Before You Land
The Parts That Are Hard From Abroad
None of it is difficult once someone on the ground is handling it. Most of it is difficult from a hotel lobby, in a second language, the week before you play.
01
Tee times are booked in Japanese, and many clubs expect an introduction or a member’s booking.
We book the rounds — including the free days around a championship — and tell you plainly which clubs are realistic for your dates.
02
Golf bags and the Shinkansen do not mix well.
Bags travel ahead by courier, so they are waiting at the next hotel or at the club when you arrive.
03
Hotels near a championship fill first, and they fill early.
We book as soon as your dates allow, before the week closes up, and plan the rest of the trip around those rooms.
04
The good courses are a long way from the city, and the connections are rarely one ride.
Internal flights, rail and ground transport are arranged as one itinerary, from arrivals hall to first tee.
05
Front desks, menus, caddies and clubhouse etiquette — mostly in Japanese.
Interpreters where they make the difference, and a short briefing on how a Japanese club day runs.
A Day on Course
Nine Holes, Lunch, Then Nine More
Many Japanese clubs still play the round in two halves, with a sit-down lunch at the turn. It surprises first-time visitors, and it is often the part of the day they remember.
An illustrative day. Every club runs its own way.
06:50
Out of the City
Good courses are rarely close to the hotel. The car or train is booked the night before, and your bags went ahead yesterday.
08:30
The Front Nine
Changing room, locker, and often a caddie or a riding cart. Nine holes, played straight through.
11:30
Lunch at the Turn
A proper meal in the clubhouse, then the back nine at a set time. Most visitors end up preferring it.
15:00
The Bath
Many clubhouses have a large communal bath. It is the part golfers talk about afterwards.
19:00
The Evening
Dinner booked ahead, and the address written in Japanese for the taxi driver.
Where We Plan Around
Two Islands, Two Seasons
Most visiting golf happens on Honshu, within reach of Tokyo and the Kansai region. Hokkaido is the summer alternative — cooler, quieter, and worth the internal flight.
Honshu
Tokyo · Kansai
Japan’s main island, and home to most of the courses visitors ask about. Spring and autumn are the seasons to aim for; the rainy season in early summer and the heat of August are the ones to plan around.
Months to aim for
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Best: April–May and October–November
Hokkaido
The northern island
A short internal flight from Tokyo. The season is shorter and winter closes most courses, but from June to September — when Honshu is at its hottest — Hokkaido is cool, green and quiet.
Months to aim for
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F
M
A
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J
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Best: June–September
Start With a Date
Tell us the week. We will plan Japan around it.
Send your dates and roughly who is travelling. We will come back with what is realistic for that week — courses, hotels, connections and what it costs — before you have booked a thing.