so i finally did the trip ive been planning for like two years, tokyo and then up north to hokkaido, and honestly the permit situation was way more stressful than i expected. i knew japan had rules but i didnt realize how specific the no-fly zones were around basically every interesting place. most of the temples, parks, anything near people - all restricted. had to use the DIPS system to apply for permits and even then got rejected twice for spots i really wanted to shoot.

ended up getting some decent footage in rural hokkaido where it was a lot more open but even there you have to be careful about national park boundaries. anyone else been through this recently? feels like the rules tightened up a lot compared to what i read in older posts on here

yeah japan is brutal now. went in and the dips portal was a mess, kept timing out on me. what drone were you running? i had the mini 2 which technically falls under the 200g threshold for some exemptions but the rules changed and even that doesnt get you as far as it used to. the sub-100g stuff like the mini 4 is supposedly easier but i havent tested it myself yet over there.

hokkaido is worth it though, got some of my favorite shots ever up near biei. just takes way more planning than anywhere else ive flown internationally

wait there's a permit system you have to apply to ahead of time? i was just gonna show up and figure it out. how far in advance did you apply