Can you still do Mario Kart in Tokyo?

Yes, as a street go-kart tour, but not under that name and not in Nintendo costumes. Since Nintendo's lawsuit ended in December 2020, operators sell street kart or go-kart tours; GetYourGuide lists 24 in Tokyo, from ¥7,000 to ¥21,000 per person for the cheapest option on 15 October 2026. You drive yourself, so you need a license, passport and IDP.

Are Tokyo go karts Mario-themed today?

No. The courts ordered the original operator to stop renting Nintendo-themed costumes in 2018, and today's racks hold onesies, anime and cosplay costumes instead. Reviewers notice the swap: Furkan (September 2026) found “no Mario, but Pikachu available” in Shibuya. The kart, the route through Shibuya Crossing and the waving crowds are what's left of the theme.

Is there an official Mario Kart tour in Tokyo?

Not under that name. No GetYourGuide listing is called Mario Kart; the tours people mean are sold as street kart or go-kart tours. The closest match to the famous videos is Tokyo: Street Kart Experience in Shibuya — ★4.9 from 1,904 reviews, one hour, costume included — run by the company formerly called MariCar.

What happened to MariCar?

MariCar lost a lawsuit brought by Nintendo and now operates as Street Kart. The Tokyo District Court ruled in September 2018 (¥10 million, no Nintendo costumes), the IP High Court raised damages to ¥50 million and banned the “MariCar” name in January 2020, and the Supreme Court dismissed the final appeal on 25 December 2020. Street Kart has four listings on GetYourGuide.

Can I wear my own costume?

Usually yes. Operators provide their own costume selection and guests may bring their own outfit, but footwear rules still apply: four listings ban slippers and high heels, and one asks for closed-toe shoes. Costumes are optional — Laura (July 2026) skipped hers on a very hot day — and 19 of the 24 street tours include one in the price.

Do I need a driving license for a Mario Kart-style tour?

Yes. You drive the kart yourself on public roads, so every street tour checks three originals: your home license, your passport and a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP booklet. Drivers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan bring a JAF translation instead. Without them you don't drive, and 11 listings say you won't be refunded.

Can kids do the Mario Kart experience in Tokyo?

Not on the street. Street tours are 18+, and none of the listings we checked sells a passenger seat. Children aged 6–12 who are at least 120 cm tall can drive a junior kart at a closed circuit in Chiba, about 60 minutes from central Tokyo; the junior option costs ¥40,000, and the track supplies a racing suit, helmet and gloves.

Is it as fast as the video game?

No. You drive in city traffic behind a guide, and the road sets the pace. Rene (August 2026) says the East Tokyo karts reached “about 25kph”, which “seems fast when you are low down”, and Furkan (September 2026) hoped to drive faster in Shibuya “but it was not possible due to traffic”. For real speed, the Chiba track reaches up to 120 km/h.

Tokyo Mario Kart — What You Can Book in 2026

Same idea, different name

Tokyo Mario Kart Today — A Street Kart Tour

What people call Mario Kart in Tokyo is sold today as a street go-kart tour. GetYourGuide lists 25 kart products in Tokyo: 24 street tours and one closed-circuit racing day outside the city. On every street tour you drive the kart yourself on public roads, following a guide, and no listing uses the Mario name.

Street kart: A street-legal go-kart you drive yourself on public roads behind a guide. It is the word operators use where travelers still say Mario Kart.

Travelers keep the old name anyway. Aiaz (July 2026) calls the most-reviewed Shibuya tour “Mario Street Kart Racing”, and Nathan (August 2026) wrote after the Ginza tour: “You really do get to play real life Mario kart in the streets of Tokyo.” The listings say street kart, go-kart or go karting.

Mario Kart Tokyo go kart: the product to book

The product to book is one of these tours, and the scenes in the famous videos are still what reviewers describe. Micheal (August 2026) counted “going through shibuya 4 times from all different sides”, and Aiaz remembers “thousands of people waving and taking photos as we drove by”.

