Tokyo needs more than Mario karts to amuse tourists

Tokyo needs more than Mario karts to amuse tourists
(Image: Getty)
Bloomberg
By Gearoid Reidy They’re the scourge of Tokyo’s streets: bright-red go-karts driven by foreign tourists waving and clad in cartoon costumes.The providers of these personal transporters, colloquially known as Mario karts, once dressed riders as characters from Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros before putting them on the roads. Now, after a company lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court, some websites warn that their street karts are “in no way a reflection” of the video game maker. But the damna...

More Tourism

Auckland Airport ‘just asking questions’ about airline competition
Infrastructure

Auckland Airport ‘just asking questions’ about airline competition

Regional NZ flyers are bearing a particular brunt, the airport says.

Pattrick Smellie 20 Feb 2025
Tourism industry struggles to keep up
Economy

Tourism industry struggles to keep up

Where to for NZ tourism in the long-term after NZ is done with its Briscoes-style sale?

Dileepa Fonseka 20 Feb 2025
From '100% Pure' to 40% Off
Economy

From '100% Pure' to 40% Off

Is a new ad campaign too 'Briscoes sale' for NZ's global brand?

Dileepa Fonseka 18 Feb 2025