Filming permission in Japan is never issued by one office. Public roads go through the local police station. Stations and trains go through the railway operator that owns them, each running its own process and timeline. Wards and cities run their own filming-support programmes with their own conditions. Temples and shrines decide individually. Film commissions — including Kyoto's — coordinate and advise, but they do not issue the permits themselves.
最初に正しておきたいことThe misconception worth correcting first
A common assumption among first-time productions is that a city with an active film commission — Kyoto above all — offers something close to a single-window permit process. It does not, and getting this wrong costs schedule time.
What Kyoto's commission genuinely offers is a single point of contact for advice and introductions, which is valuable, but it is not the same as a single point of authority. Budget the same permit lead times in Kyoto as anywhere else in Japan.
誰が許可を出すのかFour separate authorities, four separate processes
道路使用許可Filming on a public road
The road-use permit (道路使用許可, doro shiyo kyoka) is the one every location shoot eventually touches. The process is consistent nationwide, but the paperwork burden is easy to underestimate.
- Confirm jurisdictionThe police station with authority over that stretch of road is determined by exact address, not by ward or city — adjacent blocks can fall under different stations.
- File in personApplications generally cannot be submitted by mail. Someone has to physically visit the traffic division, typically during a narrow weekday window (in Tokyo, roughly 8:00–16:00).
- Attach a full packageThe application form, a location map, a diagram showing camera position and cast blocking, guides positioned at both ends of the filming area, and a synopsis or script excerpt.
- One location per formA multi-location day generally means multiple separate applications, sometimes at different police stations.
- Pay a modest fee on the spotFees are low — around ¥2,100 in Tokyo — payable by cash, barcode payment or electronic money depending on the station.
区市のフィルムコミッションWard and city film commissions have their own conditions
Many wards and municipalities run their own filming-support desk, separate from the police process, and separate from any prefectural film commission. These are genuinely useful — but they are partnership programmes with promotional strings attached, not neutral permit offices.
A representative example: one central Tokyo ward's programme requires that the finished work contribute to the ward's tourism image, that an on-screen "filming cooperation" credit be permitted, that the ward be allowed to use behind-the-scenes footage in its own promotional material, and that the request arrive at least fourteen days before the shoot date. A purely commercial shoot with no local tie-in and no willingness to credit the ward can be declined outright under these criteria.
鉄道施設での撮影Filming on trains and in stations
Every railway operator in Japan runs its own location service, usually through a dedicated subsidiary, and each has different lead times. There is no shared system across operators — permission from JR East says nothing about JR West, and neither says anything about a private line like Keikyu or Keio running through the same city.
| Request | Typical minimum notice |
|---|---|
| Station or standard car (JR East) | 2 weeks |
| Reserved car, limited express / shinkansen (JR East) | 1.5 months |
| Train depot (JR East) | 2 months |
| Full train-set charter (JR East) | 7 months |
| Any request (JR West) | 14 business days |
JR West restricts most filming to weekday daytime hours and blocks out New Year, Golden Week and Obon entirely. General passenger cars can often be filmed on regular service — excluding reserved and green cars — but only with the consent of the passengers actually in shot at the time, which is a real constraint on a running train, not a formality. A private operator such as Keikyu publishes hourly rates and a cancellation schedule that charges 50% for changes inside three days and 100% on the day itself, which is worth knowing before a schedule gets loose.
寺社・私有地Temples, shrines and private land
These have no standard process at all. Some temples maintain a formal filming policy; many decide case by case, and the decision can rest with a single person — often the head priest — rather than an office. Commercial use is frequently restricted more tightly than for still photography, and a location that welcomes tourist photography can still refuse a paid commercial shoot outright.
Budget real lead time for these conversations, and do not treat a friendly initial response as a commitment. A signed agreement is the only thing that counts — the same standard as anywhere else, but with less institutional process to fall back on if plans change.
ドローン撮影A separate process for drones
Drone filming runs on its own regulatory track through Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, independent of any of the permits above. A comprehensive flight approval, where applicable, generally needs to be requested at least ten days before the planned flight date — and it does not substitute for the ground-level permits covering the same location.
まとめBuilding the permit calendar
The single practical takeaway: build the permit calendar before you lock shoot dates, not after. Map every location against the authority that actually controls it, request the longest lead time in that list first, and treat a film commission's involvement — Kyoto's included — as coordination, not clearance.