Hit and run involving ‘Mario Kart’ driver could spell ‘game over’ for popular Tokyo street tours

A hit-and-run accident involving a Taiwanese tourist may be the final nail in the coffin of go-kart tours that have become one of the most popular ways to see Tokyo and a number of other Japanese cities.

Police on February 23 arrested a Taiwanese man, identified as Zhang Ren Jie, after an accident in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward involving a go-kart that he was driving. Police claim Zhang – who was dressed as a character from Nintendo’s Mario Kart game series – turned left at a junction and collided with a cyclist, who was slightly injured.