Arrive in Hitachinaka, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture known for its working-class roots and unpretentious local drinking culture. Meet your guide at the starting point and step into a side of the city that most visitors never find — narrow streets lined with small izakayas, standing bars, and local watering holes that have served the area for decades. The area’s compact layout means each venue is within walking distance of the next.

Your guide leads you through three distinct drinking spots across the evening. At each stop, order from the menu, settle in with a drink, and engage with the atmosphere that each venue carries on its own terms. The pace moves naturally between bars, giving you time to finish your drinks and conversation before moving on to the next area. Each location brings a different character to the night.

By the time you reach the third bar, you have moved through multiple pockets of Hitachinaka’s nightlife and built a real picture of how locals drink and socialise in this part of Ibaraki. Leave with three venues visited, a route walked on foot through the city’s bar districts, and a direct sense of what an ordinary night out looks like here.