I know a bunch of you have been to Tokyo recently, and I need some suggestions for affordable lodging. I am open to any suggestions.

How long are you going for? are you travelling about?
If you are there for a week or two and staying in the same place. I'd check out some apartments. They work out much cheaper than hotels. I don't have any links, as my wife does all the booking

Plus, you can then cook for yourself, which again, brings the price down. Although, if you like Japanese food, you can eat really cheaply.

Thanks "VH". I am still considering that--every once in a blue moon, someone posts a short term rental apartment on Craigslist...which I would love, but the pickings are slim right now. I only intend to traverse the Tokyo and surrounding area(s), and hopefully will go in mid-December.

it might sound cliche, but keep an eye on the major travel websites and see if any deals pop up.

we changed our hotel two weeks before we left because the deal was absolutely incredible.

we stayed here for around $115 a night
http://www.parkhoteltokyo.com/

VRBO! (That's vacation rentals by owner.) This is how we found the apartment we rented in Paris for a week:
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/asia/japan

I looked at these as well for Tokyo. I believe one of those apartments is off of the Nakano stop or pretty close by.

edit...this one has a photo of Nakano in it and mentions it being nearby

http://www.vrbo.com/52513

Thanks again for everyones' input.

I stay at Ikebukuro Sunshine Prince Hotel. It is about $100 a night, give or take. The staff is generally pretty good with English, and it is a popular hotel with U.S. travelers.

Location is also good as the hotel is situated adjacent to a 3 floor shopping center (many eating places) and about 5 minutes from Ikebukuro station. There is also a 24 hour Family Mart in the lobby of the hotel and a small market across the street. Good beer and drink selection at the FM.

I agree!
That's a good one!
Great food in the Mall part too!

The location Ikebukuro Sunshine Prince Hotel is great (TRU in the mall!), the hotel itself, not too impressive. Not terrible, but you can't beat the price. Plus, the walk from the hotel to the train station is fun (Tokyu Hands). Keio Plaza in Shinjuku is really nice, but will cost a little more.

i recently stayed in asakusa at the chisun inn:
http://www.solarehotels.com/english/chi ... etail.html

as long as you do not need to stay in the hustle bustle of shinjuku/shibuya....asakusa is really nice...i was very happy with my 11night stay at this place

really clean room,,super comfortable bed..free internet access in room,,free computers in lobby 24/7..i got my room for around 5600yen a night...and it is right next to bandai HQ,,there is a life-size ultraman & kamen rider on the street..

if you click on the "reserve by stay plan" tab,,there are rates for as low as 5300yen a night...recommended!

the first time i went in '08 i was there for two weeks and stayed at the hotel century southern tower in shinjuku.

www.southerntower.co.jp/english/

it was really expensive for how basic the rooms are but it probably has the best location in all of tokyo - 30 seconds walk from the south entrance of shinjuku station.

the second time i went this year i stayed for almost 4 months, 2.5 of those was at a gaijin house in shin-koenji ran by green leaf apartments or something (i can't remember the name, but if you are interested i can look it up). some of the staff can't speak english and can be difficult to get ahold of for an initial meeting but once you do they are really easy to deal with. the room was pretty crappy but it was in a fairly convenient location again and the 6 or so other people i lived with were all awesome which was a huge bonus.

theres always sakura house in asakusa also cheap..I did hotels a few nights then just went there for a few more days since I wasnt really spending anytime there but to sleep. about 30 bucks a night..and its clean