The lawsuit that renamed the idea

Super Mario Tokyo Go Kart Costumes — Why They're Gone

Super Mario costumes disappeared from Tokyo go karts after Nintendo won its case against the company that started the tours. Nintendo sued MariCar (Mari Mobility Development) in 2017, and over three years the courts stopped the Nintendo-themed costume rental, raised the damages to ¥50 million and banned the “MariCar” name.

The case, 2017–2020

12017 — Nintendo sues MariCar.
2September 2018 — Tokyo District Court orders a stop to Nintendo-themed costume rental and ¥10 million in damages.
3January 2020 — IP High Court raises damages to ¥50 million and bans the “MariCar” name.
425 December 2020 — Supreme Court dismisses the final appeal.

The company kept going and now operates as Street Kart. Four GetYourGuide listings carry that name: the Shibuya shop with 1,904 reviews, the Shibuya Annex, the original Akihabara shop and the 2-hour Tokyo Bay flagship. The other 20 street listings belong to other operators running the same format under their own names.

What changed after 2020No Nintendo-themed costumes on the rental rackNo “MariCar” name on any tourNo listing calls itself Mario Kart; they say street kart or go-kart

What's on the rack now

Street Go Kart Tour Tokyo with Costumes

19 of the 24 street tours on GetYourGuide include a costume in the price. The listings call them costumes, cosplay costumes or anime costumes, and the operators' photos show onesies in yellow, blue, pink and green, plus one Shibuya driver in a bee suit. The electric tour in Shibuya includes a traditional happi coat and sells character costumes as an option.

A costume rack with onesies beside a black sofa and a monitor in a waiting room. Photo from the operator's GetYourGuide listing.

Pikachu, not MarioFurkan (September 2026, Shibuya) found “no Mario, but Pikachu available”; Jade (February 2026) never imagined “dressing as Pikachu driving around Tokyo” on the Akihabara tour.

Clean, mostlyMo (May 2026) found the costumes clean and B (April 2026) says “fresh out of the laundry”; Martina (October 2025) found some dated and stained.

OptionalChris (August 2026) calls dressing up “optional but worth it for the laugh”; Laura (July 2026) skipped it on a very hot day.

Not included on fiveThe electric car-culture and Akihabara local-guide tours don't include one; Shibuya Crossing with Photos offers costumes without listing them; the karaoke tour and the other electric tour sell character costumes as options.

Whatever you wear, the listing rules still apply. Four listings ban slippers and high-heeled shoes, one asks for closed-toe shoes, and cellphones are on the not-allowed list while you drive. Let the guide take the pictures: “Don't be tempted to take photos yourself, they take them for you,” writes Andrew (September 2026).

Where to book what you searched for

Tokyo Mario Kart Tour — Which One to Book

For the classic version — costume, Shibuya Crossing, guide photos — the most-reviewed tour is Tokyo: Street Kart Experience in Shibuya, ★4.9 from 1,904 reviews, ¥18,500 (≈$118) for one hour on 15 October 2026, listed from ¥16,500. It is run by the company that started the idea, and it allows free cancellation up to 7 days before.

Most reviewedStreet Kart Shibuya — ★4.9 (1,904), 1 hour, ¥18,500; costume, raincoat and guide photos included.

Lower priceShibuya Kart Premium — ★4.6 (946), 45 minutes for ¥10,000 or 1 hour for ¥15,000; costume and lockers included.

Highest rating in ShibuyaShibuya Annex — ★5.0 from 24 reviews, 1 hour, ¥18,500 at checkout (listed from ¥14,500).

Longest Street Kart routeFlagship 2-hour tour over Rainbow Bridge — ★4.8 (113), ¥16,500, costumes included.

If price matters more than the story, the cheapest reviewed hours are outside Street Kart: ¥9,000 for a single last spot on the Shibuya and Shinjuku tour and ¥10,000 on the Ginza tour (★5.0 from 67 reviews), both with a costume in the price. Every one of these tours checks the same three documents, and street listings that state an age set it at 18 (one Shinjuku listing says 17).

Compare every Shibuya route with real prices and start times.

Shibuya tours