Very small rooms and because of the energy crisis (Fukashima 2011) the AC is not on when you first go in your room,and the AC remote is in Japanese with no translation available,so your in there in 35 deg heat trying to switch the AC on.
Very small rooms and the bed is very hard and unyielding,but everything works after you get the room cooled down.and as you expect in Japan its spotlessly clean.
All the rooms I used seemed to be very quiet
Breakfast in the crowded lobby is a very simple miso soup and rice affair, but is OK after a while,plenty of convenience stores round the corner to supplement your gruel.

We stayed in this hotel for 6 nights.

The hotel is only 5 minutes walk from the north entrance of the Ikebukuro Station and there are a number of marts and restaurants along the way. However, the tourist attraction and shopping malls are located near east entrance of Ikebukuro Station. You will need at least 15 minutes walk from the hotel. The place is pretty safe for us (even at night) coming back from the Station.

The front desk staffs are really helpful.Even though our flight landed late at Haneda Airport on the first night and we only reached the hotel around 2 am, we dont have to wait long at the front desk because the staffs knew of our flight schedule and the room key was ready for collection.

The front desk had a few free computer terminals for surfing the web. The Japanese breakfast ( at the lobby ) is included in our hotel stay. Limited choice but enough to fill us up. ( Picture enclosed )

The room and the bathroom are compact and clean ( Picture enclosed ). Only a small desk, chair and a small flat screen TV fit in the room. The down part is the double bed is kind of small ( for two adults ) and hard to sleep on.

Overall, it is a good value for a no-frills accomodation conveniently close to the Station

*Note: I actually stayed here back in April 2010 (but Tripadvisor Review limitation on belated reviews)

This is not your fancy hotel type - Let's get that out of the way. It's a business hotel which offers the basics. For a bunch of guys who weren't keen on sharing a room, having our own bed/bathroom was the ultimate gift. As many have stated, the Toyoko Inn Kita-guchi 1 is conveniently located just 5 minutes from Ikebukuro station - which is a good starting base for your Tokyo adventures (I've stayed in the Ikebukuro area twice now - 2010 and 2008).

You can easily arrive to Ikebukuro from Narita airport (approx. 1 hr ride) and reach all major hub stations on the JR Yamanote line. With a JR pass you can head West via Tokyo and Shinagawa stations - so upon returning from those trips (Kyoto & Hakone) - I found it very convenient to just return to the same place instead of dragging our luggage to a yet unknown location.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. The rooms are clean and accommodating. I personally would've preferred an Intercontinental Breakfast menu, but with so many breakfast choices in the area - it seemed like something trivial. Also, the washing machines and dryers were a Godsend for those on extended stays (or those traveling light)!

Will always be considering this hotel for my future stays in Tokyo.

My company booked this hotel for me. Although it wasn't in the heart of the city, it was very accessible for all of my needs (daunting as it may look from a map, the subway system works extremely well). Ikebukuro is a major hub so there is no problem getting to where one needs to go.
The hotel itself was well managed. The front desk staff was, generally, helpful. The rooms, though small, were very functional (great bathtub!) and clean. Breakfast (included) had several options--none great but not horrible either. For the price, I think that this is a very good deal and would recommend it (and return).