I am a native Japanese speaker, and it was my first time traveling in Japan with my kids in 20 years. To ensure that our daily plans were in order, I called this ryokan before booking to confirm the availability of meals with the Expedia plan. The owner assured me that our plan included both dinner and breakfast. However, upon check-in, they informed us that our plan did not include any meals. I explained that during our phone conversation, they had confirmed that two meals were included in the Expedia plan. Although the owner remembered our conversation, she did not serve us any meals, offering only excuses instead. I was really disappointed with this ryokan. One reason for this issue might be that the owners (the Okami and Shujin) are too old to manage the ryokan operation, and there is a lack of appreciation and respect for customers. I recommend that they retire immediately.
In addition, I complained to Expedia about this issue, but they did not help me at all. LOL.
Here’s the takeaway: Book your hotel directly through the hotel’s website. There is no advantage to using Expedia (or other booking sites).