MariCar – The Craziest Way to See Tokyo
There was chaos all around me. Colourful characters swerving and speeding through the streets of high-rise buildings and temples. Blinded by the neon lights and deafened by the roaring electronic soundtrack, I gathered all my focus towards pole position. Despite all the chaos and commotion, I remained calm. I was driven by the will to win. The finish line was mine for the taking. As I swerved and drifted around an incoming banana peel, I took a deep breath, aimed and fired a turtle shell at my opponent in front of me, sending him flying up into the air.
MariCar – Tokyo’s crazy real-life Mario Kart
Ok, so that’s not exactly how it went down, but the adrenaline, excitement and craziness of driving a small go-kart through the streets of Tokyo, dressed in a Mario character onesie is nothing short of exhilarating. When I first heard about MariCar I thought it would be a fun and quirky experience to wrap up our amazing trip to Japan. I assumed that there would be some kind of cut-off section of the roads or footpaths where we would have somewhat of a token drive. I was wrong. Apart from the character costumes you can wear, there is nothing fantasy or token about it. You will drive a real, modified-for-road go-kart and you will drive it on the road, with all the rest of the traffic in Tokyo.
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That sounds dangerous?
By our road standards, it probably is. However, MariCar operate in line with the law and they are strict when it comes to Licences (you MUST present a valid International Licence, issued from your country of residence, to participate). Rest assured, we get taken through safety instructions, (which included, “Don’t hit the other cars”, “Don’t beep your horn unnecessarily”, “Follow the road rules like a normal driver” and “Follow my lead”), however it’s still pretty hard to believe this is actually allowed.
Trying to avoid being hit by a merging bus or truck whilst driving 50kms an hour over a bridge really puts your vulnerability into perspective…. and it is brilliant for the adrenaline junkies. Whilst we had no issues, there have been a number of accidents – including go-karts crashing on top of another and others hitting parked cars and police boxes. These incidents have prompted concern from police and the government, even with talks of closing it down (but luckily for us, business is going strong and we got to do it!).
If driving down the streets of Tokyo on a go-kart and dressed as a cartoon character excites you, how about fighting a sumo dressed in a sumo suit? Read about how you can Fight a Sumo here!
Make no mistake, this is NOT Mario Kart
After being taken to court in February 2017 by Nintendo, the owners have been quite adamant that this is not a copy of Mario Kart, but it’s hard not to find the similarities, especially when you see Mario, Luigi, Toad and Yoshi zoom down the street in go-karts. The owners of MariCar actually won the court case and can still operate, despite Nintendo’s attempts to shut them down. They do have a disclaimer on their website (which I found amusing), including the following:
- No racing each other on the streets.
- Do not throw banana peals or any other garbage on to the streets.
- Do not throw red turtle shells or any other objects to each other.
So what’s MariCar actually like?
All joking aside, MariCar is super fun. When we rocked up to the storefront in Akihabara, we were handed forms to sign and directed to pick a character onesie from the huge selection. The store was abuzz with excited millennials, ready to race. Lockers are provided and if you want to hire go-pros and accessories, there is the option for that also. Once dressed, we were divided into small groups and went through the safety spiel with our fearless leader, before we headed to our go-karts.
A few practice revs, blinker tests and beeps later, and we were ready to hit the road… literally! It is quite surreal driving on the road in a small 50cc go-kart. You are lower to the ground and there is not much between you and the cars around you. Thankfully, drivers in Japan are sensible, so we didn’t have much to worry about. We followed the signals of our leader to slow down, speed up and drive in single or double file. The go-karts tend to embellish every bump and vibration on the road, so it was a nice relief to have a short pit stop at Odaiba and take the obligatory selfie and enjoy the wonderful views of the Rainbow Bridge and the Statue of Liberty replica.
But, a man (or woman) has got to ride, so back on the road we went! These babies are small, but still pack a punch. We almost hit 60kms/hr at some stages and really felt the adrenaline rush. In a city of 13 million people, we quickly became the attraction for tourists and locals alike, with many people waving at us from passing buses and even stopping in the middle of crossings to take photos of us. Every time we stopped at the lights, Guy and I would laugh in amusement at how crazy this actually was (and wonder how it could be legal!). All in all, it was an exhilarating experience and one we would definitely do again next time we are in Japan!
What more crazy things to see in Tokyo, Japan? Why not check out Robot Restaurant!?!
The deets
Where: Maricar operate from a few sites in Tokyo and Osaka. You can find details of their stores on their website.
When: MariCar offer a number of 2-hour and 3-hour laps around the city throughout the day and evening. Check their Facebook page for up-to-date times and to make a booking.
Cost: Prices start from ¥8,000
Important!
If this sounds like something you MUST do when in Japan, make sure you have your International Drivers’ Licence organised. They won’t let you participate if you don’t have one (and you have to organise it before you go to Japan).
What do you think? Crazy, or a MUST-DO in Japan? But more importantly, what character would you dress up as?
Let us know in the comments below!
