Ponds, pines and a strategist's test near Narita

Chiba Matsuo Golf Club sits in the quiet countryside of Sanbu, just two minutes from the Matsuo-Yokoshiba interchange on the Ken-O Expressway and about an hour's drive from central Tokyo. Opened in 1993, this 18-hole, par-72 layout stretches to 6,561 yards from the back tees, with natural forest separating every hole so that each one feels like its own private corridor. Ponds come into play on six holes, doglegs and well-placed bunkers reward accuracy over brute force, and the greens are full of character, from a three-tiered putting surface on the 12th to the tricky, heavily guarded finale on the 18th.

A thinking golfer's course, framed by quiet woodland.

Beyond the golf, the club charms with a Japanese-style clubhouse, complete with an entrance garden and a lobby courtyard where a small waterfall tumbles, plus a handsome all-stone bath with a sauna for an after-round soak. Its location makes it one of the easiest courses to pair with a flight: Narita Airport is around 25 minutes away by taxi, so it fits neatly into an arrival or departure day. Travelling by rail, take the JR Sobu Line from Tokyo to Narita Station and a short taxi ride from there. The nearby Kujukuri coast and the old temple town of Narita, with its famous Naritasan Shinshoji and eel restaurants along the approach, round out a relaxed day trip.