A reliable, well-run business hotel two minutes on foot from JR Okayama Station, the Mitsui Garden sits squarely in the practical-but-pleasant sweet spot. Rooms are tidy and comfortable — Serta mattresses, in-room baths, free Wi-Fi — and the buffet breakfast pulls in a solid spread of Japanese and Western options to fuel a full day out.
The standout is the large public bath on the 10th floor: a hinoki cypress tub overlooking a small garden, open from 15:00 through to 9am. It's not a hot spring, but after a day on Naoshima or trawling Kurashiki's canal district, it does the job beautifully.
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Castles, canals & sushi with a fascinating backstory, all found in the sunniest place in Japan.
