What do you think about foreign tourists, dressed to look like characters from Nintendo’s popular Mario Kart series of racing video games, driving along Tokyo streets?

One of the most annoying things I have ever seen. The statistics show tourists from certain countries cause more accidents than others. But then money over safety right?

I can tell you right away that it ain't just foreigners on these carts.

If it's such a problem then just do away with it.

As tourism, it's a waste of time in my opinion, because there are a lot of things to see in Japan, and this could be done anywhere.

But people can use their time however they want, foreigner or japanese.

I don't think anything of it since I don't live in TOKYO! Thank god.

Live and let live. If they want to dress up, let them be, who am I to say what they should or should not wear. As long as if they have fun and don't bother anyone.

One has hit a cyclist, another has crashed into a police box, and another has just driven on the pavement and then into a restaurant (fish and chip shop). The operations may be legal as the law stands, but they sound like a serious accident waiting to happen.

Regarding Bintaro's "tourism" point, Japan has a reputation for being zany/eccentric, so this activity is exactly what people who buy into that want to do. If people are coming with the expectation that Japan is a madhouse, this and the robot restaurant will be the highlight of their trips. Just a point on the graph, but Amsterdam, probably the most notorious "go there for a certain thing" destination in the world, is trying to move away from dope and prostitution. It now regards that aspect of tourism more trouble than it is worth.

I also feel a bit sorry for Nintendo because I regard this as an abuse of their brand that they are unable to stop due to the slow/antiquated legal system.

Saw a group of them yesterday in Roppongi, no helmets, no role bars, safety does not seem to be taken into account at all. I agree that building a course out in the sticks to look like something from Mario Kart, would be a great idea, but I think the people that come and do it, want to be seen doing it, and if it was at some course where nobody was watching, then the thrill would be lost.

I have family in Japan at the moment and they were shocked to see these carts on the streets of Tokyo. They saw a near miss with a car. Are the powers that be waiting until someone is killed before they ban them? And I agree with the poster who said that it isn't just foreigners using these carts.

I live in Miyazaki so I don't see them. However, they need to build a track for these and get them off the streets.

Yes it's not only foreigners using them, but he Japanese drivers may be more knowledgeable in Japanese road rules. The accidents were caused by Asian tourists thinking that the roads of Japan were their playground. Stop perpetuating the stereotypes of nothing else

What do you think about foreign tourists, dressed to look like characters from Nintendo’s popular Mario Kart series of racing video games, driving along Tokyo streets?

I don't. I have a life, so I have more important things to do than worry about if everyone else is having fun in the correct way (i.e. my way).

They are a nuisance a danger to traffic and pedestrians if anyone is so intent making a spectacle of themselves why not just walk around in the character costumes?

I've seen them hundreds of times. People having fun always put a smile on my face. But it seems most people here (and on Reddit) have a stick somewhere that needs to be removed. Sure they get into accidents...but so do tons of other cars and bicycles every single day.

Not just tourists.  But these carts coupled with the general standard of dsrivers in Tokyo are bound to lead to a fatal accident eventually.

It is simply irresponsible to allow these carts on the road.

for one, the drivers are not used to them and can not control them as they should.

What is to be considered is a pedestrian or an other road user being involved in an accident with them.

The Nintendo issue is simple, it is a clear infringement on their license rights so they will win the court case.

I'm not saying that I want these morons to end up as hamburger on the street, but if adults want to embarrass themselves so badly, strip away their last remnants of dignity, well....

Hmmm. Not sure why some here are putting the blame on Asian tourists. The go-carters I've seen tend to be American or Canadian.

If people want to have fun and let loose, good on them. However, they need to wear protective gear - which should take preference over costumes.

It's not like the Pride parade where you can have a zany time on the street without being in an accident. These are busy roads.

Regarding Bintaro's "tourism" point, Japan has a reputation for being zany/eccentric, so this activity is exactly what people who buy into that want to do. If people are coming with the expectation that Japan is a madhouse, this and the robot restaurant will be the highlight of their trips. 

I get this, but the thing is, it's just so far from what Japan really is. It's not an authentic experience because it's made for tourists, it's not like it's a real feature of Japanese life, except as a nuisance and safety risk. But I understand the whole tourist appeal.

Honestly I'm surprised those little carts are road legal. In my home country they wouldn't be, and would need a special enclosed track/course.

Another Japan Paradox.

Bombarded with Road Safety - in the form of tissues, pleas and pamphlets - but appears no law against these road users. How are these carts use, configured into the whole Road Traffic Safety Management Program?

I understood roads were not for entertainment outside authorized designated zones and times - like matsuris, sports events etc.

Try getting permission to operate this business as it is in any major city like Tokyo in the developed world - London, NY, Sydney, Singapore, Paris, Hong Kong...etc.

Laughable that the powers to be think the use of such vehicles in such a manner conforms to any notion of Road Safety.  2 high-school kids on one bike is deemed unsafe and dangerous to other road users but Tokyo Street Karting is OK???

This is a Park activity. Get off the roads.

I DO find it interesting that the majority of go-carters I've seen are fellow Asians and Brits.

Still safer than a stroll down a London street, in any case.

Looks strange to me and often seeing them pass down a street near where I live. I am surprised a more serious accident has not occurred yet.

Nope, this question isn't a set up for racism at all! News flash for some people, it's not just foreigners driving them, and it is a JAPANESE idea to begin with, and Japanese law allows it. And no, Steve Fennel, while Japanese SHOULD be more knowledgable about the road laws of Japan, they often know nothing -- or seem to -- about them. Hell, in a survey done of Japanese police officers more than 70% admitted they do not know the rules of the road when it comes to bicycles. That's only one element. You have people who speed through reds, whip through parking lots with two entrances to avoid lights at an intersection, park illegally EVERYWHERE, and then some. If anything, the drivers of said karts are more knowledgable because they are given a run-down of the laws before signing up, same as before I came we were given in-depth explanations of road and cycling laws (so much so I know more than your average police officer, and far more than Joe Tanaka about bikes). So, again, while they SHOULD know more about the streets, they don't.

But again, not the point, nor is it the point where they come from. They are allowed by law to do it, and I'm sorry but I think that unless there are separate paths/roads made for go-karts only, these should not be allowed on public streets, period. They are too low to the ground while truckers here, high off the ground, go at high speeds even in cities, let alone regular buses and cars. It's only a matter of time before people get killed, either the drivers, pedestrians, or other motorists trying to avoid them. CHange the laws to make it illegal, or else take responsibility. As for the costumes, who the hell cares what they wear while doing it? I'd be a little more concerned about the PM wearing such clothes while bidding for something.

I recently came to Tokyo for the first time in a few years, and honestly, I was surprised to still see them driving on the roads (I was at Ueno Park). Sspeaking of Ueno, those city roads are the PERFECT PLACE for a monumental crash to happen involving one of these death traps.