My husband (and co-owner of Smith’s Azamino), Mike, has recently gotten back into golf, an activity he used to do quite a bit in Canada when he was younger, and one which we didn’t think we could afford to do here in Japan. While it isn’t cheap, it is not unreasonably expensive if you can go on a weekday. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is getting out to the course, which requires a car, some highway fees, and of course time for traffic! But there are several driving ranges (“golf ranges” in Japan) nearby which allow him to practice often.
Monday is our day off, and we were lucky enough to spend it golfing with one of our students and his son. This student is semi-retired and has been golfing for 30 years, so he is quite good! He is a beginner speaker of English (as I am with golf), but did his best (as did I), and we had absolutely no trouble communicating on the course, in the car, or at lunch. It was a treat to meet his son, and we were able to learn a lot more about our student. Actually, his son learned things about him too – things he had never thought of asking his father before! We met up early in the morning near our school, piled into his car, and headed out to “ShinNumazu Country Club“, about an hour and a half from here. It’s in the mountains and we can see the ocean from the course as well. Mt. Fuji was visible en route, but not from the course.
After nine holes we stopped for lunch in the clubhouse, then set out for another nine. What great weather we had! I am not what you would call an avid golfer, and in fact didn’t really want to go golfing. But I am sure glad I did! We enjoyed incredible and varied scenery, clean air, excellent company, delicious food, and a gorgeous sunset! In addition, golf clubs in Japan all have their own hot-spring-style baths. The ladies’ one had a garden outside and a fabulous foot massager which I was indeed very grateful for!
What a fantastic day off! Glad we could share it with our student and his family!
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