so i spent three weeks in japan last month and brought my mini 3 along. honestly way more complicated than i expected. had to register the drone before i even left home through the japanese civil aviation bureau website, took like 4 days to process and i was sweating thinking it wouldnt come through in time. once i was there though it was actually fine in most rural areas, flew around some rice fields near nagano and got some really nice shots. tokyo was a completely different story, basically a no fly zone everywhere you look, i didnt even bother trying. also worth knowing that flying near certain temples and shrines is really frowned upon even if its technically legal, a local told me that and i appreciated the heads up. overall totally worth it but do your homework before you go

this is super helpful, im planning a trip there next spring. did you have any issues at customs bringing it in? ive heard some people get questioned about the batteries

yeah the registration thing caught me off guard when i went too. i think a lot of people just skip it and hope for the best but the fines can be pretty serious if they catch you. rural japan for flying is genuinely underrated, some of the countryside scenery is insane and you almost never run into other people or any kind of enforcement. the cultural sensitivity thing around temples is real too, even without rules some places just feel wrong to fly near