Akiba City Tokyo Your site made by locals
So you are a fan of the Super Mario Kart series? I bumped into a rather interesting concept which I had heard a couple of months back. Driving a go-kart in the Tokyo City dressed up as a character from Super Mario or otherwise!!. Now this is really cool huh? the service already popular with hoards of tourists is called Akiba Kart and they allows you to rent go-karts right in the geek paradise of Akihabara in Tokyo. Now, how cooooool is that! Take a look at the below shots and decide for yourself.
It was a Saturday morning and I bumped into them by coincidence on my way to Yushima Shrine. All the participants were dressed up ready to DRIVE.
And guess who was leading? It was the WaLuigi!!! a chubby guy right there in the front with Mario in the background. The awesome part is that each kart can reach speeds of 50 km/h and you can drive without an helmet! Wonder how they got permission for that! Akiba Navi the company behind this provides for free costumes based on availability, but If you want to buy your own dress you can find on Amazon Japanスーパーマリオブラザーズ マリオ & ルイージ セット (帽子・つけひげ付) コスチューム 男女共用 165cm-178cm
As the race started I followed the group in a car and the group was having great fun with their adventure. My god, I want to do this sooooooon. If you want too, then jump in to the site here and register yourself. Access http://akibanavi.net/ and change the language to ENGLISh at the bottom right of the site and it will give you a translated interface to work with. ADVANCE BOOKING IS COMPULSORY.
WaLuigi kind of became a friend and kept waiving back at me at every corner. I should have asked him for his contact and kept in touch :). By the way, anyone with a valid Japanese or international license can drive the karts and the cosplay is not Mario ONLY, but your own choice.
Not only guys, but many girls too dressed up with Mario characters were participating and enjoying the Saturday morning. For just 20 dollars or so this is a an awesome way to enjoy Akihabara.
What I learned from the akibanavi site is that, they will give you a full tank of gas and you can drive the go-kart for about 80 kilometers. You can completely go out of Akihabara, making this a new and interesting way to explore Tokyo, but ensure you leave enough gas to come back, since you cannot desert the cart somewhere and have to return it to its original location.
A participant enjoying herself. If you become an Akiba Cart member, you can rent karts for slightly less at 2,000 yen ($18) an hour too!!
From a safety standpoint, each kart comes with side view mirrors, a horn, and a little red flag at the back to get attention of drivers around you.
Location is Akihabara as below and OFFICIAL WEBSITE IS Access http://akibanavi.net/
