Seven days gives you enough time to play four rounds of golf, see two of Japan's great cities properly, and spend a night in the mountains with Mount Fuji on the horizon — without the trip feeling rushed. This itinerary is built around the Tokyo–Hakone–Kyoto route that forms the backbone of most first Japan trips, with golf woven into the structure rather than bolted onto it.
It assumes arrival at Tokyo Narita or Haneda and departure from Osaka Kansai (KIX) or Itami — the standard open-jaw routing for the route. Adjust as your flights allow.
Day 1 — Arrival in Tokyo
Day 1
Arrive at Narita or Haneda. Take the Narita Express (NEX) or Limousine Bus to central Tokyo. No golf today — the jet lag from a long-haul flight makes an early morning tee time the following day difficult to enjoy. Check into your hotel in Shinjuku, Marunouchi, or Ginza (all have good transport links for the course days ahead).
Use the afternoon to walk: Shinjuku Gyoen garden, the Ginza district, or Shibuya's crossing and backstreets are all within easy reach of central Tokyo hotels. Dinner at a ramen-ya or yakitori counter — both are quintessential Tokyo, both are exceptional, and neither requires a reservation.
Day 2 — Golf Day: Tokyo Area
Day 2
First golf day. Choose a course within 45–75 minutes of central Tokyo — the Chiba and Saitama corridors have the best concentration of quality accessible courses. Tee time at 8:00–9:00am. Allow the full day: including travel, the 18-hole round with compulsory lunch break, and return, you will be back in Tokyo by 5:00–6:00pm.
Course suggestions for this day: Narashino Country Club (Chiba), Sakura Hills Country Club, or any of the quality daily-fee courses in the eastern Kanto area accessible via the Chuo or Joban rail lines. A concierge service will match your preferred standard and budget to specific availability.
Evening in Tokyo. The combination of a long golf day and the previous night's jet lag makes an early dinner and early sleep sensible — you have a full week ahead.
Day 3 — Tokyo Sightseeing
Day 3
Rest day from golf. Tokyo has enough to absorb a full non-golf day without effort. Recommended itinerary:
- Morning: Yanaka neighbourhood — Tokyo's best-preserved old residential quarter, with independent shops, temples, and a famous shopping street (Yanaka Ginza). Quiet and unhurried.
- Midday: Ueno — the National Museum of Japan (allow 2–3 hours), then lunch at one of the restaurants on Ameyoko market street.
- Afternoon: Asakusa — Senso-ji temple, the Nakamise shopping arcade, and the view from the Skytree bridge across the Sumida River.
- Evening: Return to your hotel area for dinner. If you haven't yet had sushi in Tokyo, tonight is the night.
Day 4 — Transfer to Hakone via Golf
Day 4
This is the logistically elegant day of the itinerary. The route from Tokyo to Hakone passes through the Fuji Five Lakes region — and the Fuji area has some of Japan's most spectacular golf. Rather than travelling straight to Hakone, route via a morning round at a Fuji-view course, then continue to your Hakone ryokan for the evening.
Route: Tokyo → Kawaguchiko (Fuji Five Lakes, ~1.5 hours by car) → Golf at a Fujisan-view course → Hakone ryokan (~45 minutes from Kawaguchiko). Total driving: 2–2.5 hours across the full day.
Course suggestions: Asahi Kokusai Country Club, Lake Wood Golf Club, or Fuji Lake Country Club — all have direct Fuji views and are accessible from the Kawaguchiko area. Early morning offers the best Fuji views before cloud builds.
Check in to your Hakone ryokan in the late afternoon. Dinner at the ryokan (kaiseki dinner is typically included in ryokan room rates). Onsen before and after dinner.
Day 5 — Hakone: Golf and Rest
Day 5
Hakone has excellent courses in its own right — the volcanic terrain and mountain lake setting create a golf environment unlike anything in central Japan. Tee time at 9:00am at a local course. Return to the ryokan for the afternoon; the combination of a morning round and a long onsen soak in the afternoon is the correct use of Hakone time.
Course suggestions: Hakone Country Club, Sengokuhara Country Club, or Hakone Lake Golf Club — the ryokan concierge will typically assist with course bookings in the area, though confirming through Teelink Japan in advance is more reliable for specific course access.
Afternoon: the Hakone Open Air Museum is a 10-minute walk or short taxi from most ryokan in the Miyagino area, and is worth 2 hours. Picasso sculptures among volcanic mountain scenery, with Fuji occasionally visible to the north.
Evening in Hakone. Second kaiseki dinner. The ryokan experience is one of the best arguments for a Japan trip in its own right — full immersion in it for two nights is worthwhile.
Day 6 — Hakone to Kyoto
Day 6
Morning departure from Hakone. The Odakyu Romance Car (Hakone Yumoto to Shinjuku, ~85 minutes) and the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (~2h15m) are a comfortable full-morning journey. Alternatively, direct Shinkansen access from Odawara Station (15 minutes from Hakone Yumoto) cuts the total travel time.
Arrive in Kyoto by midday. Check in to your hotel — the Kawaramachi/Gion area puts you within walking distance of Kyoto's most atmospheric streets. Afternoon on foot: the Gion neighbourhood, Yasaka Shrine, and if time allows, the 10-minute walk along the Shirakawa canal is one of the most beautiful short walks in Japan.
This day is a sightseeing day — no golf. Use it to recover from the travel and absorb Kyoto at a pace that does the city justice.
Day 7 — Golf Day: Kyoto Area, then Departure
Day 7
Final golf day. Courses in the Kyoto area include options in the hills east of the city (Yamashina and Shiga prefecture), the southern Kyoto flatlands near Yodo River, and the mountain courses accessible via the Sanin line to the north. An early tee time allows the round to complete by early afternoon, with time to reach Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX, ~75 minutes by Haruka express from Kyoto Station) for evening departures.
Course suggestions: The courses around Shiga Nagarayama (35–45 minutes from central Kyoto) offer the best combination of quality and mountain scenery for Kyoto-based golf. The views across Lake Biwa from elevated positions on several area courses are excellent in clear autumn weather.
The Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1: Arrive Tokyo
- Day 2: Golf — Tokyo area (18 holes)
- Day 3: Tokyo sightseeing
- Day 4: Golf — Fuji Five Lakes area, transfer to Hakone ryokan
- Day 5: Golf — Hakone (18 holes), ryokan stay
- Day 6: Transfer Tokyo → Kyoto, afternoon sightseeing
- Day 7: Golf — Kyoto area (18 holes), depart
Total rounds: 4 × 18 holes. Adjust by adding a morning round on Day 3 (the Chiba courses are a 40-minute drive from Shinjuku) or removing the Hakone round if you prefer a fuller mountain day without golf.
Booking This Itinerary
The golf logistics for this itinerary — four courses across three different regions, each requiring Japanese-language booking — are exactly what Teelink Japan handles. We can book all four rounds, coordinate transfers to and from the courses, arrange rental clubs if needed, and brief you on what to expect at each facility. The non-golf days (Tokyo sightseeing, Hakone ryokan, Kyoto) you manage independently, or we can assist with accommodation recommendations.
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