Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is a race course in Mario Kart 8. It is the fourth course in the Crossing Cup. The course is included with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content package. 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 and is usually just a visual change.

In offline play, except for Time Trials, it is possible to select the season by holding down a shoulder button before the race starts if the player is using the Wii U GamePad, the Classic Controller, the Classic Controller Pro, or the Wii U Pro Controller. Holding selects Spring, holding  selects Summer, holding  selects Autumn, and holding  selects Winter.

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 left turn and then a glide pad, which goes over the small river, and into another part of the town with many 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 curves right, and Mr. Resetti appears in the middle of it, unless the season is winter. After this corner, there is a left turn to the finish line.

While the different seasons don't change the track layout that much, there are some subtle differences. In the spring, little ramps are placed along the track from the jump to the glider ramp. In the summer, ramps are placed on the beach. In the fall, there will be leaf piles that release items on the track. In the winter, the road will be more slippery than normal, reducing the traction of all vehicles, and Mr. Resetti is absent. The music also changes, depending on the season. In Time Trials, only the summer version is used.

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.

References to the Animal Crossing Franchise
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 train 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 (except in Winter).
 * 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 first half of each theme is a cover version 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 PM theme in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
 * The results music is an arrangement of the music that plays in Brewster's Roost café that first appears in Animal Crossing: Wild World.
 * Nook's Cranny appears, even though it was replaced by Nookling Junction in New Leaf. When passing by, it plays the same song heard in the Animal Crossing games. It is difficult to hear during 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 the player drives close to him, each corresponding with a different song mood:
 * Spring - K.K. will be across from the museum, and will perform "Bubblegum K.K." ("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).

Trivia

 * This is the only track in main Mario Kart games to have a kanji in its Japanese name.
 * 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 that doesn't have any anti-gravity sections, the other two being Excitebike Arena and Super Bell Subway.
 * This is one of the three tracks in the Mario Kart series in which the item roulette sounds different, alongside Waluigi Pinball and Hyrule Circuit.