Charles Alison's clifftop Kawana, championship parkland beneath Mt Fuji and the warm Miyazaki coast, wrapped in ryokan stays, hot springs and the finest food in the game. One concierge plans it all.
Photograph: Kawana Hotel Fuji Course via Google
Japan is the connoisseur's golf trip, and it rewards the traveller who values the whole experience as much as the scorecard: immaculate courses, a culture of service unlike anywhere in the game, the long lunch break between nines, the onsen and the kaiseki dinner afterward. It suits couples and small groups who want golf woven into a great Japan journey rather than a dawn to dusk buggy marathon, and players curious about a golfing tradition that runs deep yet is rarely seen by visitors. The catch is access: many of the most famous clubs are private with no visitor play, so the art is building the tour around the superb courses you can actually book, and letting an operator handle the introductions and the etiquette.
If your group wants one unforgettable round, make it the Fuji Course at Kawana, a 1936 Charles Alison design on the cliffs of the Izu Peninsula with Mt Fuji on the back nine. Pair it with championship parkland beneath the mountain, then fly south to the warm Miyazaki coast for the courses around Phoenix Seagaia, and you have a fortnight's worth of the best of Japanese golf in a week.
Japan's most celebrated resort course and a fixture in the world top 100, laid out by Charles Alison on the cliffs of the Izu Peninsula with the Pacific below and Mt Fuji on the back nine. Deep bunkers and tumbling fairways give it a golden age character. Open to Kawana Hotel guests only, so the stay is part of the round.
The Taiheiyo Club is the flagship of Japanese championship golf, with majestic Mt Fuji views from a manicured layout in the foothills. The members' Gotemba Course hosts the Taiheiyo Masters; the adjoining West Course gives visiting groups the same setting, conditioning and mountain backdrop with a tee time you can book.
A long, demanding parkland course in the northern foothills of Mt Fuji, framed by twenty thousand cherry trees and dominated by the mountain from every hole on a clear day. Host of the DP World Tour co sanctioned era and the long running Fujisankei Classic, with fast bentgrass greens and a stern back nine.
The grand old course of southern Japan, set in a vast black pine forest on the Hitotsuba coast and home of the Dunlop Phoenix, the richest and most international stop on the Japan tour. Tight, tree lined and immaculately presented, with the warm Pacific climate that makes Miyazaki Japan's most reliable winter golf.
The eight time major champion's design near Miyazaki City, carved from native pine with narrow, framed fairways and large, well defended greens. Open to visitors and an easy companion round to Phoenix in the south, with the same gentle climate and excellent value by Japanese standards.
Designers, years and tournament history verified June 2026. Green fees are indicative third party weekday figures for the 2026 season and change with day of week and demand; weekend and holiday rates are higher. Always confirm directly before booking.
Land at Haneda or Narita, transfer to a city hotel and recover with a first evening of Tokyo dining. No golf today.
A guided day in the city, from the temples of Asakusa to the lanes of Ginza, easing into the time zone before the golf begins.
Transfer to the Fuji Five Lakes and open with the championship parkland of Fujizakura beneath the mountain. Onsen and kaiseki dinner at a ryokan.
The flagship setting of Japanese championship golf with Fuji as the backdrop, then an afternoon at the lakes or the hot springs.
Drive over to Kawana and check into the imperial era hotel. The Fuji Course on the cliffs is the round of the trip, with the sea below and Fuji beyond.
Internal flight to the warm southern coast and into the Phoenix Seagaia resort. An evening on the beach and a relaxed dinner.
The Dunlop Phoenix course among the black pines, the marquee round of the south. Afternoon at the spa or the surf.
A final round at the Tom Watson course before the flight back via Tokyo, or extend with a night in the city.
Japan rewards a slower pace: a full lunch between nines is standard, and internal flights or the shinkansen make the long hops between Fuji and Miyazaki painless. An English speaking guide smooths the etiquette and the bookings.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuji region focus | From around £3,500 to £5,000 | 6 nights, 3 rounds near Fuji, ryokan and hotel, guide |
| Fuji and Miyazaki tour | From around £5,000 to £8,000 | 8 nights, 4 marquee rounds, internal flights, guide and transfers |
| Grand Japan with Kawana stay | From around £8,000 upward | Luxury throughout, Kawana Hotel, the best ryokan, private guiding |
Indicative third party operator ranges for the 2026 season, excluding 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.
Aim for spring, late March to May, or autumn, October to November, when the temperatures are mild, Mt Fuji is at its clearest and the cherry blossom or the maple colour frames the golf. Avoid the June rainy season and the humid heat of midsummer. Book Kawana well ahead, since the Fuji Course is tied to a hotel stay and rooms sell out around the blossom and colour peaks, and confirm the Taiheiyo West and Miyazaki tee times once your dates are fixed. The southern courses around Miyazaki extend the season into winter when the Fuji region cools.
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole tour to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Spring, late March to May, and autumn, October to November, are the prime windows, with mild weather, clear Fuji views and the blossom or maple colour as a backdrop. Avoid the June rainy season and the humid heat of midsummer.
Some can, some cannot. Kawana's Fuji Course is open to hotel guests and the Miyazaki courses welcome visitors, but many famous clubs, including Hirono, are members only. A tour is built around the great courses you can actually book, with the introductions handled for you.
Indicative 2026 weekday fees run around ¥47,800 at Kawana for hotel guests, around ¥32,590 at the Taiheiyo Gotemba West Course, around ¥31,780 at Phoenix and from around ¥16,820 at the Tom Watson course. Weekend rates are higher. Confirm directly before booking.
Yes. Submit a brief and one concierge costs the whole tour to the head, including ryokan and resort stays, internal flights or rail, a guide and the tee sheet, then routes it to a vetted operator. You book once and just play.
Japan access tips, blossom and colour timing and the courses worth the long flight. Every other week.