Classic Charles Alison golf at Kawana, the Taiheiyo club beneath Mount Fuji, immaculate turf, deep hospitality and a culture that treats the group game as a ceremony. The most rewarding and most different society tour on earth, planned end to end by one concierge.
Photograph: Kawana Hotel Golf Course, Fuji Course, Japan, via Google
A society trip to Japan suits the club or group of eight to sixteen players who have done the obvious tours and want something genuinely new, golf of real pedigree wrapped in a culture unlike anywhere else they have played. The country holds a remarkable run of classic courses, many of them the work of the English architect Charles Hugh Alison, whose deep, dramatic bunkering left such a mark that the Japanese still call cavernous traps Arison bunkers. Add conditioning that borders on the obsessive, a service culture that makes a visiting society feel like guests of honor, and the food, the baths and the trains, and you have a tour your members will talk about for years.
The trick with a society is access, because the very best clubs are private and introduction only, so we build the week around the courses that genuinely welcome a visiting group. Kawana, the great resort on the Izu coast, is the anchor, its Alison designed Fuji course open to hotel guests, and the Taiheiyo club at Gotemba beneath Mount Fuji takes visitor play on a course that hosts a professional event. From a base near Tokyo and the Fuji foothills, a society plays first rate golf by day and shares long, convivial evenings of izakaya food and onsen baths, the camaraderie that makes a society trip what it is.
The headline round and one of Asia's great courses, a Charles Alison design from 1936 on the clifftops of the Izu coast with Mount Fuji across the bay. Attached to the Kawana Hotel, so a society can secure access as resort guests, the most reliable way to play a course of this class. The sister Oshima course gives a second round on site.
A polished championship course at the base of Mount Fuji, a Kato Shunsuke layout of 1977 later remodeled with Rees Jones input, host to a long running professional tournament. It takes visitor play, has the conditioning and clubhouse to match the golf, and sits in the Fuji foothills within easy reach of a Tokyo base.
Around Tokyo and the Fuji foothills sits a deep field of well conditioned, visitor friendly clubs that round out a society itinerary, classic tree lined parkland with the bold bunkering of the Japanese golden age. We match the supporting rounds to your group's standard and the days you are in each base.
Japan's two most revered courses, both Alison masterpieces, sit at the top of every ranking but are private and generally require a member introduction. Where a connection can be arranged we will try, but a society plans around the resort and visitor courses and treats either of these as a bonus rather than a fixture.
Designers, opening years and access verified June 2026 from the clubs and leading course databases. The marquee private clubs require member introductions; we build the trip around courses that genuinely welcome a visiting society. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Land in Tokyo, settle the group into a central hotel and shake off the flight with the city, the food and a first easy round at a visitor friendly club nearby.
Move to the Fuji foothills for the Taiheiyo club at Gotemba and a supporting round, with onsen baths and Mount Fuji views to close the day.
On to the Kawana resort for the Alison Fuji course and the Oshima course, staying on site by the sea, the golfing heart of the trip.
Return to Tokyo for a final evening together, a group dinner and the last of the city before the flight home, or extend to Kyoto for the keenest.
Japan's golf clusters sit close to fast rail and good roads, so a society moves easily between Tokyo, the Fuji foothills and the Izu coast without long drives. Transfers, rail and tee times are confirmed for each itinerary.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo and Fuji short tour | From around £2,000 to £2,800 | 4 to 5 nights, visitor courses and Gotemba, hotels, transfers |
| The classic week | From around £2,800 to £4,000 | Kawana stay and play, Gotemba and supporting rounds, most golf |
| The grand society tour | From around £4,000 upward | Kawana, Gotemba, Kyoto add on, premium lodging, full hosting |
Indicative third party operator and resort package ranges for the 2026 season, excluding long haul international flights, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Spring, from late March to May, and autumn, from September to November, are the prime windows, with mild temperatures, settled weather and the courses at their best, cherry blossom in spring and color in autumn, so target those. Summer is hot and humid and the rainy season runs through much of June, while winter is cool but playable around Tokyo and the coast. For a society, the rooms at Kawana and the weekend tee sheets fill early, so the hardest things to secure are the resort beds and the marquee tee times. Book those first, then build the supporting rounds and the city legs around them.
Tell us the society size, the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge secures the Kawana rooms and the Gotemba tee times, costs the whole trip to the head, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Japan offers a golf society something no other destination quite matches: a deep stock of classic Charles Alison designs, immaculate conditioning, and a hospitality culture built around the group game. The accessible jewel is Kawana, whose Fuji course by Alison opened in 1936 and welcomes resort guests, paired with the Taiheiyo club at Gotemba beneath Mount Fuji. Add the food, the onsen baths and the ease of travel, and a society of eight to sixteen players gets a tour of a lifetime that is organized, sociable and genuinely different. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
The most reliably accessible marquee round is Kawana's Fuji course, an Alison design attached to the Kawana Hotel resort, playable by guests, with the sister Oshima course alongside. The Taiheiyo Club Gotemba course, a Kato Shunsuke layout remodeled with Rees Jones input, hosts a professional event and takes visitor play. The very top private clubs such as Hirono and Naruo, both Alison masterpieces, generally require a member introduction, so a society builds the trip around the resort and visitor friendly courses around Tokyo and Mount Fuji. Always confirm access before booking.
Indicative packages run from around 2,500 to 4,500 pounds or more per person for a week, depending on the courses, the lodging and the season, and excluding long haul international flights. Green fees at the resort and visitor courses sit lower than the marquee American or European equivalents, and the value rises once you arrive; the flights are the main cost. Group rates and weekday play help a society stretch the budget. All figures are indicative; always confirm directly before booking.
Spring, from late March to May, and autumn, from September to November, are the sweet spots, with mild temperatures, settled weather and the courses at their best, plus cherry blossom in spring and color in autumn. Summer is hot and humid, and the rainy season runs through much of June. Winter is cool but playable around Tokyo and the coast. Book the Kawana rooms and the Gotemba tee times well ahead, especially for a larger society group. Always confirm before you travel.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative costs verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.