We stayed at the Ark Hotel in Okayama for three nights. The main lobby of this business-class hotel is large, modern and has a cocktail lounge plus a restaurant with a fixed-price buffet breakfast and lunch. Based on the lobby set-up and advertising, it was clear that the hotel's main attraction was its wedding facilities. (Unfortunately, there were no weddings while we were there.)

Our double room on the 10th floor was small, but adequate. Unlike several other hotels we stayed in, however, the TV was not bilingual (what we call SAP in the USA) so only Japanese programming was available.

The hotel location is excellent, about five minutes' walk south from the Okayama train station and only a couple of short blocks from the Lawson's and 7-11 convenience stores where we bought breakfast supplies. A hint for bad weather days: instead of leaving the Okayama station, follow the signs to the south exit. There is a tunnel there that ends at a parking lot which is only one block from the hotel entrance. (You can also get there through the large underground shopping mall beneath the station plaza.)

The following "deficiencies" are only with respect to similar hotels we stayed in throughout Japan: there was no Internet access at all (either in the room or in the lobby), breakfast was not included in the rate we paid for the room, there were no copies of maps, etc. in English (or any language other than Japanese) and no one on the staff spoke English. If not for the Beiks translating dictionary on my Palm PDA we would have been lost.

Although we would stay at the Ark again, we would probably look for another hotel first.