so im heading to japan for three weeks in april and obviously bringing the mini 3. ive been reading about their drone laws and honestly its kind of a headache. from what i can tell you need to register the drone before you go and theres a whole system called DIPS or something. also a lot of the scenic spots i want to shoot are in class 1 or 2 airspace and getting permits sounds like a nightmare especially if you dont speak japanese.

anyone actually done this recently? not sure if i should just leave the drone at home and rent a camera instead tbh. would love to get some shots around kyoto and maybe mount fuji area but dont want to get in trouble

did japan last fall with my air 2s. the DIPS registration is actually not that bad, theres an english version of the site and it took me maybe 45 mins total. the harder part is figuring out where you can actually fly without a permit. i used the DJI fly app to check airspace but also cross referenced with the japan drone map site which is more accurate for local restrictions.

kyoto is pretty locked down honestly. a lot of temple areas are private land on top of the airspace issues. fuji area was easier, i found some spots near the lakes where i got clean shots early morning with nobody around. just be ready for locals to come ask you questions, everyone was super polite about it but curious

dont forget the weight thing. if your drone is over 100g you have to register, mini 3 is like 249g so yeah you'll need to do it. also some areas near airports around tokyo are just a flat no regardless of permits