Hirosaki's cocktail bar "Taian" ( Dotemachi , Hirosaki City, TEL 0172-33-5139) is currently offering a tuk-tuk test drive service.

The name of the restaurant, Machian, is a tea room where Sen no Rikyu welcomed the Sengoku warlords, and was named because he wanted to entertain with cocktails. It is run by Naoto Watanabe, a bartender who has won the national bartender skill competition task category.

The tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled vehicle that is popular in Southeast Asia. It is a light vehicle with no windows on the seats and a hood on the ceiling. According to the vehicle classification of the Road Traffic Act of Japan, it corresponds to "sidecar (two-wheeled vehicle with sidecar)". Only when you buy a drink at the store, we will provide a service that allows you to test drive a tuk-tuk driven by Mr. Watanabe for 10 to 15 minutes.

According to Mr. Watanabe, the spread of the new coronavirus has left customers far away, and he bought a tuk-tuk, thinking of a service that would deliver cocktails himself. "I bought it last spring, but it was delivered half a year later, and it started to snow in Hirosaki. I was worried about the snowy road, so I finally made my debut in spring," says Watanabe.

The test drive service is available only during the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival. He wants you to enjoy the test drive while drinking the drinks provided, and to see the usual cityscape from a different perspective. Mr. Watanabe smiles, "One of the hospitality that I thought about in a tuk-tuk. If it is a tuk-tuk that has a corona but no windows, ventilation is sufficient."

Start from April 20th. Since there was a tuk-tuk in front of the store, there are people who stop and care about it. Mr. Watanabe said, "Only when ordering one or more drinks per person, the destination depends on consultation. I would like to consider depending on the amount of money that can be purchased, but on the first day the couple who visited for cherry blossom viewing wanted to pick up and drop off at Hirosaki Station I delivered it. "

The menu includes drip coffee (400 yen), fresh lemon squash (500 yen), banana juice, milkshake (600 yen or more), and mixed juice (700 yen). Alcohol menus can be prepared, but Mr. Watanabe says, "During the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival, it is prohibited to bring alcohol into Hirosaki Park."

Mr. Watanabe says, "There are inconveniences such as riding up to two people and not operating in case of rain, but I think you can enjoy Hirosaki in the atmosphere of going to Southeast Asia."

The test drive service is available from 11:00 to 18:00. The store is open from 19:00 to 24:00. Until May 5th.