Street kart tours in Tokyo drive real go-karts on public roads, through Shibuya Crossing and out to Harajuku. The one-hour Shibuya tour costs about $86 (October 2026). Every driver needs a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit, a JAF translation for six listed countries, or a Japanese licence. Under-18s cannot drive.
Yes, you can drive a go-kart through the streets of Tokyo, including Shibuya Crossing. Guided street kart tours run on public roads in small groups. The catch is paperwork: every driver needs a licence that is valid for driving a car in Japan, and most visitors have to arrange that at home before the trip.
Japan accepts three things for this. Checked October 2026 with the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF):
| Your licence | What you need in Japan |
|---|---|
| Most countries | An International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, plus your licence |
| Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, Taiwan | Your licence plus an official Japanese translation from JAF (no IDP) |
| Japan | A Japanese ordinary car licence |
| Countries outside the 1949 Convention (the Street Kart listing names China, Indonesia, Mexico, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) | Not accepted |
Three details trip people up.
First, the IDP must be the 1949 Geneva type. Permits issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention are not valid in Japan, according to JAF. Check the front of the booklet before you leave.
Second, you cannot sort this out once you land. The Street Kart listing says a valid IDP can only be issued by the country that issued your licence and cannot be obtained online while travelling. An IDP or a JAF translation is valid for a maximum of one year from your entry into Japan.
Third, bring the physical documents. The tour asks every driver for the paper IDP (or the licence plus translation) and a passport. A photo on your phone will not do. JAF lists the translation fee as ¥6,000.
Why a car licence and not something lighter? Japanese law classes these karts as “mini cars”, a kind of ordinary motor vehicle, so they need an ordinary car licence. A moped or motorcycle licence does not count.
The tour we list, the Street Kart Experience in Shibuya, starts from the STREET KART Shibuya 1st garage in Maruyamacho, Shibuya. In October 2026 it cost from $86 and had 1,952 reviews on GetYourGuide.
What the listing promises:
Street Kart emails after booking to tell you which documents you need. Free cancellation runs until 7 days before the tour, so if your permit is still in the post, book with that deadline in mind.
GetYourGuide’s review summary notes that some travellers felt the driving time was shorter than the listed hour. Arrive on time, and ask at the start how long the drive itself lasts.
Public-road karting is legal, and it has been tightened rather than banned. On 27 April 2018 the transport ministry (MLIT) changed the vehicle safety standards for public-road karts. Seatbelts, parts that make the kart easier for other traffic to see, night visibility lights, head restraints and an impact-absorbing steering column all became mandatory. The ministry’s stated reason was the rise in kart use, mainly by foreign tourists, and several accidents, including some in Tokyo.
Helmets are not required for this class of vehicle under Japanese rules.
Not every operator kept up. A December 2024 report in the Japanese motoring site Kuruma News said a safe-driving group had found 19 of 31 public-road kart operators nationwide breaking rules, from mesh visibility flags to seatbelts that were fitted but not worn. The same report cited Tokyo Metropolitan Police figures of 7 injury accidents and 18 property-damage accidents involving karts in Tokyo as of August 2024. In October 2024 an operator in Ota ward was referred to prosecutors for letting two foreign visitors without valid licences drive.
What that means for you:
The Shibuya tour includes costumes, and costumes are where the industry has been to court. Nintendo sued the original operator, Mari Car Co. (now MARI Mobility Development), in 2017. On 29 January 2020 the Intellectual Property High Court ordered the company and its representative director to pay Nintendo ¥50 million and to stop. The court had already found, in a May 2019 interim judgment, that using the “Mari Car” name and lending out costumes of Nintendo’s characters was unfair competition. Japan’s Supreme Court declined the company’s appeal in December 2020, so the ruling is final.
The ruling is about the business, not about you. The listing does not say which costumes are on offer, and the drive is the same either way.
If you have the right permit and you like the idea of driving through what is often called the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, yes: the tour has 1,952 reviews and a 4.9 rating on GetYourGuide (October 2026). If you do not have a 1949 Geneva IDP, there is no workaround. See the free things to do in Shibuya instead, or watch the scramble from above at the best Shibuya Crossing viewpoints.
1 hour
Drive a costumed go-kart on public roads from a garage in Maruyamacho, through the Scramble several times and out to Harajuku and Omotesando; every driver needs a valid International Driving Permit or JAF translation.
from$86
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Yes. Street karts drive on public roads, and Japanese law treats them as small cars, so you need a licence that is valid for driving a car in Japan. For most visitors that means an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan need a JAF Japanese translation instead.
No. The permit must be issued by the country that issued your driving licence, before you travel. The Street Kart listing says it cannot be obtained online while you are travelling. If your country issues permits under the 1968 Vienna Convention instead of 1949 Geneva, Japan does not accept them, so check the cover of the booklet.
It carries real road risk. Since 2018 Japan has required seatbelts and extra visibility parts on public-road karts, after a rise in tourist drivers and several accidents, some in Tokyo. Helmets are not required for this class of vehicle. A guide leads each small group, but you are driving in traffic, so drive soberly and follow the guide's line.
The Street Kart Experience in Shibuya on GetYourGuide cost from $86 for one hour in October 2026, with a guide, fuel, costumes, goggles and the guide's photos included. An action camera is an optional extra. Free cancellation runs up to 7 days before the tour, which matters if your permit has not arrived yet.
Yes, for licensed drivers in road-legal karts. In 2018 the transport ministry tightened safety rules for these karts rather than banning them. A 2024 Kuruma News report, citing a safe-driving group, said 19 of 31 operators nationwide were breaking some rules, so choose an established operator and check that your kart has seatbelts fitted.
Shibuya Crossing is a free scramble crossing outside Shibuya Station's Hachiko exit, where traffic stops in every direction and more than 1,000 people cross at each change at peak times.
Harajuku is the district one JR Yamanote stop north of Shibuya: 2 minutes by train for ¥155 on an IC card, or 15 to 20 minutes on foot.
Omotesando is a tree-lined avenue of about 1.1 km running from Harajuku Station to Aoyama-dori, built in 1919 as the approach road to Meiji Jingu.
Most visitors to Shibuya come for the Scramble Crossing and the Hachiko statue, then go up SHIBUYA SKY, which costs ¥2,700 online before 15:00.