flying in japan, recommendations?
- Thread starter chapsrlz
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Make sure you can legally fly wherever you want to fly there, I am not sure if they are strict on drones, don't remember now.
Anyway, be warned that flying anywhere there poses a risk of your Phantom being shot down by Gundam or Godzilla!
Anyway, be warned that flying anywhere there poses a risk of your Phantom being shot down by Gundam or Godzilla!
You can check out travelwithdrones.com and travelbydrone.com to see where others have flown. Noteworthy is there are few videos posted in Tokyo.
One thing I noticed when I lived there: helicopters are always criss-crossing the skies. News helos, VIP helos, I'm not sure why, but there seemed to be a lot of them.
When researching my trips, I always use Flickr to see the sights/sites photographers seek out.
I have one non-drone recommendation: visit the Raumen Museum in Shin-Yokohama and try the restaurant downstairs called Komurasaki for a taste of the ramen at Kyushu.
One thing I noticed when I lived there: helicopters are always criss-crossing the skies. News helos, VIP helos, I'm not sure why, but there seemed to be a lot of them.
When researching my trips, I always use Flickr to see the sights/sites photographers seek out.
I have one non-drone recommendation: visit the Raumen Museum in Shin-Yokohama and try the restaurant downstairs called Komurasaki for a taste of the ramen at Kyushu.
fplvert.
thanks, and yes according with flytrex it seems only a couple pilots fly in japan.
un hombre.
from what i have searched its not illegal.
currently im on a dilema whether carry my canon 5d or my gopro (attached to a phantom of course) but it one or another.
clipper.
thanks for the recommendation, ill try to make it up to yokohama.
thanks guys!
thanks, and yes according with flytrex it seems only a couple pilots fly in japan.
un hombre.
from what i have searched its not illegal.
currently im on a dilema whether carry my canon 5d or my gopro (attached to a phantom of course) but it one or another.
clipper.
thanks for the recommendation, ill try to make it up to yokohama.
thanks guys!
trandg said:
trandg.
sorry for my late reply, but i just got home after the trip.
yes i took the phantom with me to japan. i had some trouble (nothing to worry about) at narita airport when i declared i was carrying a quad. the officers in charge asked me all kind of questions (like what was the purpose of my trip, why i was carrying such an uncommon item, what i was planning to do with it, etc, etc, etc) after 15 mintues of questions they took the quad for a xray revision and let me pass it.
about flying in japan.
i spent one week in osaka and one week in tokyo.
osaka is very windy and during the week i spent there it rained 3 days and one snowed... so i only had chance to fly it a couple times in a park called "tsurumi ryokuchi park"
tokyo is not so windy and there are great places to fly it, i tried at shinjuky gyoen park, but when i was doing the compass dance i was told it is prohibitted to fly quads in that park
greetings.
/cas
Warning to Phantom pilots who are planning to make trip in Japan:
This April Osaka city inhibits flying drones in all the parks.
Kyoto has many shrines and some of them inhibit flying drones inside their property (also from religious reason, believers and priests hate to be shoot from sky).
Also today, Tokyo Metropolitan government addressed they inhibit fly/bring drones in all parks, based on their local (regional) code.
That is, in Tokyo there's almost no place to fly drones - in Japan there're many wide and (almost nobody) parks near famous view point, and that had been good and safe shooting points. Actually there's no Japanese national law to inhibit flying drones over public places, nor even over private properties (except concerning to the aviation law), but of course it's unimaginable to fly over busy roads or cloudy buildings/houses in Tokyo. And the seaside is too near to the Tokyo International Airport.
If you are planning to make trip around Tokyo with your birds, be careful not to be arrested (fine JPY 50,000). Or come to Kanagawa Prefecture (Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone - currently exploding) - public places are OK to fly, and many beautiful spots near sea side. Also Saitama, Chiba next to Tokyo has many nice places and they don't inhibit flying in public area.
FYI.
This April Osaka city inhibits flying drones in all the parks.
Kyoto has many shrines and some of them inhibit flying drones inside their property (also from religious reason, believers and priests hate to be shoot from sky).
Also today, Tokyo Metropolitan government addressed they inhibit fly/bring drones in all parks, based on their local (regional) code.
