Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Some golf courses are simply rounds you play and forget. Others stay with you forever. Kawana Fuji Golf Course belongs firmly to the latter. Ranked consistently among the World Top 100 Golf Courses, it is more than a place to play — it is a pilgrimage every golfer dreams of.
Clifftop Fairways with Mount Fuji on the Horizon
Located on the rugged Izu Peninsula, Kawana Fuji was designed in 1936 by the legendary British architect Charles Hugh Alison. The course stretches dramatically along the Pacific cliffs, offering views that no camera can fully capture. From the tee, you face crashing waves below and, on clear days, Mount Fuji rising quietly in the distance. Each swing is not just a test of skill but an encounter with nature at its rawest.
Walking with a Caddie: Tradition Preserved
Unlike most modern Japanese golf courses that rely on carts, Kawana Fuji insists on walking play with dedicated caddies. At first, it may feel old-fashioned, but soon you realize this is how golf was meant to be experienced. Every slope, every gust of sea wind, every strategic bunker placement feels more tangible. This dedication to tradition is one of the reasons Kawana remains in the World Top 100 year after year.
Stay at the Historic Kawana Prince Hotel
Part of the magic of Kawana is that you don’t just play here — you live here. The Kawana Prince Hotel, built in the 1930s, sits right beside the course. Stepping into its wooden lobby feels like stepping back into Japan’s Showa era. Wake up to sunrise over the Pacific, play a legendary round, and return in the evening to dine on fresh sashimi or a Western set menu with the ocean at your side. Few courses in the world offer such a complete and immersive golf lifestyle.
Why Kawana Fuji Belongs on Your Bucket List
Japan boasts more than two thousand courses, many of them modern and convenient. Yet only Kawana Fuji combines dramatic coastal scenery, historic design, traditional caddie play, and an on-site heritage hotel. It is not simply golf — it is a story you live.
If you are planning your golf trip to Japan, make sure to place Kawana Fuji Golf Course at the very top of your list. Because some courses you play, and some courses you remember for a lifetime.
5 Days Kawana Fuji Itinerary
