Arrive in Kusatsu, a hot spring town in Gunma Prefecture known as one of Japan’s premier onsen destinations. After a day around the famous Yubatake hot spring field at the town’s centre, the evening opens up a different side of Kusatsu — one shaped by the locals and regulars who gather in the small bars and izakayas tucked into the streets surrounding the resort area.

Meet your guide and set the tone for a relaxed, on-foot night out. Move through three distinct stops across Kusatsu’s walkable bar streets. At each venue, settle in, order drinks, and engage with the space at your own pace before moving on to the next.

Let your guide navigate the route, introduce each spot, and help bridge any language gap between you and the bar. The progression across three different bars gives you a cross-section of how locals drink and unwind in this mountain town.

By the end of the tour, sit down at three separate Kusatsu bars, order and consume drinks at each, and move through a portion of the town’s nightlife on foot. Each stop adds a different layer to how the evening builds — from the first drink to the final bar, close out the night with a grounded sense of how Kusatsu looks after dark, beyond the onsen and tourist routes.