The Japanese Golf Calendar: Seasons, Rain and Tournaments
A golfing year in Japan is set by weather and by holiday, and a visitor who knows both can choose a week that is mild, uncrowded and, for the keen, rich in tournament golf. The seasons are legible: a long spring, a rainy interval, a hot summer that Hokkaido escapes, an autumn that the national tourism body calls best, and a winter that closes the north and opens the south.
This chapter belongs to the playing set within The Atlas of Japanese Golf. It sets out the seasons as the guides give them, the rainy season by region, and the remaining 2026 tournaments for the men’s and women’s tours, compiled from a published tour schedule and an announcement by the tour organisation. Tournament dates move from year to year; the table is a record of 2026 and a pattern for 2027, not a promise.
The seasons, as the guides give them
- October and November. The national tourism body’s recommendation, “when the weather is mild and dry” (2021).
- Spring and autumn. A specialist guide recommends March to May and September to November for mild weather.
- Summer in Hokkaido. June to August, for cooler conditions, in the same guide.
- Winter in Okinawa. December to February, when an Okinawa sports-tourism page gives an average of 17 °C and courses play year-round on evergreen grass.
- Peak crowds. Late March to early April, for cherry blossom, and the autumn-foliage season; the busy holidays are Golden Week at the end of April and the start of May, the mid-August Obon holiday, and New Year. These can bring higher prices.
- Quiet. Winter, ski resorts apart, with fewer visitors and discounted accommodation.
- Closures. Courses in snowy regions close in winter (a travel guide); a booking service names Hokkaido and high-altitude Yamanashi, near Mount Fuji, as typically closed under snow.
The rainy season
Japan’s rainy season, tsuyu, arrives in the south first. Average dates from the Japan Meteorological Agency, as cited by a travel guide:
| Region | Rainy season begins (average) | Ends (average) |
|---|---|---|
| Okinawa | 8 May | 23 June |
| Southern Kyushu | 29 May | 13 July |
| Shikoku | 4 June | 17 July |
| Kansai, including Kyoto | 6 June | 19 July |
| Kanto, including Tokyo | 8 June | 20 July |
| Northern Tohoku | 12 June | 27 July |
The guide adds that Okinawa’s season comes about a month earlier than most of Japan, and that Hokkaido is less affected. It does not discuss typhoons; a booking service notes only that a course may cancel in severe weather, typhoons among them, without charging the player. Book flexibly in the late summer and the early autumn.
A rough year, in our reading
The following is interpretation, a synthesis of the guides above and not a quotation of any of them.
- March to May. The long spring, with a peak at cherry-blossom time and in Golden Week.
- June to mid-July. The rains on the main islands, earlier in Okinawa; Hokkaido’s season begins.
- Late July to August. Heat, and the Obon crowds; Hokkaido at its coolest.
- September to November. The tourism body’s autumn, with the foliage season at the busy end.
- December to February. Okinawa, and the quiet of the south and the coasts; the north under snow.
The men’s tour, October to December 2026
The tour organisation announced its 2026 calendar on 29 December 2025: twenty-two events, a new points-based ranking, and a combined purse of nearly ¥3 billion. A published compilation of the schedule marks eight events as remaining from mid-October. Dates in the first column are final rounds. One caution: the organisation’s own announcement prints the Japan Open as “October 10–15”, which does not fit a four-round week ending on a Sunday, while the compilation gives 18 October for the final round. Confirm with the tour before travelling.
| Final round | Tournament | Prefecture | Purse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October | Japan Open Golf Championship, a Japan major | Shiga | ¥210,000,000 |
| 25 October | Fortinet Players Cup | Chiba | ¥150,000,000 |
| 1 November | Vantelin Tokai Classic | Aichi | ¥110,000,000 |
| 8 November | ACN Championship | Hyogo | ¥120,000,000 |
| 15 November | Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters | Shizuoka | ¥200,000,000 |
| 22 November | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, a Japan major | Miyazaki | ¥200,000,000 |
| 29 November | Casio World Open | Kochi | ¥180,000,000 |
| 6 December | Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, a Japan major | Tokyo | ¥130,000,000 |
The compilation marks the Japan Open, the Dunlop Phoenix and the Japan Series, listed as the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, as the three Japan majors. The organisation’s announcement names the ACN Championship’s venue as Miki Golf Club in Hyogo, with its purse raised from ¥100 million to ¥120 million.
