Interest

Community Group "Tokyo Gaijins" Decide to Recreate a Mario Kart Race

In an event that has gone somewhat viral on Twitter in Japan, a large group, consisting mostly of foreigners, was spotted on the streets of Shibuya in what seemed to be a real life reenactment of a Mario Kart race.

Many Tokyo residents were pleasantly surprised to see what some termed the "Mario Car Military Brigade" rolling down the streets of Shibuya's Dogenzaka area and took pictures to post online. One Twitter user was particularly perplexed by the presence of two Pikachu among the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom.

It turns out that the participants were actually members of a community group known as "Tokyo Gaijins," a Japan-based group dedicated to bringing outgoing foreigners living in Japan and locals together to go out and participate in interesting events. This Mario go kart event was one of their latest hangout sessions, and will be repeated again in April.

The go karts themselves were provided by Akiba Karts, which claims to be Japan's first motorized go kart rental shop that is safe enough to ride without helmets. Akiba Karts posted on their official Twitter site, thanking Tokyo Gaijins for their patronage and saying how glad they were that their customers, as well as the community, enjoyed seeing and taking part in the event.

Akiba Karts was featured in an episode of Japanese talk show "Saturday Live," which showcased the go karts that Akiba Karts has available to rent.

For more information on Tokyo Gaijins you can check them out on their official website.

[Via Hachima Kikou]