A go-kart from Asakusa is exactly what it sounds like: a small, loud, open kart on real Tokyo roads, in a convoy behind a guide, past Kaminarimon, over the Sumida and under Skytree. It is hugely popular, and it is also the experience where visitors most often arrive, pay and get sent home, because their driving permit is the wrong kind. If you searched "monkey kart asakusa", the company you are looking for now trades as Monkey Adventure Kart. This page compares it with the other two operators near Asakusa and spells out the permit rules before you book anything.
Prices are the lowest option the platform shows, in US dollars, and move with dates and exchange rates. The booking page is final. Prices checked: September 28, 2026.
Check your permit first
Every operator applies the same Japanese law, and none can bend it. To drive, you need one of these, as originals:
- A Japanese driving license.
- An International Driving Permit (IDP) under the 1949 Geneva Convention, the paper booklet, issued in your home country before you travel, plus your home license plus your passport.
- An official Japanese translation of your license (from JAF or another approved issuer), plus the license and passport. This route is for licenses from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan: for these, Japan asks for the translation rather than an IDP, so get it arranged before you fly. Monkey Adventure Kart also lists Estonia.
- A SOFA license for US forces personnel.
What gets refused at the counter:
- IDPs under the 1968 Vienna Convention. Some countries issue only this format. It looks official and it is not valid in Japan.
- FIA, IDA or IAA "permits" sold online. These are not driving permits at all.
- Photos, scans, PDFs or photocopies of a permit, even of a valid one.
- Anything you hoped to get after landing: IDPs cannot be issued in Japan.
Drivers from several countries cannot drive at all, because their countries do not issue 1949 Geneva permits. GetYourGuide's listing names Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Kuwait and Qatar; Monkey Adventure Kart's list adds Bahrain. If that is you, Monkey Adventure Kart's two-seat option (below) lets you ride along as a passenger while a properly licensed friend drives.
Street karts are classed as mini cars and are driven on an ordinary car license. A moped or motorcycle license is not enough. The minimum driving age is 18 with every operator we found.
The three operators near Asakusa
| Monkey Adventure Kart | Street Kart Asakusa | YAH KART | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Also known as | Monkey Kart | Renamed after the Nintendo case | — |
| Route | Senso-ji, Skytree, Akihabara, Ryogoku Kokugikan | Kaminarimon toward Skytree ("Samurai-S" course) | Akihabara, Ueno, Senso-ji loop |
| Time on the road | about 1 hour (tour 70 min) | about 45 min to 1 hour | about 1 hour |
| Two-seater | Yes, Can-Am Ryker | No, single seats only | — |
| Costumes | No Nintendo costumes | Superhero-style | Costume rental included |
| Where to book | GetYourGuide | Official site, Klook | Klook, official site |
Monkey Adventure Kart (formerly Monkey Kart)
This is the one most people mean. Its Asakusa tour runs about an hour through Senso-ji, Skytree, Akihabara and past the Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo hall, which is the widest sweep of any Asakusa route. Departures are at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 19:30, so an evening drive under the lit tower is possible.
It is also the only operator here with a two-seater, the Can-Am Ryker three-wheeler: one licensed driver plus one passenger. Its site suggests it for families and children over 130 cm, and for anyone without a valid permit who still wants to come along. Read that carefully: the passenger needs no license, the driver still does. Riders must be under 110 kg and 200 cm.
On GetYourGuide it is sold as the Asakusa, Skytree and Akihabara go-kart experience: 70 minutes including the briefing, free cancellation up to 24 hours before, drivers 18+, with nearly 800 reviews. Its old domain now redirects to the new name, and some old Monkey Kart shop links point to unrelated sites, so book through the official site (monkey-adventurekart.com) or a platform, not through an old bookmark.
Street Kart Asakusa
Street Kart is the company that made street karting famous in Tokyo under a different name (more on that below). Its Asakusa shop is at Nishi-Asakusa 3-25-31, about 8 minutes on foot from Asakusa subway station, on the Kappabashi side. The "Samurai-S" course takes 45 minutes to an hour, starting past Kaminarimon and heading toward Skytree.
The house rules are strict and sensible: arrive 30 minutes early with your license and passport; single-seat karts only; no heels, sandals or long skirts. Basic insurance is included, but you pay a ¥50,000 deductible per kart for any damage unless you buy the full-cover option. Cancellation fees start six days before the drive. Their site is kart.st. GetYourGuide also lists an Akihabara-start street-kart tour of about an hour, handy if you are staying on that side of town.
YAH KART
YAH KART starts from its own shop in the northern part of Asakusa, on the first floor of a red building at Asakusa 6-20-3, north of Senso-ji. Its signature hour loops through Akihabara, Ueno and past Senso-ji, and costume rental and basic insurance are included in the price, with extra damage cover sold on the spot. Permit rules are the same as everyone else's: originals only, and a missing or invalid document means no drive and no refund. Full refunds need 72 hours' notice. Klook sells it with more than a thousand reviews, the largest count of the three listings.
Costumes, and why there are no plumbers
The best-known early Tokyo street-kart company built its brand on a name and costumes that looked a lot like a famous Nintendo racing game. Nintendo sued, the IP High Court ordered ¥50 million in damages and banned both the name and the character costumes, and the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. The company renamed itself and its service became Street Kart.
The practical result for you: nobody sells an official Nintendo costume ride anymore. Where costumes are offered they are generic ones (Street Kart advertises a superhero theme, YAH KART includes costume rental), and Monkey Adventure Kart states outright that it is not affiliated with Nintendo and provides no such costumes. You may not bring your own outfit unless the reservation team agrees beforehand. Costumes are optional; a hoodie and closed shoes are fine.
Safety: what to expect on the road
Be clear-eyed about this. A street kart puts you a few centimeters off the asphalt in Tokyo traffic, next to buses and delivery trucks, with nothing like a car's protection around you. The guide leads and the group stays together, which helps. Still:
- Japan drives on the left. If you drive on the right at home, the first right turn across traffic is the moment to concentrate.
- Stay in formation and watch the guide's signals. The convoy is how drivers around you understand what you are.
- Take the extra insurance if you are nervous. The deductible on a basic policy can be ¥50,000.
- Rain changes everything. Ask the operator what happens in heavy rain before you book a tight schedule around the drive.
The permit rules exist for a reason. Japanese media reported a case in which an operator rented karts to tourists holding Vienna-format permits and one of them hit a parked car; the driver was charged with unlicensed driving. The national transport ministry has discussed seatbelt and visibility requirements for karts, and Shibuya ward now requires kart operators to register. None of this stops a well-run tour, but it is why a reputable operator checks your papers at the door.
Making a day of it
Karts run past most of what you would see anyway, so book the drive for the end of your Asakusa day: temple in the morning (Senso-ji guide), lunch (food), a slower look at the riverside (Sumida Park and the river) and the kart at 16:00 or 18:00, when Skytree is lit. The tower itself, and what else is a short trip away, are on our Near Asakusa page.
If karts are not for your group, the same streets look good from a rickshaw, which takes children, or on foot with a guide (walking tours). And if you want to know how we choose between the two booking platforms, see our reviews of GetYourGuide and Klook.
Book the Asakusa go-kart tour from US$83.94 · GetYourGuide