Japan Golf Guide: Kawana

The hotel

Food:
Kawana's main dining room serves French cuisine. There's also a grill serving Western-style food, a tempura restaurant, a tea room, and a bar.

Rooms:
Rooms are spacious; twin, double, triple, and suites are offered as well as Japanese-style rooms. The hotel's Art Deco design is based on an old English country estate but with a hint of a Spanish influence. The interior and décor is an eerie and enchanting combo of Twin Peaks meets The Shining - fantastic old fireplaces, stuffed animals on the wall, and an old movie projection room.

Facilities:
Three swimming pools, a billiards room, tennis courts, a mah jong room, and car parking.

Background to the Fuji Course

Architect:
Charles Allison designed the course, known as the Pebble Beach of Japan, in 1932.

Type: Seaside

Landscape:
Breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean from the cliff tops, sunken fairways and elevated greens surrounded by woods, and Mount Fuji in the background of this picture postcard setting.

Pro shop:
Find great souvenirs from the historic hotel like Kawana-branded golfing equipment, balls, clothing, and markers. Best buys are a tea set of Mt Fuji for $80 or a funky golf cap for $30. Like everything at Kawana, nothing comes cheaply.

Course facts:
- The hotel was built by Baron Okura of the Okura Hotel family in the 1930s. One of his employees built the golf course without his permission but thankfully for golfers he allowed it to stay.
- Old Hollywood fell in love with the old Kawana style; John Wayne stayed here and it was the setting for Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's honeymoon.
- It was used as a base by invading Australian troops during World War II.
- Kawana hosts the Fuji Sankei Classic golf tournament.

Playing the course

The Fuji Course is usually in A1 condition, painstakingly maintained from green conditions to general manicuring. There are no buggies allowed and as there are some quite dramatic changes in elevation it can be fairly hard work to play, but do persevere and you won't be disappointed. Take an escalator ride to get to the higher holes - an ultra modern contrast to the old-fashioned hotel. Definitely hire one of the women caddies, mostly in their 50s, who are very knowledgeable.

Course Views (click for enlargement)

Score card

Address:
1459 Kawana, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture 414-0044, Japan

Website:
www.princehotels.co.jp/kawana

Phone number:
+81 557 45 1111, fax: +81 557 45 3834

Courses and lengths:
Two 18 hole courses, the Fuji Course (6691 yards, par 72) and Oshima Course (5711 yards)

Tee times:
Dawn until dusk

Handicap:
No certificate required

Green fees:
You have to stay at Kawana Hotel to play Fuji Course which costs 50,000 yen ($450) a night on weekdays and 57,350 yen ($520) on weekends. The Oshima Course self-play costs 20,000 yen ($180).

Packages:
66,000 yen ($590) for one round at Fuji with a caddy, a night in the hotel, and one round self-play at Oshima

Other costs:
There are no buggies, but caddies cost around 9,000 yen ($80) a round.

Location:
From Tokyo by car take the Tomei Expressway to Odawara/Atsugi interchange then take the National Highway 135 for 50 miles (about 1 hr 40 mins drive). By train, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Atami, then JR Ito Line to Ito Station, then it's a 15 minutes taxi ride to the course.

More information

Adventure Golf: Japan