Japan Golf Fair 2013

Today begins the annual Golf Fair of Japan. The event is hold in the Tokyo Big Sight, the largest International Exhibition center of Tokyo.

Last year the Exhibition was visited for more than 51.000 persons, as the official site shows. The public who attended was divided into 3 categories:

Business: 17.646 visitors
Public: 33.230 visitors
Journalist: 714 visitors
TOTAL: 51.590 visitors

Here are some pictures of last year Fair.

Driving Ranges in Tokyo

Just to got to shot some balls in Tokyo, sometimes can be sort of a complicated matter. Even when there are so many places where you can shoot balls ( known as 練習場, renshuujou \ practice place) due to small place is hard to find driving ranges with over 100yards long.

So if you are willing to improve your long shots, or just to practice some ball effect, it can be very frustrating to hit the other side of the range.

However there are some huge drivings, with a lot of services and spots to hit long shots. One of the latest to be built it has been Tokyo Jumbo at Adachi ward, where besides the 250 yards range with spots in 3 stories, there are a golf shop, Cafe, Grill Dinning and of course lessons services. Prices are quite high, but cost per ball dependes of the story you shot, being more expensieve the spot on ground level and the cheaper the 3rd story spots. On weekends and holidays prices are higher than labour days being 20JPY/ball (about 0,22USD) on ground level and 14JPY/ball (about 0,16usd) on 3rd story. A fee must be added for every time you enter the range.

Another one big driving is Meijijingu Gaien , a sports and art complex located n Shinjuku ward.

In other hand some have difficult access if you are not having a car, so going to this places by train or subway can be a headache as usually are so crowded.

Perfect golf day

Due my injury which has taken me away from golf courses for 5 months, last 2 month without being able to walk, I started to think about how a perfect golf days would be. So I will write about those days. Days which after returning home it makes you feel so full and gratifying day.

As any beginning of a golf day, it stars for playing a course, and now just for my injury I've decided some closer. Wakasu Golf Links , located in a projection into Tokyo Bay, it makes a course with nice views to the sea as well as to the city of Tokyo.

After finish the firsts 9, will take the lunch at the club restaurant, where it can be found a wide variety of menus, Tempura, Sushi, Soba etc.. After lunch, we will head to finish the other 9 holes. Just keeping attention to the out of bounds, so the ball may becomes food for fishes.

Having finished the round (and of course thinking we did a good score, as this is also why it is called "perfect golf day") we will head to the baths to relax for a while and get ready to leave from the club.

This time I feel like to go to Ginza, a district very famous for luxury shopping area, having luxury brands own boutiques where you can find exclusive models only sold for Japanese market.

Just ready for the dinner and comment our golf day, this time I would like to enjoy a good sushi restaurant, to taste delicious Sashimi of Tuna, accompanied with a Cava (Spanish White Sparkling wine), a bottle of Agusti Torello Kripta, the top cava of Agusti Torello winery, commercialized in a bottle with oval shape, making reference to amphoras, where in the old cultures of Mediterraneo used to keep the wine.

This would be indeed a perfect golf day!

Epon Golf

Epon Golf manufactures high quality clubs and some accessories. Having a great experience into club makers, Epon golf combines the craftsmanship, the technology and stylish designs for their products. Not all these 3 factors geta long well at the same time, but Epon Golf have achieve the manufacturing containing those factors with absolutely mastery.

My current iron set is the AF-Tour model and I must said that I love the feeling of the clubs.

It's quite impressive how Epon have achieve a high forgiveness into a blades. Design of the clubs are really beautiful as well.

Epon golf manufactures clubs for all levels, so any player can find a club which adapts its game.

Epon Golf factory and headquarters are located in Niigata prefecture, Tusbame-Sanjo City, where includes a big store to purchase their products, so if you are by the area, it's worth just to stop by and take a look. Even if you became member you can have big discounts and be invited to Epon sponsored tournaments.

Golf Shrine

There's a shrine in Tokyo (Ootori Sinto Shrine, 鷲神社) for those who want to ask God to improve their golf game. There's a service to take your golf balls to the Shrine and a priest "bless" them. Of course under payment of a fee.

Besides that blessing service we can find several charms which will help us to hit longer, straighter and even a "hole-in-one" charm, so for those that we have not achieve any hole in one, for just 2,000jpy (22USD), is a easy way to get more chances. (you may get that BMW for only the price of a meal..)

Golfdigest Japan has published twice about this temple so maybe it must be some trustworhty

Shrine is located at Taitoku 3-18-7 Senzoku, Tokyo

El Mercado de golf Japones.

Hoy voy a hablar sobre el mercado del golf en Japón. En un país donde hay mas de 3000 campos de golf y que tiene una extensión de 3/4 partes que España, se deduce facilmente que la afición por este deporte y todo lo que le rodea tiene una gran presencia. Si a lo antes mencionado le sumamos la cultura consumista japonesa y su dedicacion por la perfección en todos los servicios y productos, se genera un mercado de golf muy dinámico, con muchos productos y servicios que no deja exento a ningún jugador, ya sea amateur, handicap bajo o Profesional. Según sean los gustos o tendencias de cada uno, Japón tiene los productos y satisface a todos sus seguidores.


Esta amplitud de productos esta cubierto por un gran numero de marcas especializadas, (en futuras entradas iré comentando) gran mayoría de ellas solo para el mercado Japones y las marcas internacionales se adaptan a este mercado ofreciendo productos exclusivamente para Japón. Aquí os informo de algunas marcas japonesas especializadas en golf.







Es muy fácil encontrar mega tiendas de golf casi por todo Japón, boutiques en las zonas de lujo, en grandes almacenes como Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, etc...pero una de las zonas donde mas tiendas de golf hay por metro cuadrado es en Okachimachi (御徒町), en Tokyo. Es raro no encontrar lo que se busca. Además de tener un mercado de segunda mano muy extendido y en condiciones impecables, se pueden encontrar muy buenas "gangas"