Hakone Golf: Mountain Views and Premium Courses

Hakone is already beloved as Japan's most accessible mountain resort — a place of hot springs, traditional inns, and sweeping views of Mt. Fuji across the volcanic caldera of Lake Ashi. What fewer international visitors realise is that Hakone also offers some of the most atmospheric golf in Japan, with courses carved into steep forested hillsides, morning mist rolling through the valleys, and the possibility of a post-round soak in a genuine ryokan onsen just minutes from the 18th green.

A two-day Hakone itinerary combining golf with an overnight ryokan stay is, in the opinion of many experienced Japan travellers, the single finest way to spend two days within easy reach of Tokyo. This guide tells you exactly how to do it.

Why Hakone Golf Is Different

Most golf courses near Tokyo sit on relatively flat terrain in the lowland prefectures of Chiba and Saitama. Hakone is fundamentally different. The town and its surrounding area occupy a volcanic highland at elevations of 700–1,000 metres, meaning the golf courses here are mountain courses in the true sense — steep gradients, dramatic elevation changes between holes, fairways cut through volcanic forest, and the ever-present possibility of mist and cloud cover that can roll in and out within minutes.

This creates challenges and rewards in equal measure. Your distances will be slightly longer than at sea level due to the altitude and thinner air. The terrain will test your balance and ability to play from uneven lies. But when the mist clears and you're standing on a tee box with the Hakone mountains stretching away before you and a glimpse of Mt. Fuji on the horizon, the effort is entirely worth it.

Notable Courses in the Hakone Area

Hakone Country Club

Hakone Country Club is the most prestigious address in the area and represents traditional Japanese private club culture at its finest. The course sits at around 730 metres elevation and offers classic mountain golf with mature cedar and Japanese cypress framing virtually every hole. Fairways are narrow by international standards, rewarding accuracy over power. The greens are known for their subtlety — what appear to be straight putts often break several feet due to the surrounding topography. Access for non-members requires an introduction through established channels, making a concierge service essential. Green fees when accessible: ¥30,000–¥45,000. Official website: www.hakone-cc.co.jp

Fujiya Hotel Golf Course

Associated with the legendary Fujiya Hotel — one of Japan's oldest Western-style hotels, dating to 1878 — the Fujiya Hotel Golf Course carries enormous historical cachet. The course is relatively short by modern standards, a reflection of its early twentieth-century origins, but plays with considerable difficulty due to the undulating terrain. Playing here connects you to the golden age of Japanese tourism, when foreign dignitaries and business travellers made Hakone a destination in its own right. The hotel and course are accessible to non-members and the Fujiya Hotel's English-speaking concierge team can assist with arrangements.

Suruga Ōi Golf Club

A more contemporary layout accessible from the Hakone area, Suruga Ōi Golf Club offers a challenging mountain course with some of the region's most dramatic hole designs. Long carries over valleys and precise approach work to elevated greens define the round here. The course attracts serious golfers from Tokyo who want something more testing than the standard Chiba parkland experience. Weekday green fees around ¥20,000–¥30,000. Official website: www.surugaoi.co.jp

Access From Tokyo

By Romancecar from Shinjuku

The most evocative way to arrive in Hakone is aboard the Odakyu Romancecar — a private express train running from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto in approximately 85 minutes. The Romancecar is a genuine experience in itself: panoramic windows, forward-facing seats, and a route that gradually transitions from urban sprawl to wooded mountain scenery. You can order drinks and light meals at your seat. From Hakone-Yumoto, a local bus or taxi takes you to most courses and ryokan in 15–30 minutes. Romancecar fares are approximately ¥2,500 one way from Shinjuku.

By Private Car or Hire Car

Driving from central Tokyo takes approximately 90 minutes via the Tomei Expressway and Odawara-Atsugi Road, with the final section through Hakone's mountain roads adding 20–30 minutes. For golfers with bags, a hire car is the most comfortable option and allows you to stop at the Gotemba Premium Outlets or Odawara Castle on the way. Road conditions are excellent but mountain roads around Hakone require care in fog or rain.

Weather Considerations

Hakone's mountain microclimate means weather is considerably less predictable than in central Tokyo. The region sits in the path of moisture-laden winds off Sagami Bay, creating frequent fog, mist, and rain even on days when Tokyo is clear and sunny. This is part of Hakone's charm — misty mountain golf has its own particular atmosphere — but it requires preparation.

• Fog: Morning mist is common and usually burns off by mid-morning. Play continues in fog at most courses unless visibility drops to dangerous levels.
• Rain: Hakone receives significantly more rainfall than Tokyo. Waterproof clothing is essential, not optional. Most courses provide rain gear rental if you haven't brought your own.
• Temperature: Expect temperatures 5–7°C cooler than central Tokyo. Even in summer, mornings can feel genuinely cool at 700+ metres elevation.
• Best weather months: October and November, when cold fronts from Siberia begin clearing out the summer humidity and fog frequency drops significantly.

The Hakone Golf and Onsen Combination

The defining appeal of Hakone for golf travellers is the seamless combination of mountain golf and traditional Japanese hot spring culture. After a full round in the mountain air, soaking in a mineral-rich onsen bath feels like the most natural conclusion imaginable. The Hakone area has hundreds of ryokan and onsen facilities, ranging from ultra-luxury properties to smaller traditional inns. Here is how to structure the two-day experience:

Day One

• Depart Tokyo by Romancecar or hire car (morning)
• Check in to ryokan and store bags (early afternoon check-in available at some properties)
• Explore Hakone: Lake Ashi boat ride, Hakone Open-Air Museum, or cable car to Owakudani volcanic area
• Evening kaiseki dinner at your ryokan — a multi-course traditional Japanese meal, usually 8–12 courses of seasonal local ingredients
• Night soak in the ryokan's private or communal onsen

Day Two

• Early morning onsen soak before breakfast
• Traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryokan (rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, egg dishes)
• Tee off at 09:00–09:30 (allow 40 minutes from ryokan to course)
• Front nine, then sit-down lunch at the clubhouse (shokudo) — Hakone-area courses are particularly known for seasonal mountain cuisine at the halfway house, often featuring soba noodles made from local buckwheat, mountain vegetable dishes (sansai), and warm udon soups
• Back nine completed by approximately 15:00–15:30
• Post-round bath (some courses have their own onsen facilities)
• Return to Tokyo by early evening

The Shokudo Lunch Experience in Hakone

Golf course restaurants in the Hakone area have a well-earned reputation for quality that exceeds what you might find at equivalent lowland courses. Many Hakone clubhouse kitchens take pride in using local mountain ingredients — fresh wasabi from the Izu Peninsula, locally grown buckwheat for handmade soba, mountain vegetables (sansai) foraged from the surrounding forests, and river fish. Some of the better clubhouses offer a kaiseki-influenced set meal at lunch that reflects the same philosophy of seasonal, local ingredients found in the ryokan dining rooms of the area.

Expect to spend ¥2,000–¥3,500 for lunch at a Hakone-area course, and don't rush it. The 45-minute break between nines is one of the most pleasant social moments of the golf day — a chance to sit in the warm clubhouse with a cold Asahi beer or hot green tea, review the front nine, and look out through the windows at the mist-wrapped forest outside.

Combining With Mt. Fuji Views

On clear days — most reliably in autumn and winter — Mt. Fuji is visible from several points in the Hakone area, including from certain holes at the golf courses. The mountain appears across Lake Ashi in the west, its reflection in the water on calm mornings creating one of Japan's most iconic images. The best Fuji views from the Hakone golf area tend to be from higher-elevation holes in the morning, before any cloud build-up on the mountain's lower slopes.