Tokyo Go Karts - How to Choose the Right Tour
I’m sure you’ve seen clips of eager tourists tearing down the streets of Tokyo in Go-Karts, wearing cartoonish onezies and playing a video game in real life. Is it worth it? How can you find the experience that best meets your interests?
It has been called a few things through the years as various Intellectual Property Lawsuits take hold. Turns out you can’t call something a Mario Kart experience unless you’re actually Nintendo, so expect a strongly worded cease and desist letter if you’d like to do so without permission...at the very least. In fact, you should see some variety of “Not affiliated with Nintendo” plastered on the vehicles to further drive home the point. Even the costumes available to be worn in recent years aren’t Nintendo characters.
While there is a lot of global hype around this experience, it is somewhat divisive in Japan. Go Kart riders can encounter eager observers waving from their own cars or on the streets, but what you don’t see as much is the frustration of other drivers sharing the road. Visitors to Japan have been known to capitalize on the orderly way of the nation and treat the country like a playground. If you are planning to go, you’ll want to be mindful. Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it will be important to do your part as you share the road. Can a tourist go on a go-tart tour without landing in this category? That is a valuable question. In this case, with a great opportunity comes great responsibility…or something like that. Don’t come for me, Marvel.
Here’s what you need to consider ahead as your select a Go-Kart tour:
Choose the Tour Operator
With Japan’s reopening to the world late 2022, this niche market is booming! The 2024 JPY-USD exchange rate doesn’t hurt. There are now several tour operators managing this type of experience, so I’ve listed a few below that you can find on popular tour sites. You’ll want to read reviews of operators to ensure they have a good reputation. Consider checking Reddit or similar areas of the brutally honest internet.
Choose the Location and Route
What part of the city would you like to ride through? Are you hoping to breeze through the Shibuya Scramble Crossing? Wave by Senso-Ji in Asakusa? Watch the sun set atop the Rainbow Bridge? Review the routes carefully. I’d recommend running them through google maps or similar. If you’re not familiar with the attractions or features of the route - explore them online! Knowing the difference between, say, Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree will be helpful.
Choose the Time of Day
Do you see yourself riding in the morning? Midday? Sunset? What else do you want to accomplish on your busy travel itinerary? I wanted to see Tokyo in as many ways as possible, so I looked at the expected time of sunset for the day of our scheduled ride...I was determined to have a sunset experience. We started our ride about an hour before the sun began to set and I need to you know — it was the RIGHT choice. Seeing Tokyo transform from a busy daytime city to a sparkling evening metropolis was nothing short of beautiful. Coming around to Tokyo Tower as it came to life is something I will remember.
What To Bring
Each tour operator will provide some general guidelines, but based on personal experience these are a few of my own recommendations:
Wear closed-toed shoes if you can. You’ll be hopping in and out of a go-kart.
Dress appropriately - Consider the season, weather, and wind. The experience can be a bit breezy depending on when you are going. Because our group went at sundown, we felt the temperature shift. We wore long sleeves rolled up under our costumes during the day and pulled them down when it got chilly.
Protect your face - the wind and sun from the ride can be a lot on your face and eyes. I’m not all out saying you need to wear goggles, but if you wear glasses or sunglasses you may be glad you did.
Consider packing a mask - exhaust from other carts and cars can be a…chunky experience. Our ride included some longer stretches where we drove closely together. There’s no photos or glamour on open road - it’s transportation at that point.
Bring your hip bag or low profile pack to wear beneath your costume - I kept a water bottle in mine and my phone when I wasn’t taking video.
You’ll be able to store your bulky items away in a locker at home base.
If you’re coming from the US and many other places, you must have your International Driving Permit to drive a kart. If you forget your permit, you will be turned away. These must be gotten in your home country before departure, so don’t forget it! Your passport will be needed as well to further verify your identity.
Drive Responsibly
To ensure a fun and safe experience for you and your travel companions, you’ll want to consider the following:
Don’t drive under the influence. It seems like a given, but really…don’t. Not only does Japan have zero tolerance drinking and driving laws, it’s a generally reckless act as a tourist in an open air, low-clearance vehicle.
Stay in your lane - literally. You’ll be driving in a specific formation at the instruction of your guide, and it will change with traffic patterns. Swerving around and otherwise acting out on the roads isn’t just dangerous - it’s annoying. As tourists enjoying a commodity, we shouldn’t do anything that would otherwise ruin it for everybody else.
Don’t text & drive, play with your camera, or anything else while you’re moving. Go Pros and other cameras are typically welcome! But if the battery needs to be swapped out along the way, you’ll need to wait until you have a safe opportunity to do so.
Enjoy the experience! It is truly one to remember.
