so im heading to japan for 3 weeks in april and obviously bringing the mavic. ive been doing a ton of reading on the rules there and its honestly kind of overwhelming. from what i can tell you need to register the drone before you go and theres a bunch of no fly zones around temples and populated areas which like, makes sense, but also kills a lot of the shots i was planning.

anyone actually flown there recently? specifically around kyoto or the fuji area. i keep seeing conflicting info about whether you need a local permit or if the online registration covers everything. dont want to get my gear confiscated on day one

flew there last october, the online registration through the DIPS system is pretty straightforward, took me maybe 20 minutes. the fuji area has restrictions but there are spots on the north side of the lake where you can get decent shots without being in a no fly zone. just download the SORAPASS app before you go, its basically their version of airspace maps and it'll save you a lot of guessing.

kyoto is rougher honestly. most of the good spots near fushimi inari and stuff are either restricted or you'd be flying over crowds which is a hard no there. i ended up just hiking to some of the mountain trails outside the city and got better shots anyway

not japan specific but i traveled with my drone through a few asian countries last year and the biggest thing i learned is just dont assume anything carries over from country to country. the rules are really different everywhere. also keep your registration docs on your phone and printed, customs asked me about my drone in two different airports