---
title: "Watch This Cute Dog Drone Take a Stroll Through a Japanese Village"
description: "Yakimaru Skywalker is the cutest dog drone whose origin you would never guess."
date: "2017-03-03"
modified: "2017-03-03"
authors:
  - name: "Andrew Siceloff"
    job_title: "Senior Video Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/andrew-siceloff"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/7979/watch-this-cute-dog-drone-take-a-stroll-through-a-japanese-village"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "dog"
  - "drone"
  - "Drones"
  - "Japan"
  - "Tech"
  - "Tourism"
---

# Watch This Cute Dog Drone Take a Stroll Through a Japanese Village

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/03/doggo-drone.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

There are some videos that can melt the ice off of anyone's heart. [Cute kitten cams](<https://catcafebk.com/kitten-cam/>), [pandas just being pandas](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3tNgwQwKK4>), and so forth. But *Yukimaru Skywalker Takes A Stroll* sure did it for DRIVE/Aerial. Then unexpectedly, once we found [the original untranslated video](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HFYsrheuoE>), Yukimaru took a skip from the "aww" zone to becoming downright lovable.

![giphy.gif](<https://media.giphy.com/media/14iBDjBKs5BDnG/giphy.gif>)

Through some light digging in the original video's description, and with the help of Google Translate, we found out that the drone isn't actually for sale, but made by a tourism board in the town of Oji, Nara, "a town related to Prince Shotoku."

According to [his Wikipedia](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Sh%C5%8Dtoku>) page, Shokotu "was a semi-legendary [regent](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent>) and a politician of the [Asuka period](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asuka_period>) in [Japan](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan>)... Over successive generations, a devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for the protection of Japan, the Imperial Family, and for [Buddhism](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism>)."

Apparently, Prince Shotoku had a pet whose name was Yuikmaru, and Oji is where the fabled dog's grave is located.

![giphy.gif](<https://media.giphy.com/media/12bKeLVk3B3zxu/giphy.gif>)

In an attempt to draw attention to the rich history of the town, the tourism board built this lovable drone to pay homage to the long lost pet of Prince Shotoku, and then took it out for a stroll in the town, showcasing the town's tourist hotspots.

The makers of the Yakimaru Skywalker say it is "possibly the world's first mascot drone." If it isn't the first, it's definitely the cutest.

![giphy.gif](<https://media.giphy.com/media/lJ3RY2Kb8aZIk/giphy.gif>)

https://youtube.com/embed/D09Hjea7uTk

## Author
Andrew knows lifestyle video. Starting out editing Food Network shows with Bobby Flay, his freelance career ran the gamut of all things lifestyle. When he isn’t drooling over car porn, he is flying drones, or obsessing over new tech.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/Andrewsice>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/AndrewSiceloff>)