It has been proven that the JP version of the game is faster. Could we use the JP version on emulator to save time or is that not allowed?

The rules for emulators state which rom to use, this is to keep everybody on as even a playing field as possible. While it may be faster than US version, the whole point of having emulator categories is to give people the chance to compete before opting to spend money and play the console categories.

Basically what Zewing said. We want to standardize emulator to keep it on an even playing field. While this may seem weird, since console has several regions for N64, when we went through discussions, it was the general consensus that we should keep a standard version for all emulator runs.

Pretty much: all english N64 runs have the same lag spikes and boss timings. All japanese runs have the same lag spikes and boss timings. All emulator runs should follow suit to keep it fair and universal, so they're all done with the same emulator and same version of the game.

With all that being said, emulators are totally cool if you're using the settings listed, but TBH runs are way more fun on the N64 I find. An N64 and the game isn't a huge investment, the console should run you about $60 with a controller, and the JP version of the game is under $10 (you can either open the console and mod it or swap the back of the cart to play it on a US N64). N64 is also more competitive, since it has a lot more optimized times, and there are more strats than just "go straight and boost", so it's more stimulating.

tl;dr, no, JP emulator is not allowed, but only because we want to standardize the leaderboards.

Okay thanks. I just wasn't sure since I am a new runner. I am going to switch to N64 once my capture card comes in. I just wanted this clarification for the time being. Thank you for the clarification.