Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is the fourth course in the Crossing Cup. The course is included with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content in Mario Kart 8. The course is located in an unnamed town from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Similar to how Excitebike Arena changes layout each time it is played, Animal Crossing changes season every time it is played, although this has little effect on the track, other than a visual change. However, during the winter, the road will be more slippery than normal, reducing the traction of all vehicles. The music also changes, depending on the season.

Course layout
The course starts out next to the Town Tree, Town Hall, and Able Sisters shop before crossing over a bridge and into a forest area with many trees that can be ran into. After this, a right turn comes up leading to a glide pad, which goes over the small river, and into another part of the town with many villager's houses, as well as floating balloons with Item Boxes attached to them.

The track goes straight, until a hill turns left and onto the beach with shells that can be knocked aside. The track then curves left and back up a hill which goes past Nook's Cranny, and onto a bridge with a boost section on it which crosses over the hill that was descended earlier. After this section, the track will curve right, and Mr. Resetti will appear in the middle of it, unless the season is winter. After this corner, there's the finish line.

Shortcuts

 * Just as the beach section starts the player can boost behind a tree and darker sand to cut the corner.
 * The final corner can be skipped with a Mushroom.

Animal Crossing references
As this course is based upon the Animal Crossing franchise, it also features various references to those games. They are listed below:
 * Coins are replaced by Bells.
 * The Start/Finish line has the Animal Crossing logo on it.
 * Several villagers and buildings, like the Town Hall or Able Sisters, can be seen around the track.
 * A tram can be seen driving near the course.
 * Some Item Boxes are suspended from balloons, like the ones that float by in the Animal Crossing games.
 * Trees may drop fruit when driven into or hit with items, which act like Mushrooms, giving the player a speed boost.
 * Mr. Resetti appears as a stage hazard.
 * Driving into a rock causes a Bell to come out, similar to how a Villager can hit a rock for Bells by using a shovel.
 * Shells appear on the beach.
 * A lighthouse can be seen from the beach.
 * The results music is the theme that plays in The Roost.

Animal Crossing characters

 * Tom Nook
 * Blathers
 * Able Sisters
 * Reese and Cyrus
 * Mr. Resetti
 * Rover
 * K.K. Slider
 * Mitzi
 * Whitney
 * Static
 * Bob
 * Punchy
 * Rosie
 * Dotty
 * Ruby
 * Chrissy
 * Francine
 * Chief
 * Fang
 * Lobo
 * Wolfgang
 * Marshal
 * Filbert
 * Poppy
 * Bunnie
 * Peanut

Trivia (music and sounds)

 * The first half of each theme is a remix of the main theme for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, played with different instruments to correspond with the respective seasons. The second half changes to incorporate music from the Animal Crossing series depending on each season:
 * Spring - The main theme for Animal Crossing.
 * Summer - The second half of the main theme for Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
 * Autumn - The main theme for Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk.
 * Winter - A medley of the music that plays on Christmas Eve and the 7 p.m theme in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
 * Additionally, the results music is an arrangement of the music that plays in Brewster's Roost café that first appears in Animal Crossing: Wild World.
 * This is one of three tracks in the Mario Kart series to have a sound of the spinning roulette item that is different from the original game's standard sound of it. The others are Waluigi Pinball and Hyrule Circuit.
 * When passing by Nook's Cranny, it plays the same song heard in the Animal Crossing games. It is impossible to hear in a race, but when viewed in Mario Kart TV with the music off, it's easy to hear.
 * K.K. Slider sits in different predetermined spots on the course depending on the season; in addition, he performs a song when you drive close to him, each corresponding with a different song mood:
 * Spring - K.K. will be across from the museum, and will perform "K.K Bubblegum" ("Good!" mood).
 * Summer - K.K. will be poised atop a cliff adjacent to the beach, and will perform "Go K.K. Rider!" ("Grumpy" mood).
 * Autumn - K.K. will be sitting right near the starting line, and will perform "K.K. Bossa" ("Lazy" mood).
 * Winter - K.K. will be sitting on the steps to Brewster's Roost café, and will perform "Stale Cupcakes" ("A little sad" mood).

General trivia

 * This is the first, and so far, the only track in main Mario Kart games to have a kanji in its Japanese name.
 * This is the second Mario Kart 8 course to use an alternative looking currency (The other being Hyrule Circuit).
 * In the Able Sister's Shop, helmets from the amiibo costumes can be seen in the window.
 * This is one of the three nitro courses in Mario Kart 8 without any anti-gravity sections, the other two being Excitebike Arena and Super Bell Subway. Interestingly, all three are DLC courses.
 * This is the first course in the Mario Kart series that an Item Box can be obtained by not hitting the Item Box itself; if the balloons are popped, the floating item box will still be obtained.
 * Despite the rest of the course being based on Animal Crossing New Leaf, Nook's Cranny appears even though it was replaced by Nookling Junction in New Leaf.