im heading to tokyo and kyoto in april and i really want to bring the air 3 but ive been reading so many conflicting things online about japans drone laws and im not sure whats current anymore. some articles are from like 2021 and thigns have apparently changed a lot since then. does anyone have actual recent experience flying there

from what i can piece together you basically need to register with the MLIT before you go and most urban areas are heavily restricted, like flying over populated areas requires special permission. rural stuff might be more chill but i dont really know. and apparently there are altitude limits too. honestly considering just leaving it home at this point which would kill me because the temples and countryside would be unreal to shoot

I went in October with my Mini 4 Pro. Honestly it was more manageable than I expected but you definitely need to do the MLIT registration before you leave home, you cant really do it on arrival. The DJI fly safe maps in Japan are pretty aggressive so a lot of spots just straight up wont unlock even with registration. I got some decent footage in the countryside near Nikko where it was more open. Kyoto city center forget it, way too restricted and always crowded anyway. Do the registration, download the DIPS 2.0 app, and manage your expectations for urban areas.

not japan specific but i've traveled with drones through a few asian countries and the thing that always gets me is battery rules on the plane more than anything. most airlines will let you carry lipos in carry-on under a certain wh rating but it varies and ive had airport staff in some places have no idea what the rules even are and just make stuff up. always print out the iata guidelines and have them ready, saved me once in taipei