It is very rare to find dishonesty and bad customer service in Japan, however, this hotel is an stark exception. I would caution any travelers visiting the area to look elsewhere for lodging. Here are a few notes from my experience:
It stated on Expedia that the check-out time is 11 am. And so I checked out at around 10:55 am. I was charged a 1080 Yen fee for “late checkout”, even though I was 5 minutes early. When I showed them the 11 am check-out posting on Expedia, they told me that Expedia made a “mistake” and that the real check-out time is 10am, and that I owed the money. They wouldn’t budge and offered zero apology. I felt this was extremely wrong and dishonest – since their listing is their responsibility, not mine.
On a separate note, the day I checked in, there was a major snow storm, and the hotel was mostly empty. I got in early, and I was told to wait until check in time. The Expedia listing said the check in time was 3 pm, however, they didn’t do check-in at the hotel until 4 pm. When I tried to check in at 3:55 pm, I was told to wait. Then, at exactly 4 pm the receptionist handed the key to me.
And so it seems that this hotel made mistakes on its Expedia listing. The staff seem robotic, and more concerned about following the rules than using common sense and doing right by their customers.