Arrive in Towada, a city in Aomori Prefecture that sits at the gateway to one of Japan’s most celebrated lake and highland regions. While Towada is known for its natural surroundings, the city centre holds a compact drinking district where local bars and izakayas line walkable streets.

Meet your local guide at the starting point and get an immediate sense of how residents here actually spend their evenings — away from tourist routes and inside the spots that locals return to week after week.

Move through three distinct bars over the course of the evening, each one within walking distance of the last. At every stop, settle in, order drinks, and engage with the atmosphere of a venue that reflects a different side of Towada’s bar culture.

Your guide moves the group along at a comfortable pace, offering context about each spot and helping you navigate menus, order with confidence, and connect with what’s in front of you.

By the time you reach the third bar, work your way through a genuine cross-section of Towada’s local drinking scene — three separate venues, three different settings, all chosen for their standing among local regulars. Leave the evening having moved through the city on foot, drink in hand, with a grounded sense of how nightlife unfolds in this corner of Aomori.