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photo of Nick Harrison ambassador for nearbytokyo.com and writer of Local Travel Guide

Local Travel Guide for meeting locals in Tochigi city
by Nick Harrison

About this Travel Guide of Tochigi City

This is a travel guide for meeting locals in Tochigi City. I put together this travel guide to help you find the local hang out spots for adults in Tochigi city. It is a guide aimed at someone looking to meet with the locals or experience how the locals like to enjoy themselves.

Who is this travel guide for?

This travel guide is aimed towards adults looking to hang out like the locals.

Total budget?

¥5,000 – ¥7,000 per person

Meeting locals at Entenka Izakaya bar in Tochigi (Tochigi City Travel Guide)

01

Enjoy when

where everyone knows your name!

Entenka

This bar/restaurant is the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night. The staff are extremely friendly and the layout of the bar makes it easy to interact with the locals. I recommend arriving around 8 pm as by about 9 pm its usually packed. This is by far your best bet at meeting the locals in Tochigi city. 

02

Enjoy when

Sing the night away

Karaoke-Kan

Right next to Entenka is the best karaoke place in Tochigi city. It’s common to drink with people at Entenka and move the party onto karaoke. At karaoke, you usually pay by the hour or for a set amount of time. Also, the machines have English so you won’t have trouble finding your favourite songs. Karaoke is a huge part of the culture here, so it would be a sin not to sing! 

02

Enjoy when

Karaokekan
Round 1 entertainments in Tochigi

03

Enjoy when

Games galore

Round 1

Another fun place to hang out is Round 1. It’s an amusement entertainment facility with bowling, darts, pool tables, arcade games and even table tennis and karaoke! It’s not so busy during the day, but at night you can see lots of groups of people coming to unwind after a long days work looking to have some fun. You can spend hours here and easily interact with the locals.

04

Enjoy when

Let the good times flow...with beer!

Genki Cafe
The other hotspot for drinking in Tochigi is Genki cafe! It’s a sports bar with a larger than life owner! The owner is always present and is known as Mak! He speaks perfect English and is by far your best chance of learning about local things to do that are fitted to your needs. Every foreigner in Tochigi has become great friends with Mak and his staff, and once you meet him, you will feel the same. He has a giant projection screen and is the hub for watching the Olympics or World Cups.

04

Enjoy when

Genki Cafe Tatsumoto in Tochigi city (Tochigi City Travel Guide)
My favourite places to eat in Tochigi

Marco Polo

Marco Polo restaurant

This is a fantastic steak restaurant in Tochigi City. It’s only a short walk from the station. If you have something to celebrate, then this is the restaurant many locals do it at. Your food is prepared in front of you and cooked to your tastes. It is fairly large, so don’t worry too much about getting a table. During the afternoon, the prices are more reasonable and quieter. It’s a perfect spot for a romantic dinner. Location: Google Maps

Pancake Factory

Delicious American-style pancake at Pancake Factory in Utsunomiya City

Although Pancake Factory is not local (It’s about an hour’s drive away), I can not express how much I love this place! Coming from England, I have never really had American-style pancakes, but they always looked so good in the movies. Here I fulfilled that fantasy! Perfect pancakes with an array of savoury meals. It has a chilled out vibe and is family-friendly. My wife and I love this place so much we even held our wedding after-party here.
Location: Google Maps

Itinerary (My other ideas for a day trip in Tochigi city)

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Lunch

Dinner

Stay

Find out more about Tochigi Ciy here!
photo of Nick Harrison ambassador for nearbytokyo.com and writer of Local Travel Guide

Local writer:  Nick Harrison

Originally from London in the UK, Nick moved to Japan in 2008. He lives in Tochigi city with his Japanese wife and 4year old son. Nick enjoys watching movies from all genres, checking out new attractions and places with his family and meeting new people. When he is not working he enjoys travelling around Japan and looking for the next fun thing to share about Japan with the world.

See all of Nick’s guides:  Nick Harrison Travel Guides

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