MariCar Loses Nintendo Lawsuit – One of Tokyo’s Best Tourist Activities Takes a Hit

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I’m not shy about my love of Japan and one of my favorite tourist activities just took a big legal hit.

Gaming giant Nintendo brought the hammer down on MariCar, which runs a series of Mario Kart themed go-kart tours around Japan.  It’s sad, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of MariCar.

Gone Are the Days When You Could Dress Up as Yoshi & Bowser While Go-Karting Around Tokyo

Apparently, the name – MariCar – was deemed by the judge to be too close to the popular Nintendo game.  What also got the company in hot water was their profiting off the use of Nintendo costumes without Nintendo’s permission.

It’s a bummer, but the company will continue operations under the infinitely less exciting name “Mari Mobility Dev.”  And I’m assuming you’ll now have to be happy wearing generic lizard, plumber, and turtle outfits.

If you’re heading to Japan and looking for a fun tour, be sure to get your International Driving Permit (IDP) first.  MariCar tours required one so I’m assuming Mari Mobility will too!

Jason Stauffer was a writer for Million Mile Secrets where he covered points, miles, credit cards, airlines, hotels and general travel. His work has appeared in The Points Guy and NextAdvisor.

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