Asakusa Street Go-Kart Tour

Few Tokyo activities are as divisive or as memorable as the street go-kart tour. Instead of watching the city from a bus window, you sit a few inches off the tarmac in a small open kart, wearing a costume, and follow a guide in a convoy through real traffic past some of the city's best-known landmarks. The route on this two-hour Asakusa tour, according to the operator, takes in Toyosu, Ginza, Nihonbashi, Akihabara, Ueno and Asakusa, starting with a safety briefing and ending with photo opportunities. The kart, the costume and photos are included, and the guide speaks English and Japanese. It is a fast way to feel the scale of the city, and the Akihabara and Ginza stretches in particular show off the neon and architecture in a way a train never can. It is also the only way on this list that requires you to bring documents, because the karts are driven on public roads and Japanese law applies to the drivers.

The licensing rules are not negotiable, so read them first. The operator states that most riders must bring their original home-country driver's license, their passport and an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. The permit must be the physical booklet: a hard copy is required, and without it participation is denied with no refund. Nationals of Switzerland, Germany, France, Taiwan, Belgium, Estonia and Monaco follow a different rule and need the original license, a Japanese translation issued through the Japan Automobile Federation, and a passport.

US military personnel have their own listed alternatives. A digital copy or a photograph of a document will not do. The page does not list age, height or weight limits, so ask the operator if you are traveling with teenagers, and remember that you must be licensed to drive.

Expect a convoy, not a race. The group has a maximum of ten, there is a safety briefing first and the guide leads the route. Japan drives on the left, so travelers used to right-hand traffic should be extra alert at junctions and when merging. The kart sits low, so you are in the exhaust and noise of traffic; wear closed shoes and clothes you do not mind rippling in the wind, and consider sunglasses.

Costumes are provided and photographs are part of the appeal. Meeting is at the Azumabashi address in Sumida, and you show a smartphone ticket to staff. Free cancellation and rescheduling apply up to 24 hours before.

Is it worth it? If you hold the required documents and enjoy the idea of driving through Tokyo, it is a good fit for confident drivers, friends and adventurous couples. Skip it if you are nervous in traffic, dislike noise, are prone to car sickness or do not have the paperwork. Pair it with a quiet Asakusa morning at Senso-ji, a lunch of tempura or eel and a Sumida riverbank walk, so the day balances adrenaline and calm.