? i honestly dont even know where to start with the rules for a country thats not the US

did this in. short answer is yes you need to register your drone with the japanese civil aviation bureau before you fly, its called the DRS system i think and you do it online. took me maybe 30-45 minutes to sort out and they email you a registration number you have to put on the drone physically

also a lot of places people want to fly like around temples in kyoto or in tokyo itself are either no-fly zones or require special permits that are basically impossible to get as a tourist. i ended up flying mostly in more rural areas and it was fine but if you're hoping for shots of fushimi inari or whatever you can basically forget it. still worth bringing imo just go in with realistic expectations

my buddy went last year and just didnt bother after reading about all the hoops. said the hassle wasnt worth it for a vacation trip. depends how serious you are about getting footage i guess, if its just for fun maybe leave it home and enjoy the trip without stressing about rules the whole time