We chose the small, family-owned Hotel Yanagibashi over another, more corporate establishment because the reviews said the staff spoke excellent English. Not only was that the case, but the clerk helped us on multiple occasions to make restaurant reservations, purchase event tickets and give directions.

The rooms are typical for Tokyo - which is to say quite small by Western standards - but very clean. We arrived in the dead of winter for New Year's and appreciated that the room's heating unit was able to raise the temperature very quickly.

Hardly a block from a post office (convenient place to get cash) and a subway / elevated train station, it was easy to get other neighborhoods, making it an ideal place for budget travelers to stay.

The only real downside is that it's in a slightly sleepy, working-class neighborhood, so if you plan on staying out partying after the trains stop running at midnight, you might want a place in closer stumbling distance to the nightlife districts.

The best thing with this hotel is the price. If you don't mind staying in a very small room with an incredible small bathroom this hotel is a good option.

The location is OK. There was nothing of interest nearby the hotel but the area felt safe and the metro station is just a few minutes away.

This is a budget hotel but the rooms are clean and the service is good.

The price during the stay was about ¥ 6000 per night.

Stayed here Sept 29 through Oct 8, 2011. We booked this hotel based on the great reviews here on TripAdvisor and the low rates (relative to the rest of Tokyo, of course). Of course the room was very small, but that is expected in all but the most expensive rooms in Tokyo. It may have been a little cramped, but we were only in the room long enough to sleep and shower anyway. The beds were very comfortable and the air conditioning worked well. I would definitely not recommend that two average adults attempt to share a bed, though. The room was very clean with a refrigerator, hair dryer, tea pot, alarm clock and Japanese-only TV. The hotel provided slippers, pajamas, shampoo, and shower gel. We never used a wake-up call, but according to the information found in the room, they have an automated wake-up call system. We never had any problem with noise from other rooms or the street. Even though our room was on the back side of the building, I can't imagine street noise would be a problem even on the front side because the hotel faces a small street with very little traffic.

As mentioned multiple times, everyone at the hotel is extremely friendly and spoke English well. There are drink vending machines and a rack full of information/maps/brochures on ground level near the lobby. The only problem we had was with the internet. The wired connection in the room worked only sporadically. The computers maintained by the hotel worked a little better, but still not great. We were so busy though, we didn't really miss having the internet all that much.

As for location, the proximity to both a subway and JR station were excellent. The subway station is only about 1 1/2 blocks away and the JR station only about 2 blocks away. From there it is very easy to get anywhere. Akihabara (and the extremely useful JR Yamanote line) is only 1 stop away. And Asakusa is only 2 stops. Also, depending on exactly which Keisei train you happen to board at Narita, you may not even need to transfer to get to the hotel from the airport (and if you do, it is just one transfer without even the need to change platforms). The directions found on the hotel's English website were extremely useful for getting there (though plenty of research on the subway and train lines is highly recommended). The area does not seem to be a very "touristy" area. There are plenty of convenience stores (including a 7-11 where you can use foreign debit cards at the ATM) nearby and lots of local restaurants (and one Burger King). It seems to be a popular area during the week with locals after work, but on the weekend a lot of businesses seemed to be closed. But with Tokyo's amazing public transportation system, as long as you are near a station, anywhere in Tokyo would be a good location.

If I ever get the opportunity to return to Tokyo (and I really hope I do, it is an amazing city), I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to anyone.

Stayed here for six nights in September 2011. As stated by just about every other reviewer, the rooms are small, but if you've been to the Far East before, you should expect this as a matter of course, and for the value of this place (Tokyo is an expensive place to stay) you really can't grumble! Despite the sizes, they come with a full set of amenities (including free internet/wi-fi), and are kept very clean. The bathroom is a self compact unit in itself, and I did find it a bit cramped, but as long as you're under 6'4 this wont be an issue so much! As also mentioned by plenty of others, the owners are very friendly, and do speak good English.

The hotel is only five minutes away from the subway and JR line stations. It is relatively easy to get from the station to the hotel, but take a map the first time round, as due to the sheer size of Tokyo you're likely to lose your bearings very lost! There are plenty of local resturants and seven-eleven's in the area for a quick cheap bite to eat, and the electronics district of Akihibara is only a stop away.

The only issue I did have is that the walls are paper thin. Although the hotel is located down a side street where the noise and traffic from outside wont be an issue, I was woken in the middle of the night by a guy from San Francisco in the room next door making a business conference call (I knew all this as I could hear every other word). I would recommend taking a set of earplugs, in case the guests next door to you are a bit noisy (or like to make conference calls in the middle of the night). However this was just for one night out of six, otherwise I didn't hear a thing.

If you can't quite afford to splurge on a penthouse suite in Shinjuku and the like, this is probably your next best option!