Japan has come up with something that tourists love and Nintendo hates: real life Mario Kart on the streets of Tokyo. This may sound too good to be true, but the company MariCar really organizes tours on custom made go karts, complete with character costumes for rent and even an optional mustache. You can dress up as Toad, Peach, Mario or the other characters from Mushroom Kingdom, and there are also super hero and Disney character costumes.

You also have the option to play the music from the game through Bluetooth speakers in the car, for an additional fee. However, the website warns customers that they are not allowed to actually throw banana peels or red shells at each other or on the street–although it’s unclear where they would even find any red turtle shells. But now the video game giant Nintendo, that created Mario, has thrown a triple banana peel at MariCar by suing the company.

Nintendo is suing Tokyo’s real-life Mario Kart cosplayers for IP infringement ️https://t.co/y3OnWtecCG pic.twitter.com/LxBOQprJ5T

— AllGamesDelta (@AllGamesDelta) February 24, 2017

Nintendo filed the lawsuit last Friday, which stated that MariCar is promoting the Mario Kart-themed tours without permission, despite a previous warning from Nintendo. Apparently MariCar didn’t give Nintendo “a good-faith answer,” so it decided to sue. MariCar, on the other hand, said that it had asked advice from lawyers beforehand, who gave the green light to go ahead with the business model since it doesn’t constitute a trademark violation. MariCar has said it would like to work with Nintendo on the business, but it seems like Nintendo isn’t that interested.

EXOトラック
待ってたらまさかの
マリカー( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ❤️ゎら pic.twitter.com/S9UJacVzAx

— ExO❤︎miku (@EXO218899) December 7, 2016

According to Tripadvisor, customers have rated MariCar almost exclusively as “excellent.” But MariCar representatives are concerned. “We cannot even imagine how much it would cost in a court dispute against the world-famous company. We are afraid that our business will be hugely influenced,” they said in a statement.

Nintendo is doing pretty well after it launched the new Pokémon Go game last summer, which made its stock price double. At the end of last year, Nintendo said it is planning to open several theme parks in Universal Studios in Japan, Orlando, and Hollywood. Super Mario fans definitely have something to look forward to: “Gigantic Piranha Plants spring to life. Question blocks, power-ups and more surround you,” a press release said. “Guests will feel as if they are playing inside their favorite games–this time in real life.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The voters of Tokyo made history this month, voting in Yuriko Koike as their first female governor. Koike ran as an independent, which isolated her from her former allies in the Liberal Democratic Party, but ultimately served her well, as she won in a landslide. Koike’s political attitudes fall in line with that of the Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) but her frosty personal relationships with party leadership kept her out of favor for years. Koike has been a trailblazer in her time, serving as Japan’s first female defense chief and not shying away from feminism, encouraging female politicians to be involved in more than “women’s issues” and challenging her male peers to place women on an equal level.

Koike is now tasked with managing the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, a task that is always challenging but which will be especially difficult in the wake of the Rio Games, which were labeled a disaster before the Opening Ceremonies even began. But the LDP will have control over Koike’s budget for the 2020 Games, and there is suspicion that it will use its financial power to punish her for her break with the party.

During her campaign for governor, Koike pledged to review the budget for the Olympics, suggesting that her predecessors were overspending–a feasible assumption considering that governor Masuzoe stepped down earlier this summer after allegations of massive misappropriations of political funds. Masuzoe denied breaking the law but did admit to several ethical violations regarding the funding of the Games. As Koike takes office, the 2020 Games have been forecast to cost at least double if not more the original budget of $7 billion. It is not uncommon for nations to spend over $14 billion to host the Olympics, which raises questions about why Koike’s predecessors set the original budget so low. The games already face difficulties, as construction of the central stadium has been pushed back and the original logo was left behind after accusations of plagiarism.

There is already chatter in the political world about Koike running for Prime Minister, but that bid can likely only come after she proves herself as governor. At this moment, with Olympic pride at fever pitch, the 2020 Games are central to her success not only as a governor but as a female politician in an arena dominated by males. She will need to manage the building of new infrastructure, a massive influx of tourism and coordination across dozens of different athletics organizations–all the while protecting Olympic sites from terrorist attacks and staying away from the human rights abuses that have plagued Rio.

Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s recently impeached president, may not have set a high standard to live up to but Koike will need to deliver an excellent Olympics if she wants to push back against both personal criticism against her from the LDP and larger prejudices against women in offices of power. Japan has long undervalued its female population, and Koike seeks to integrate more women into the workforce, simultaneously stimulating the economy and changing attitudes about women’s value. Koike has pledged to improve daycare and care for the elderly, freeing up women from caretaker roles they have historically occupied out of duty and pushing them into the workforce. She has not yet announced major appointments to her organizational team, but imagine the potential: an Olympics where the decision-makers are women. Koike will need to work with only the most qualified advisors, but if she chooses to open the door to more female politicians and organizers, she may deliver the most equitable Olympics yet.

Jillian Sequeira

Jillian Sequeira was a member of the College of William and Mary Class of 2016, with a double major in Government and Italian. When she’s not blogging, she’s photographing graffiti around the world and worshiping at the altar of Elon Musk and all things Tesla. Contact Jillian at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com

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