so im heading to tokyo and kyoto in a few weeks and i really want to bring my mini 3 pro but honestly the rules there have me confused. from what i can tell you need to register the drone before you even land but every site i find contradicts the last one. some say you can fly in designated areas no problem, others are saying basically everything is restricted. parks, near buildings, all of it.

anyone actually flown there recently? not looking for legal advice just want to know what it was actually like on the ground. did you get hassled or was it fine if you stayed smart about it?

went to japan last spring with my air 2s and honestly it was more manageable than i expected but you do have to do your homework. the DJI fly safe map is kind of useless there, use the DIPS2.0 system on the japan civil aviation bureau site ? thats the actual official portal for registrations and flight plans. you need to register your drone there before you go and it takes a few days to process so dont leave it til the last minute.

kyoto was the harder one for me. most of the famous spots like arashiyama and fushimi inari are either in restricted zones or so crowded its basically impossible to fly safely anyway. i ended up getting some decent stuff in the countryside between cities where there was basically nobody around and nobody cared. just be respectful and read the room honestly.

cant help with japan specifically but i brought my drone to taiwan last year and had a similar panic about the rules beforehand. turned out fine once i just emailed the local aviation authority directly ? they actually responded and told me exactly where i could go. might be worth trying with japan too instead of relying on random forum info lol