The Fuji Course at Kawana Hotel

Why it is on the list

The Fuji Course runs along the shore at Kawana Hotel, on the Izu Peninsula, with the sea beside it and Mount Fuji in the distance; C.H. Alison designed it and it opened in 1936, 18 holes, 6,701 yards, par 72.¹ Alison came to Japan in 1930 and set the principles Japanese course design followed for the rest of the century.² The LPGA of Japan Tour played the Fujisankei Ladies Classic here every April from 2005 to 2024, except 2020.³ It was cancelled in 2025 and again in 2026.⁴ Baron Kishichiro Okura chose the site for its view across Sagami-nada to Mount Fuji, Oshima and the Izu islands; the hotel's main building has been a registered tangible cultural property since 2015.⁵⁶

For a shorter round, the Oshima Course next to it is the older of the two: designed by Komyo Otani, opened in 1928, 5,711 yards, par 70.¹ For someone who does not play, the Sun Parlor, the glass café that juts out over the sea, has the same view.⁵

How to get it

Book the tee time with the hotel by email at spw-kawana-rsv@seibugroup.jp and ask for the Fuji Course; the course is open all year, by reservation only, and its hours change with the season.¹ A full set of clubs and golf shoes can be hired.¹ From Ito Station the hotel runs a free shuttle, about 30 minutes; book a seat ahead with the reservation section on +81 557 45 1111, since a full bus takes no more, and note that it leaves on time even if the train is late.⁷ From Haneda, JTB runs a flat-fare taxi to the hotel.⁸

Discretion

The course belongs to the hotel and is played only by reservation.¹ The Fujisankei Ladies Classic, which brought upwards of six thousand visitors to the peninsula in late April 2024, was not held in 2025 or 2026.³⁴ The hotel hosted the 1998 Japan-Russia summit between Ryutaro Hashimoto and Boris Yeltsin, and Emperor Showa and Emperor Naruhito have both stayed here.⁵