That is, in Tokyo there's almost no place to fly drones - in Japan there're many wide and (almost nobody) parks near famous view point, and that had been good and safe shooting points. Actually there's no Japanese national law to inhibit flying drones over public places, nor even over private properties (except concerning to the aviation law), but of course it's unimaginable to fly over busy roads or cloudy buildings/houses in Tokyo. And the seaside is too near to the Tokyo International Airport.
If you are planning to make trip around Tokyo with your birds, be careful not to be arrested (fine JPY 50,000). Or come to Kanagawa Prefecture (Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone - currently exploding) - public places are OK to fly, and many beautiful spots near sea side. Also Saitama, Chiba next to Tokyo has many nice places and they don't inhibit flying in public area.
FYI.
I heard a few new laws were passed recently (ie. No metro area and no parks throughout country?). Is this true? I plan to visit Tokyo and nearby areas first of October and want to be careful. So far I think I will only be able to fly in the rural areas and am ok with this....
True. That's aviation law revision (silly... aviation law had been for manned aircraft). The biggest change will be inhibiting night flight and high population density area - they say 4000 people/sq. km... but not certain that is counted by prefecture or city or ward...? Say in Yokohama there're many wide park and maybe 50 people/sq. km but if based on city, it'll become very silly law.
Night flight and flight in such area will be allowed with application (and I'll write application when I need), but it's difficult for visitors from foreign countries. Also on the law, "very ultra light aircraft" is exception, but I don't know 1300g P3 is included in the ULP of the definition. X5C maybe. The changed law will be effective from the end of this year (maybe still not executed on Oct.).
Flying in Tokyo is very difficult, IMO. The safest places in Tokyo to fly are parks, but they inhibited - most of the seaside and riverside owned by nobody are parks. So, strictly obey to law, we need to fly from road...? Much danger.
Again, if you visit Tokyo, I suggest to come to Yokohama, Kamakura, Kawasaki or Chiba (be careful to No Fly Zone of DJI, Kawasaki is near from Tokyo Int'l airport). Seaside and big city, have many beautiful places (w/o heli you can enjoy many sightseeing spots). That's 30-60 minutes from Tokyo by train, and don't have such silly local law.
I'll continue to serve more information about the law change, please ask again when your plan is fixed (and anybody who'll visit Japan).
Ju
When you are in Japan, you MUST try Ichiran Ramen. It's is totally different from all the other ramen you have tasted so far.
It is literally the best ramen I've eaten in my travels. And they have so many outlets. It will best whatever famous/expensive ramen that other people recommend you to visit.
Trust me, you have to eat it to know just how bloody good it is.
I'm gonna sidetrack abit. I work as a cabin crew for Singapore airlines so I'm always flying around the globe including Japan.
When you are in Japan, you MUST try Ichiran Ramen. It's is totally different from all the other ramen you have tasted so far.
It is literally the best ramen I've eaten in my travels. And they have so many outlets. It will best whatever famous/expensive ramen that other people recommend you to visit.
Trust me, you have to eat it to know just how bloody good it is.
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to lock in the areas by the Uraga channel and countryside (Saitama) on google maps. This should meet my needs.
What about around Mount Fuji or Takao?
Around the exit of Tokyo Bay, Uraga Suido, both west side (Yokosuka) and east (Chiba) seaside is beautiful. Yokosuka is 1 hour by Keikyu train from Tokyo, Kisaradu/Futtsu/Kanaya is 1-1.5 hours from Tokyo station or Haneda Airport by bus (Yokosuka-Kanaya is 30 min by ferry). But be careful, bus terminal or train station is not always near from seaside.
Mt. Fuji is very wide. You can just go to 5th stations by bus (1000-1500m high?), but from there to the top 6 hours to hike (go+return you need 10 hours). Always strong wind, density of air is low (about 0.7 atm), I don't recommend to fly from the top. You don't need to use Phantom to shoot aerial video if it's fine.
Oh, Mt. Fuji is already closed in Oct. (still challengers climb, but already winter mountain - very hard to climb).Edit - Mt. Takao is a kind of picnic place. Too many people in autumn holidays. Of course many flat place for takeoff/land, far from people and it's not banned place to fly.
Read my post again, I feel it's difficult to say "it's good" or "bad" for visitors visiting wider area such as seaside of XXX prefecture, or "along Uraga Suido"... Narrower area like Mt. Takao or XXX park, I can give you information or recommendation, including access using public transportation.
