not that it was a disaster or anything but man the rules there are strict and i spent more time stressing about where i could legally fly than actually flying. registered with DIPS before i went which took forever, then half the places i wanted to shoot were either in controlled airspace or had local bylaws that basically made it impossible without jumping through more hoops

did manage to get some shots around the countryside near kyoto which were genuinely beautiful but for a two week trip i probably got like 3 usable flights out of it. might just leave it home next time and focus on the trip itself. anyone else feel like drone travel just adds stress sometimes

yeah japan is notoriously tough, especially around populated areas. the DIPS registration is just the start, you also need to check the DJI fly safe maps AND local municipal rules which are basically invisible unless you speak japanese. i used a local facebook group to find a few hidden gems that were actually flyable and that helped a lot

honestly same feeling after trying to fly in singapore lol. technically brought it, flew it exactly zero times because every single spot was restricted. at some point the drone just becomes dead weight in your bag. i still bring it to certain places but ive started researching way harder before committing to packing it