Hugh Jackman Sees Real-Life Mario Kart on Tokyo Streets and Freaks Out

Hugh Jackman happened upon a group of Mario Karters in Tokyo, Japan and he totally loses his cool (like any of us would). He posted this short video on Twitter while he was stopped at a red light. He explains that they’re chilling in Tokyo when suddenly… Well, you can see for yourself:

Mario Kart! Jackman totally nerds out, and we love it. He can’t help but chuckle as he names off a few Super Mario characters who he recognizes in costume. Princess Peach, Bowser, Mario… they’re all there! It’d be a surreal sight for anyone, but not everyone would be able to rattle off the character names like that. We’re thinking ol’ Hugh may be a bigger nerd than he lets on. (‘One of us, One of us…’)

If you’re wondering what the heck is happening, then you probably missed our report back in February about a company in Japan called “Marika.” This company facilitates kart tours around Tokyo, providing its customers with Mario Kart costumes to wear on their journey. It sounds like the best freaking possible way to see Tokyo if you ask us, but Nintendo wasn’t so amused. The fact that this company was clearly profiting by leveraging the popularity of Mario Kart rubbed Nintendo the wrong way, and they threatened to take legal action, stating:

“We have declared the mark ‘Marika,’ which is an abbreviation of ‘Mario Kart’ widely known as the series of racing games that we manufacture and sell. In addition, when the defendant company rents public road carts to their customers, [they] lend a costume of prominent characters such as our ‘Mario.’”

Yeah… That’s kind of the point, Nintendo. Whether the legal battle has yet to ensue, or it’s ended in Marikar’s favor is unknown. All we know is that Marikar or a company just like it is obviously still operating in Tokyo, and Hugh Jackman just gave them one hell of a shoutout. You better believe the wider internet is about to start searching for ways to get into one of those karts some time soon, and your humble writer is one of them.

Don’t be surprised if you see me dressed up as a Shy Guy on John Mayer’s Instagram account in a few months.