12-08-2017, 12:06 PM
You’ll Need To Buckle Up The Next Time You Use One Of Tokyo’s Mario Kart Tours
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<p>Back in 2014 <a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/03/real_life_mario_kart_event_brings_a_community_together_in_japan">we reported on a Tokyo-based group of tourist event organisers</a> that set up a <strong><a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/mario_kart_8_deluxe">Mario Kart</a></strong>-themed tour of the city – in actual karts! </p>
<p>Well, fast forward three years and the the city is awash with colourful convoys, so much so that the Japanese tourist ministry is bringing in new laws to ensure blue shell-flinging drivers are safe before they hit the roads; seatbelts will be mandatory and the karts will need to meet safety standards.</p>
<p>A loophole in the current system enables operators to classify karts as both scooters <em>and</em> four-wheeled vehicles – since scooters don’t require seat belts and cars don’t require helmets, tourists have been cruising through traffic without a safety conscious care in the world.</p>
<p>However, the Mario Kart tour craze hasn’t been an entirely clean ride. <a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/02/nintendo_throws_a_blue_shell_at_real_life_mario_kart">Nintendo itself sued one company</a> earlier this year for copyright infringement (<a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/03/nintendo_lost_maricar_patent_objection_prior_to_recent_copyright_infringement_claim">which it lost a month later</a>), while a spate of real-life accidents involving kart drivers ultimately led the Japanese government to enforce more stringent rules.</p>
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<p>What do you think of Mario Kart tours? Would you go on one, or would buckling up spoil the fun? Comments at the ready.</p>
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<div><aside class="picture embed centered picture-900x img-900x">
<div class="img"><a title="news5.jpg" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/news/2017/12/youll_need_to_buckle_up_the_next_time_you_use_one_of_tokyos_mario_kart_tours/attachment/0/large.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/news/2017/12/youll_need_to_buckle_up_the_next_time_you_use_one_of_tokyos_mario_kart_tours/attachment/0/900x.jpg" alt="news5.jpg" /></a></div>
</aside>
<p>Back in 2014 <a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/03/real_life_mario_kart_event_brings_a_community_together_in_japan">we reported on a Tokyo-based group of tourist event organisers</a> that set up a <strong><a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/mario_kart_8_deluxe">Mario Kart</a></strong>-themed tour of the city – in actual karts! </p>
<p>Well, fast forward three years and the the city is awash with colourful convoys, so much so that the Japanese tourist ministry is bringing in new laws to ensure blue shell-flinging drivers are safe before they hit the roads; seatbelts will be mandatory and the karts will need to meet safety standards.</p>
<p>A loophole in the current system enables operators to classify karts as both scooters <em>and</em> four-wheeled vehicles – since scooters don’t require seat belts and cars don’t require helmets, tourists have been cruising through traffic without a safety conscious care in the world.</p>
<p>However, the Mario Kart tour craze hasn’t been an entirely clean ride. <a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/02/nintendo_throws_a_blue_shell_at_real_life_mario_kart">Nintendo itself sued one company</a> earlier this year for copyright infringement (<a class="external" href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/03/nintendo_lost_maricar_patent_objection_prior_to_recent_copyright_infringement_claim">which it lost a month later</a>), while a spate of real-life accidents involving kart drivers ultimately led the Japanese government to enforce more stringent rules.</p>
<aside class="object object-youtube">
<div class="youtube">[embedded content] </div>
</aside>
<p>What do you think of Mario Kart tours? Would you go on one, or would buckling up spoil the fun? Comments at the ready.</p>
</div>