Tokyo Go-Kart Tour Documents Checklist
What to sort before you book a Tokyo go-kart tour: the 1949 Geneva permit booklet, licence and passport, the JAF translation for six countries (applied for inside Japan), and what each tour checks at the door. November 2026.
On a Tokyo go-kart tour the documents decide whether you drive, so sort them before you book. Most riders need three originals at the door: the driving licence from home, a permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and a passport. Drivers licensed in Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland or Taiwan carry a Japanese translation of the licence in place of the permit (National Police Agency, checked November 2026), and JAF accepts that application only from inside Japan. Every tour here that mentions refunds for a rider with the wrong papers refuses one.
This page is the order of operations: what to check, when to do it, and what each tour asks for at the counter in its own words.
Three questions before you pay
- Which country issued your licence? Japan accepts a Japanese licence, a permit under the Geneva Convention, or, for six places only, a home licence with a Japanese translation. Those six are Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland and Taiwan (National Police Agency, checked November 2026). Everyone else drives on the permit.
- Is your permit the right kind? It has to come from the 1949 Geneva Convention. The tours carded on this site want it on paper as a booklet; several say outright that a card, a photo, a PDF or a photocopy will not do.
- Will it still be valid on the day? The permit is valid for one year from its issue date, and you may drive on it for one year from the day you land in Japan or until your licence runs out, whichever ends first (National Police Agency, checked November 2026).
If any answer is “no” or “not sure”, hold off booking. The tours give free cancellation for a change of plan, not for missing papers.
The order to do it in
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| At home, before you fly | Apply for the 1949 Geneva permit through your own country’s issuing body | It cannot be issued in Japan (Street Kart, checked November 2026), and JAPANKART's tours turn away permits bought from online companies |
| Before you book | Check your licence and permit against the tour’s own list of excluded countries | Lists differ from tour to tour (see the table below) |
| Right after you book | Send the tour photos of your documents or a question | On Street Kart's tours staff check the photos in advance; on near-date bookings the check is yours (Street Kart, checked November 2026) |
| After you land (six countries only) | Apply to JAF online for the Japanese translation | JAF’s application site works only from networks inside Japan |
| Two to three working days later | Collect the translation at a convenience store printer | JAF’s usual time for the six countries’ licences |
| On the day | Bring the originals and arrive early: 20 minutes on BC support Co.,Ltd.'s tour, 30 at Street Kart’s shops | Documents are checked before the briefing |
The JAF fee for a translation to drive temporarily is JPY 6,000, tax exempt. JAF revised its fees on 1 July 2026, but that figure did not change for drivers from the six countries; the JPY 6,600 price is for switching to a Japanese licence (JAF, checked November 2026). You pay online by credit card, or in cash at a convenience store after JAF emails the payment details, which can take from the same day to a week or two. Once JAF staff begin the work you cannot cancel. Plan for a week, not two days.
JAF is not the only body that may make the translation. The National Police Agency also names Zip Plus, the Japan Inbound Driver Support Association, and the authority that issued the licence or its consulate in Japan; a translation by anyone else is not accepted (National Police Agency, checked November 2026). Whether a given tour accepts a translation from any of these is its own rule, so ask before you book.
What each tour checks at the door
| Tour | What it asks for | The format it wants | If the papers are wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shibuya and Shinjuku Streets Guided Go-Karting Tour (BC support Co.,Ltd.) | Original licence, permit and passport, all three; a translation for the six countries | “BOOKLET TYPE” permit | No refund for incorrect or invalid documents |
| Street Kart Experience in Shibuya (Reservation Center) | Physical permit and passport; licence and JAF translation for the six countries | Booklet format, from the country that issued your licence | Street Kart’s own page: no ride and no refund |
| Shibuya Crossing and Tokyo Tower (Kira-Kira! Tokyo! Tours!) | Original permit, licence and passport, checked at the start | Originals only: no digital copies, photos, photocopies or application receipts | “the participant cannot drive” |
| Shibuya Go Karting Tour from Shinjuku to Shibuya (Akiba Kart Shibuya) | A permit valid in Japan, and a passport | “Only book-type licenses are valid” | Tour cancelled without refund |
| Tokyo Go-Karting Experience (Monkey Adventure Kart) | A paper booklet, issued at home | Online copies, photocopies and cards refused | Not stated |
| East Tokyo Go-Kart Tour (JAPANKART) | Licence, permit and passport, all three | Booklet form, issued in your own country | No participation and no refund |
| Premium Go-Karting Tour through Shibuya (ShibuyaKart) | A permit valid in Japan, and a passport or ID card | Hard copies, no digital versions | No refund |
From the GetYourGuide listings, checked November 2026.
Three of them add warnings worth reading if they apply to you. BC support Co.,Ltd.'s tour turns away permits issued in Bahrain, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Kuwait, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar or Saudi Arabia. On ShibuyaKart's tour the UAE’s blue booklet permit is refused as “not recognized by the Japanese police”, and Indian permit holders are asked to check with the shop first. On JAPANKART's tours “your country’s approved issuer” means, for example, AAA or AATA in the USA, AA or RAC in the UK, and CAA in Canada.
Riders who were turned away
It does happen. Among the 350 newest reviews of BC support Co.,Ltd.'s tour (13 July to 10 November 2026), in August one rider wrote that they had missed the note about the international licence, “were unable to participate and did not get a refund”. In September another called it “terrible that we did not get to drive with digital idp’s”. A third review, from July, says only that they were not let in to ride, and gives no reason.
The five-star reviews say the same thing from the other side. “Just make sure you have that IDP otherwise you will be turned away,” wrote one rider in September; in November another reminded readers to get the permit “before you leave the UK”.
The day before
- Put the licence, the permit booklet (or the translation) and the passport in one place. Originals, not the photos on your phone.
- Find the start address now: BC support Co.,Ltd.'s tour starts at a garage at Nishi-Shinjuku 4-18-2, not in Shibuya. The Shinjuku to Shibuya route has the stops in order.
- No high heels, sandals or flip-flops on BC support Co.,Ltd.'s tour.
- No alcohol before the ride: on BC support Co.,Ltd.'s tour an intoxicated rider is turned away without a refund.
With the papers in order, the homepage compares the routes and the Tokyo Tower page the longer tours.
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Not driving after all?
Other Tokyo Tours to Book
Guided Tokyo tours with dates open now. Each one shows its meeting place, inclusions and refund rules on its own page.
An Hour from Shinjuku to Shibuya Crossing
An hour on the road with BC support Co.,Ltd. from its Nishi-Shinjuku garage, south to the Shibuya scramble and back by Kabukicho, photos and costumes in the price. Bring your permit booklet, licence and passport.
See start times