那須国際カントリークラブ

Those who make the journey to Nasu's volcanic highlands discover that golf here comes with a backdrop few courses in Japan can match — the steam-venting peaks of Mount Nasu looming over fairways that sit well above the Kanto Plain, the air noticeably cooler and cleaner than the city courses most Tokyo-area golfers typically play.

Nasu Kokusai Country Club occupies the broader Nasu golf belt, a stretch of Tochigi Prefecture that has drawn course developers since the postwar resort boom transformed this area into a weekend escape for the capital's middle class. The town of Nasu itself is famous for its hot springs, cattle ranching, and the Imperial Family's summer villa — a combination that gives the region an unusually refined yet unhurried atmosphere for a resort destination.

A course of this character in this setting rewards visitors who arrive with patience. Mountain layouts can run softer in summer thanks to volcanic soils and elevation moisture, and autumn color across these hills tends to arrive earlier than anywhere in the lowlands, making an October round here something considerably more than just a scorecard exercise.