If you’ve been following me on instagram (@bakerbowie) you might have seen this picture pop up recently. Remembering that i’m the kind of person who won’t even cross the road unless the little green man is lit up, let me tell you the story of the craziest thing you can do in Tokyo that I can’t believe is actually legal – go-karting through the busy streets of one of the most populated cities in the world.
We booked a tour with Maricar who operate from a base in Shinagawa and offer a tour package where a guide will lead your group through the busy Tokyo streets. The one thing that you definitely need to know before considering this is that you HAVE to have an international drivers permit and your passport in order to do this. They will check when you get there and if you don’t have the correct paperwork, no amount of pleading will get you in one of those karts. Anyhoo, we had planned this before we left Australia so with our licences in our hot little hands, we made our way to Shinagawa!
The fleet of go-karts wait patiently outside
NO CRASH
NO ALCOHOL
ENJOY!!!
Thats pretty much wraps it up…
Once we had checked in with our guide, we were allowed to choose a costume to drive in. They’re not fresh out of the packet so there will be wear and tear. Hot tip: it gets freakin cold on those go karts so don’t be stupid like me and choose a costume with short sleeves. Unfortunately, the pink princess peach dress trumped comfort and I had to go with it.
I’m powerless before pink.
Also, hubs and friend were Mario and Luigi so I had to go with the Mario theme!
Outside, we were given a little bit of instruction about how to operate the go karts then were ready to start. I’d never driven a go kart before so the steering came as a bit of a shock and I had a little bit of trouble with the left foot brake at the beginning but after about five minutes of driving it all started to feel pretty good.
Except for the part where there were no seatbelts… that was pretty crazy.
Our guide was very good and always made sure that our group of six was together and as safe as we could be, navigating the busy streets of suburbs such as Roppongi and Ginza. I have to admit that there were definitely times when I zoned out and forgot that I was actually driving through peak hour traffic in a foreign country. Don’t worry though, at those times a taxi would drive up pretty close or a bus would pull up along side me and snap me back to reality! If you are a bit of a shrinking violet, this isn’t the tour for you as things really got going when we got to the giant pedestrian crossing in Shibuya. You might remember it from the film Lost in Translation but if not, it’s a ridiculously populated intersection of about eight pedestrian crossings. When we pulled up to it, the people went wild, clapping, waving, calling out and filming us. Like I said, introverts – this is not for you!
So, after an hour or so of cruising the mean streets of Tokyo, we ended up back in Shinagawa and the warmth of the Maricar office. I can’t believe that this business is legal (you would never get away with it in Australia!) but, as long as it is, it is a must-do if you’re visiting and up for a bit of fun and adrenaline. Whats the craziest thing you’ve done when on holiday that you can’t believe is legal?
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