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Hmm, lots to think about. I just want a quiet location possibly near seaside but within distance of train station. Sounds like it's too much to ask [emoji16]Around the exit of Tokyo Bay, Uraga Suido, both west side (Yokosuka) and east (Chiba) seaside is beautiful. Yokosuka is 1 hour by Keikyu train from Tokyo, Kisaradu/Futtsu/Kanaya is 1-1.5 hours from Tokyo station or Haneda Airport by bus (Yokosuka-Kanaya is 30 min by ferry). But be careful, bus terminal or train station is not always near from seaside.
Mt. Fuji is very wide. You can just go to 5th stations by bus (1000-1500m high?), but from there to the top 6 hours to hike (go+return you need 10 hours). Always strong wind, density of air is low (about 0.7 atm), I don't recommend to fly from the top. You don't need to use Phantom to shoot aerial video if it's fine.
Edit - Mt. Takao is a kind of picnic place. Too many people in autumn holidays. Of course many flat place for takeoff/land, far from people and it's not banned place to fly.
Read my post again, I feel it's difficult to say "it's good" or "bad" for visitors visiting wider area such as seaside of XXX prefecture, or "along Uraga Suido"... Narrower area like Mt. Takao or XXX park, I can give you information or recommendation, including access using public transportation.
Finding a quite place in Japan is tough... If you go to Hokkaido or north of Tokyo.. Sendai areas, then you might be ok. Over larrge populated areas from above would be great at night. Sending a quad down dotonbori in Shinsaibashi would be a total riot. There are a lot of people doing it illegally in Japan and the outcomes are pretty amazing. There are lots of Japanese sites to view their stuff, you don't even need to know any Kanji/Hiragana really.
You could probably film anywhere on Shikoku island without issues if you didn't go all the way over to Kochi. It's the least seen island by tourists and there are still MANY video worthy temples over there. Most people attempt to film the big ones.. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc... but after awhile, from a cinematic perspective, they all offer the same looks, unless you are going for the total gold/silver look in Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji)... but good luck getting a drone in there.. hell, they don't even want you to use a flash.. and enforce it.. can't image the sound a drone in there. It would be funny and sad at the same time.
Ever since that nutjob dropped some 'powder' down onto the prime minister's office roof top, it all went to hell. It wasn't the camera that was the issue in that case. If they could drop something radiated down there they would... the Fukushima residents are still REALLY pissed off. (nor do I blame them)
We go every year and I have yet to try and take a quadcopter there; friends have them there so, in an emergency. I've always wondered what customs would do, especially given the last few months of issues over there. It's not just the US obviously that has someone to kill it all. Had it not been for Fukushima, there wouldn't be the constraints as there are now.
If you can get one up in a populated area and get some good neon footage.... all the more power to ya! However, there are so many wireless things on a per square foot basis in the built up areas... you definitely need the 32 frequency hack over there.
Disclaimer: We lived there for almost 10 years before moving back here and we got away with a lot of technological "pranks" even in our early years.
You could probably film anywhere on Shikoku island without issues if you didn't go all the way over to Kochi. It's the least seen island by tourists and there are still MANY video worthy temples over there. Most people attempt to film the big ones.. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc... but after awhile, from a cinematic perspective, they all offer the same looks, unless you are going for the total gold/silver look in Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji)... but good luck getting a drone in there.. hell, they don't even want you to use a flash.. and enforce it.. can't image the sound a drone in there. It would be funny and sad at the same time.
Ever since that nutjob dropped some 'powder' down onto the prime minister's office roof top, it all went to hell. It wasn't the camera that was the issue in that case. If they could drop something radiated down there they would... the Fukushima residents are still REALLY pissed off. (nor do I blame them)
We go every year and I have yet to try and take a quadcopter there; friends have them there so, in an emergency. I've always wondered what customs would do, especially given the last few months of issues over there. It's not just the US obviously that has someone to kill it all. Had it not been for Fukushima, there wouldn't be the constraints as there are now.
If you can get one up in a populated area and get some good neon footage.... all the more power to ya! However, there are so many wireless things on a per square foot basis in the built up areas... you definitely need the 32 frequency hack over there.
Disclaimer: We lived there for almost 10 years before moving back here and we got away with a lot of technological "pranks" even in our early years.
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