"Ground Golf"

Ground Golf — not to be confused with the turf-and-flag variety — is a facility dedicated to ground golf, the Japanese-invented sport that has become a beloved pastime for older adults and community groups across the country. The game, developed in Tottori Prefecture in 1982, uses a mallet to strike a ball into a raised circular target rather than a hole, and it has spread to parks, recreation centers, and dedicated facilities nationwide, particularly in rural and regional communities.

対馬市 (Tsushima City) sits in Nagasaki Prefecture but geographically belongs to a world apart — an island chain in the Korea Strait, closer to Busan than to Nagasaki, where Korean cultural influence layers over deep Japanese history. The terrain is largely mountainous and forested, with coastal inlets cutting through the landscape. It is a place where everyday recreation carries real community weight, and ground golf fits that spirit well.

A facility like this one serves local residents rather than traveling golfers, and that is precisely its value — a low-barrier, social game that keeps people moving outdoors in one of Japan's more quietly remarkable island settings.