Hot Springs and Rolling Fairways in the Kuji Valley

Spa & Golf Resort Kuji sits in the quiet hills of Hitachiota in northern Ibaraki, a true stay-and-play retreat with a hotel, golf villas and its own natural hot spring. The course opened in July 1990 under the supervision of Ginjiro Nakabe and plays 18 holes, par 72, over 6,732 yards. It is a traditional hilly layout with generous fairways averaging around 80 yards wide and relatively few bunkers, but out-of-bounds lines run along both sides of many holes, so placement matters more than power. One bentgrass green per hole keeps the putting surfaces large and true.

Play the hills by day, then sink into a spring drawn from 1,200 metres down.

The hot spring is the heart of the place: water from deep underground fills an open-air rock bath, and dinner at the hotel features local ingredients. Hitachiota is rural Ibaraki at its most relaxed, with the Kuji River valley, the Ryujin Gorge and its suspension bridge famous for autumn colours, and Fukuroda Falls within reach. By car, the resort is within 15 km of Naka IC on the Joban Expressway. Overnight guests can book a free shuttle from JR Katsuta Station on the Joban Line or Hitachi-Omiya Station on the Suigun Line.