Arrive in Hanamaki, a city in Iwate Prefecture known as the birthplace of poet and author Kenji Miyazawa and as a gateway to the region’s hot spring resorts. Meet your guide and get oriented to the evening ahead. Get your first sense of how this mid-sized Tohoku city holds a compact and lively bar scene — one that rewards those who know where to look.

Follow your guide on foot through Hanamaki’s drinking areas, stepping into three separate bars across the course of the evening. At each stop, settle in, order drinks and food at your own pace, and engage with the local atmosphere that each venue carries.

Moving between spots, hear from your guide about the neighborhood, the drinking culture of Iwate, and what makes each area distinct from the last. By the third bar, move through a cross-section of Hanamaki’s local nightlife — from one end of the drinking district to another — with a full evening of Iwate food and drink behind you.