I have been to Japan seven times and played golf on three different occasions. On the last six visits, I have mostly visited gardens and had non-golf experiences.
On my first trip, I was going on to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mission Hills on Hainan Island in 2012. I wrote an Ameriican golf pro in Japan who ran a website listing Japan courses. I was going to be near Mount Fuji where he was located. He explained to me that Japan golf culture on public access courses is mostly four balls involving men doing business and golf was like their meeting. So a three ball with a single add on was like intruding on their meeting. He auggested I sign up for a "playing lesson" where he could accompany me. The cost of the playing lesson and the round was manageable and we agreed to two different courses on two different days. It turned out that he had to take a group to Kyushu on those days but he found a three ball who agreed to take a fourth.
I played two courses in the shadow of Mount Fuji on the sides of another mountain. I pretty much decided Japan was a place to do other things.
A few years later, I bought a ticket to fly to Japan during Sakura Season. A few months prior to the trip, I met a Japanese man while I was in Hong Kong when we were playing golf. We played another round the next day. He spends time in Australia and we met up there a few weeks later.
He offered to arrange a game with his friend while I was going to be in Kyoto. I said fine. It turned out his friend was a member of Hirono. So it happened. He took a picture of my clubs and forwarded the photo to his friend showing Titleist irons with Project X 5.0 shafts. They met me at Shin Kobe Station and when we got got to the club, there was a set of Titleist irons with Project X 5.0 and a nice Honma 58 degree wedge, specially ground with the initials of my host. It turned out he had a used set and he now played with newer Titleist irons.
We had a very good day. About a year and one non-golf trip later to Japan and after hosting my Hirono host where I play in Australia, we met up in Tokyo and I was able to get in rounds at two of Tokyo's finest courses.
There are aspects of Japanese culture and golf culture that are important to understand. I think I got the golf invitations as the gift of serendipity. The man I met in Hong Kong like playing golf with me and knew of my interest in Japan and gardens, so he extended the offer.
I returned to Japan last autumn and again in January and did not play golf. I am going again in March and doubt I will play golf.
I hope you can find someone from GCA who can offer direct help. The logistics of getting to golf courses can be complicated and expensive. There is a formality to golf etiquette and some aspects are inflexible, such as stopping after nine holes for lunch, or wearing a blazer or sport coat jacket in the clubhouse restaurant. Many Japanese people speak very little English. Female caddies speak minimal to no English but are competent at caddie tasks and manage to take care of two players each. Japanese culture does not involve tipping, so tipping caddies would not be considered necessary or appropriate.
In Japan, you can forward luggage from hotel to hotel or other destination for reasonable charge. I sent a 30 pound checkable size suitcase from Kyoto to Tokyo in January which had winter clothes. I flew to Singapore and came back to Tokyo a week later. My luggage was there. Cost was 1500 yen. I assume you could ship a golf travel bag from club to club so you wouldn't have to schlep it on the Shinkansen.
I could share more about self transport in Japan and getting broadband sim for an unlocked mobile phone. I am not sure if you can roam in Japan on another mobile carrier from overseas. But wifi is everywhere.
Feel free to email me through this site.
Charles Lund