Nine evergreen holes in the hills of Tenri

Napara Golf Club sits in Yamada-cho on the edge of Tenri City in northern Nara, just a minute from the Meihan Expressway, about 30 minutes from Nara city and around 35 minutes from Matsubara Junction on the Osaka side. Its nine holes play to par 36 over roughly 3,250 yards, with four tees on every hole so the course changes character with each loop. Unusually for the region, greens, tees and fairways are all laid with evergreen Western turf, so the course stays green and in good shape through autumn and winter.

A relaxed, resort-style nine, easy to fit around a day in ancient Nara.

Rounds are self-play in roomy four-seat carts, and the clubhouse – red-toned, sunlit by day and chandelier-lit at night – has a restaurant and a spacious bath. A big two-storey, 250-yard driving range with lessons makes it a good place to warm up or learn, and early starters can play two loops for 18 holes within the morning. Afterwards, Tenri's Isonokami Shrine and the ancient Yamanobe-no-michi trail are close by, with Nara Park's deer and Todai-ji a short drive north, making Napara an easy half-day of golf from Osaka or Nara.