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I had three thoughts – 1) only in Japan!! and 2) I can’t believe this is real, and 3) Luke would absolutely love this. Japan’s not on the radar for us just yet, but I think we’d definitely have to look into this. Side note, very glad you guys didn’t have any accidents 😀
Haha thank you! We were glad we didn’t have accidents too (I’m not sure how to explain that to our travel insurance company! haha). It’s definitely worth doing when you eventually visit Japan! 🙂
OMG this looks like heaps of fun and totally my thing to do. At first I thought isn’t that dangerous, but in Holland tourists think the same of cycling, which is totally fine and not too dangerous really 🙂
haha It’s funny you mention cycling in Holland, as we saw a few cyclists crash when we were in Amsterdam! MariCar is certainly fun and not that dangerous – if you are sensible and follow the instructions 🙂
OMG this is totally mental. I am equally horrified and amused and struggling to understand how they won that court case when it is a blatant rip off. It sounds great fun regardless
hahaha All I can say is that I’m glad they managed to win and still operate, as it was so much fun! Definitely one of the highlights from our trip!
Oh my gosh! My inner nerd is squealing right now lol. This looks like so much fun! Even though you aren’t allowed to race against each other and it technically isn’t meant to be a replica of the video game, I love the idea of wearing a super mario onesie out in public and riding around in a kart without judgement lol! Totally pinning this for future reference.
I hope you can go and do it! It was so much fun! Even though it’s not quite the real Mario Kart, it is definitely as exhilarating!
What a unique experience! When go-kart is taken to another level, that’s one for the bucket list. But wow! 8,000 yen! Rentals plus costume? So it could go up depending on the costume?
I should have been clearer – it’s 8,000 yen including the costume which, for us, was quite reasonable for the amount of fun it is! I think it costs more to go go-karting on a normal (boring) track in Australia, and this was SO MUCH MORE! 🙂
I wonder when they started? Even though I’m not a millennial, I would really LOVE to go around Tokyo on a go-kart. It’s fun, it’s different, and in a way, it’s a bit adventurous, too! Love it that you also have to dress up for the part.
I don’t think you need to be a millennial to enjoy this – all ages (that are old enough to drive, that is!) were doing it when we were there. It was such a fun way to see Tokyo!
How did I live in Tokyo for four months and never hear about this?! I would have done this in a heartbeat if I’d known this was a thing. I’ll admit though, I probably would have been a little afraid to drive on a regular street. Coming from America, I would have a hard time adjusting to driving on the other side of the road, let alone having to make that adjustment in a gocart! Thanks for the unique idea! I’ll definitely have to check it out when I go back to Japan!
When did you live in Tokyo? I bet you would have done so many amazing things in those four months! What was your highlight?
This sounds AWESOME – I’m all about the adrenaline experiences – and I would love to take to the streets of Tokyo dressed as Mario Kart!! Interesting to hear that Nintendo took them to court –literally laughed out loud when I read their website disclaimers about not throwing banana peels or red turtle shells into the streets!!!! Lol that’s too funny! I’ll be in Japan next month and definitely want to organize a ride with MariCar – sounds SUPER fun!
Since you’re on the actual roads, it’s nice to know that Japanese drivers are sensible!
Haha I found their disclaimers pretty funny too! You will definitely have to do this when you go to Japan next! You and Mike would love it!
Wow – this sounds like an amazing experience. I can’t believe you can drive a small go-kart through the streets of Tokyo and Osaka dressed in a Mario character onesie. Sign me up! Thanks for sharing this cool experience.
It’s pretty crazy you can, and the whole time we were laughing at how this was allowed! We definitely couldn’t do that back home in Australia! :p
This is seriously the coolest thing ever!! I have been obsessed with Mario Kart since I was little and would LOVE to do this sometime (even if it isn’t technically associated with Nintendo)! Looks like such a hilarious and fun experience. I like how you drive in real traffic instead of on a racetrack, but I suppose that could be really cool too, lol! Good to know about the international drivers license—will have to make sure to get one before our next trip to Japan!
If you are a fan of Mario Kart, you will love it! Even though it’s not quite the same, it’s hard not to hear the Nintendo music in your head as you drive over Rainbow Bridge! 😉
I never would gave guessed you could take the karts out into Tokyo traffic, what an epic way to see Tokyo! At 60km too is quite a ride! Glad they require a real driving licence, but it sounds incredible!
It is such a unique way to see Tokyo! Highly recommended! 😉
Hahahah, this is so fun. I’m from Japan and I saw this last year when I was in Tokyo and was like, ‘What the!??!”. I just knew it had to be a touristy thing 🙂 I’m so surprised that it’s legal as I am terrified to drive in Japan and I grew up there. What a fun experience and such an adrenaline rush for sure!
Hahaha That’s funny! I thought the drivers there were ok (I’ve definitely seen worse in other countries! haha)
OMG this looks like sooooo much fun. Like a cute, cool, racing wheels – bang in the middle of all the chaos of Tokyo! How FUN! Passerby waving at ya gives you the celebrity feel doesn’t it? I would LOVE to try it out and great tip about arranging an international license beforehand – So far, I was able to “wing it” with my Indian license in Asia, South Africa and Croatia but Japan might have different rules, so good to know.
Yeah, they were pretty strict wanting to see the International Licence! But it is so much fun (and yes, I definitely felt like a celebrity! haha)
This looks SO much fun!!! Maybe even more when you are allowed to swerve and drift around incoming banana peels haha, but I completely understand the strict rules of the company. You both ride with costumes, are they included in the price? Or can you only buy them in the shop?
It was a lot of fun (even if no banana peels were on the road!). And yes, the costumes are included in the price! 🙂 Which character would you dress up as?