I had the “check-in is at 3pm” spiel at many Japanese chains, but Crowne Plazas generally seem to be happy to process early checkins of elites. That said, staff experiences range from extremely friendly (Toyama, Ube, Kumamoto) to shy-reserved (Okayama, Kobe) to a little standoffish or outright unfriendly (Nagoya, Nagasaki). YMMV and perhaps occasionally driven by limited English language skills. But generally speaking, I wouldn’t expect to be told to sit and wait at Japanese CPs when arriving prior to check-in time as elite.