MariCars

When you visit a foreign country there is always a long list of things to do and see. Tokyo — and all of Japan — have many touristy activities and sites that I would recommend to anyone coming here for a visit. It pretty much runs the gamut from cultural/historical things like temples and shrines, purely tourist sites like Tokyo Tower and SkyTree, nightlife, restaurants, trendy areas, amusement parks, and shopping spots.

Having lived here for two years now, we are pretty much past the tourist things, and have settled on our favorite activities that we like to do in our spare time. But, occasionally, we do still go for the touristy stuff, and MariCars are most definitely on that list.

MariCars are “Mario-themed”  street-legal go-karts that you can drive around Tokyo. They have several locations around the city, and several tours available, daytime and nighttime. The carts are easy to drive, and easy to maneuver, even in Tokyo traffic.

When you go in, you show them your driver’s license (or International Driving Permit, in our case) and fill out the waiver forms — English available. Once done with the paperwork, you choose a costume to wear, and have a short instructional lesson with the driver of the leader car. They have GoPro cameras available for rental. All you do is bring in your own micro SD card.

It is a fun, silly, and interesting way to see Tokyo! More information can be found on their website:  https://shinagawa.maricar.com/

Lots of costumes to choose from, and a “chase vehicle” for those in your group who want the experience without actually driving one of the carts. Daytime and nighttime tours available in many of the popular areas of Tokyo.