The women’s tour, October to November 2026
A published compilation of the women’s tour lists these events as remaining as of mid-October 2026. The Japan Women’s Open was completed on 4 October in Hyogo, and the Daikin Orchid Ladies, the spring event in Okinawa, on 8 March.
| Final round | Tournament | Prefecture | Purse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October | Fujitsu Ladies | Chiba | ¥150,000,000 |
| 25 October | Nobuta Group Masters GC Ladies | Hyogo | ¥200,000,000 |
| 1 November | Hisako Higuchi Mitsubishi Electric Ladies | Saitama | ¥100,000,000 |
| 8 November | Toto Japan Classic, co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour | Ibaraki | US$2,100,000 |
| 15 November | Ito En Ladies | Chiba | ¥100,000,000 |
| 22 November | Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open | Ehime | ¥100,000,000 |
| 29 November | Japan LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup | Miyazaki | ¥150,000,000 |
A spring pattern to expect
The 2026 men’s calendar began abroad, with the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship in New Zealand on 8 March, and came home in April: the Token Homemate Cup in Mie on 12 April, the Maezawa Cup in Chiba on 26 April, The Crowns in Aichi on 3 May, the Kansai Open in Osaka on 17 May, the Japan PGA Championship in Shiga on 24 May, and the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open in Okayama on 31 May. The 2027 calendar was not available in the pages consulted.
Where the accounts differ
- The best month. October and November in the tourism body’s account; spring or autumn in a specialist guide’s.
- The Japan Open. The tour announcement prints 10 to 15 October; a compilation gives a final round on 18 October.
- Winter. The recommended season for Okinawa in the specialist guide; the Okinawa page adds that winter is the off-season in areas north of Kyushu.
The year, then
Choose the week as a Japanese golfer would: for the light, for the grass and for the holiday one wishes to avoid.
Continue reading
- How to Play Golf in Japan: A Visitor's Field Guide
- Finding and Booking a Golf Course in Japan
- What Golf Costs in Japan: Fees, Tax and Membership
- Japanese Golf Etiquette: Dress, Pace and the Bath
- Where to Play Golf in Japan: Regions and Celebrated Courses
- Golf and Onsen: Leisure Journeys Across Japan
- Club Tours in Japan: Fitting Studios, Shops and Forges
- Which Japanese Golf Club Is Right for You: A Decision Matrix
- The Atlas of Japanese Golf: Makers, Methods and Why the World Collects Them
- Directory of Japanese Golf Brands
- Buying Golf Equipment from Japan
- Japanese golf in the shop
- All collector guides
After a set for the season ahead? Our Hunting Salon™ searches across Japan's private collector circles on your behalf.
Index terms: best time to play golf in japan · japan golf season · japan rainy season golf · golf tournaments japan 2026 · japan open golf 2026 · dunlop phoenix tournament 2026 · japan golf tour schedule · jlpga schedule 2026 · golf in okinawa in winter · golf hokkaido summer
References
Dates and figures in this chapter were checked against these pages. Where accounts differ, the text says so.
- Japan National Tourism Organization, Golf for Everyone (20 September 2021)
- Voyages.golf, The Ultimate Guide to Golf in Japan (updated 20 July 2026)
- Japan Guide, Golf in Japan (updated 22 June 2025)
- Japan Guide, Rainy Season (Tsuyu)
- Golf in Japan, Frequently asked questions (8 October 2025, modified 8 October 2026)
- Okinawa Sports Island, Golf information
- Wikipedia, 2026 Japan Golf Tour
- Japan Golf Tour Organization, 2026 tournament schedule announcement (29 December 2025)
- Wikipedia, 2026 LPGA of Japan Tour