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The old English charm of the Kawana Hotel
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Host Ian Cross travels to an amazing yet undiscovered
destination for the traveling golfer - Japan. Here,
amongst the serene temples and frenetic cities, he discovers
just some of the world class courses on offer from a
selection of well over 2000 across the country.
First up he visits Ishioka Golf Club, about
two hours north of Tokyo, a Jack Nicklaus designed course
that's not easy despite being so flat. Back in Tokyo,
Ian samples Tokyo's hectic nightlife in the Shibuya
before taking the train south to visit gentlemanly Kawana
Golf Club on the coast, a hideaway for the rich
and famous for over 70 years. Formerly private and very
expensive, it's now open to everyone and Ian finds the
Fuji Course a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered.
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Back in Tokyo, Ian hits a baseball game before finding
out what one stadium is used for in its spare time -
a multi storey driving range! The next day, Ian plays
a beautiful mountain course at the foot of Mount Fuji,
Gotemba Golf Club, which has breathtaking views
across to the iconic mountain and the ocean below as
well as some very testing holes.
For the final part of his journey, Ian flies to Kyushu,
one of Japan's south eastern islands, to the city of
Nagasaki. This city is in the history books as the place
where the atomic bomb was dropped in World War Two and
a visit to the Peace Museum here is a sobering
experience. Finally, he travels to the east coast where
he visits the Phoenix Seagaia resort with 99
holes of golf and the world's largest indoor water park
- an upbeat place to end his journey!
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Ian's lady Caddie-san, 'Two shots Tatsu'.
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