Kumamoto's drinking scene runs from polished hotel bars to standing-only sake counters tucked into the alleys off Shimotōri. The local sake — particularly the dry, slightly austere style of the Kuma region — is excellent and the prefecture also makes its own shōchū from rice. Look for the small specialist sake bars (called kakuuchi) where you stand at the counter and the master pours from a row of bottles. The Yobukodōri alley between Shimotōri and the river is the densest concentration of small bars in central Kumamoto.