Three nines on the highlands above Ueda

Ueda Maruko Grandvrio Golf Club spreads across highland ground near Ueda, in eastern Nagano. It first opened in 1974, and the Route Inn group's Ueda Resort Kanko runs it today. There are 27 holes, split into three nines. Mimaki was added in 1991 under the supervision of tour pro Yuko Moriguchi. It rewards precise ball control, and natural stones on the seventh hole recall a Japanese garden. Sakura has varied, attacking holes, a full swing toward Mount Asama on the fourth and two ponds guarding the sixth. Fuji is the longest and hilliest nine, finishing with a downhill hole back to the clubhouse.

Three distinct nines on a Shinshu plateau, with Mount Asama on the skyline.

The course stays open through the winter as a self-play course, and a large communal bath waits in the clubhouse. Ueda is full of Sanada clan history. Ueda Castle park is about 25 minutes away by car, the old Kitakaido post town of Unno-juku is about 10 minutes away, and Anrakuji, Shinshu's oldest Zen temple, has a rare octagonal pagoda. To soak in hot springs, stay at the ryokan of Bessho Onsen. From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku (Nagano) Shinkansen to Ueda and a taxi of about 30 minutes, or drive the Joshinetsu Expressway to Higashi-Yuno IC, about 8 km away.