Japan Golf Course Renovations to Watch in 2026
Japan's renovation story is unusual. Rather than chasing new build spectacle, its greatest clubs are restoring the golden age designs of Charles Alison, who toured the country in 1931 and changed Japanese golf forever. Here is what that movement means for a 2026 golf trip.
The headline: restoration over reinvention
The defining trend in Japanese golf is restoration, the careful return of its greatest courses to their original golden age character. The landmark project is Hirono near Kobe, long rated Japan's finest course, which was comprehensively renovated by Martin Ebert and Tom Mackenzie and restored to the original specifications of its 1930s architect Charles Hugh Alison. It is the clearest statement of intent from a country that increasingly values what it already has over what it could build.
That philosophy runs through the Japanese game. The English architect Alison toured Japan in 1931 on a journey that reshaped the country's golf, consulting at Kawana, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo Golf Club, Hirono and Naruo and leaving behind a generation of bold, deep bunkered designs the Japanese still call Arison bunkers in his honor. The modern renovation movement is, in effect, a long act of stewardship of that inheritance rather than a wave of new courses.
The wider picture
The most public example of the trend was Kasumigaseki near Tokyo, whose East course was renovated by the Fazio design team to host the golf events at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The work modernized the layout and, notably, retired Japan's traditional two greens per hole system in favor of a single green using improved grasses, a change that points the way for many older Japanese courses. The result kept the course's championship credentials while bringing it up to international standard.
Around these flagships sit the other members of Japan's untouchable group, the cliff top Fuji course at Kawana on the Izu Peninsula and the strategic Naruo near Osaka, both carrying Alison's influence. The through line is consistent, Japan's best clubs are spending on faithful restoration and modernization of classic designs, not on headline new builds.
What it means for your trip
For a 2026 Japan golf trip the restoration movement is good news, because it means the country's classics are being kept in superb condition. The practical challenge is access, since the very best clubs, Hirono, Kawana, Naruo, Kasumigaseki and Tokyo Golf Club, are private and generally require a member introduction or a carefully arranged visitor itinerary rather than a simple online booking. This is a destination where planning is everything.
Japan plays a long season, with spring and autumn the most beautiful and comfortable windows and the cherry blossom and fall color adding to the appeal. Green fees at the elite clubs are premium and caddies are standard, so budget accordingly, and confirm access, introductions and green fees directly before booking, well ahead of your dates.
Our take
Japan offers a lesson the rest of golf is slowly relearning, that the best thing you can do with a great old course is restore it with care rather than reinvent it. The work at Hirono and Kasumigaseki shows a country treating its Alison inheritance as the treasure it is. Plan a 2026 trip around access first, travel in spring or autumn, and start the introductions and bookings early, because the reward is some of the finest and best kept classical golf anywhere.
Plan your Japan golf trip
From the restored Alison masterpiece at Hirono to the Olympic course at Kasumigaseki and the cliff top Fuji course at Kawana, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
What was renovated at Hirono?
Hirono near Kobe was comprehensively renovated by Martin Ebert and Tom Mackenzie, who restored the course to the original specifications of its 1930s architect Charles Hugh Alison. It is the landmark example of Japan's restoration movement and is widely rated the country's finest course.
Why is Charles Alison important to Japanese golf?
The English architect toured Japan in 1931, consulting at Kawana, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo Golf Club, Hirono and Naruo. His bold, deep bunkered style was so influential that Japanese golfers still call deep fairway bunkers Arison bunkers after him, and the modern renovation wave is largely about restoring his work.
Can visitors play Japan's top courses?
The very best clubs are private and typically require a member introduction or a carefully arranged visitor itinerary rather than a simple booking. Green fees are premium and caddies are standard, so plan access and confirm everything well ahead of your dates.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Renovation and architectural details verified June 2026 from course and design sources; dates and fees change, so always confirm directly. Last reviewed June 2026.