Highland golf among the birches, high above Hatori Lake

Taiheiyo Club Shirakawa Resort sits on the Hatori Lake highlands of Ten-ei village in Fukushima, at around 950 metres one of the highest golf settings in the Tohoku region. Opened in May 1974 to a design by Akira Hotchi and later refined by Norio Homma, the par-72 eighteen spreads across a remarkably flat plateau, each fairway framed by white birch and larch. From the back tees it stretches to 6,777 yards, and on the 12th hole Mount Futamata rises straight ahead of the tee.

Crisp mountain air by day and starry skies by night, with a hotel right at the clubhouse.

This is a true stay-and-play retreat: the hotel attached to the clubhouse offers Japanese-modern, Western and tatami rooms, and dinners feature local vegetables and river fish. The season runs from spring greenery through blazing autumn foliage, while the cool altitude makes it a welcome escape from summer heat. Shirakawa and the Aizu region's onsen towns are within reach for a longer trip. Take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Shin-Shirakawa (about 80 minutes from Tokyo), then the club bus (reservation required) or a 30-minute taxi; drivers leave the Tohoku Expressway at Shirakawa IC, about 30 minutes away. As with other Taiheiyo Club courses, guests play on a member's introduction.