There are thousands of hotels in the Tokyo area, ranging from cheap to very expensive. They are distributed throughout the city, with some of the high end and the low end almost everywhere. Many Western-style hotels, especially those affiliated with American hotel chains, have English-speaking staff.
Budget
Much of Tokyo's budget accommodation can be found in the Taito area, especially Asakusa and Ueno. But if you are not afraid of being a little bit off-center, you may have a look to the surroundings: Yokohama, etc.
Do note that most of the cheap accommodations in the Taito area near JR Minami-senjuu have curfew times around 22:00 to 23:00, so be sure to check that in advance if it bothers you. One hotel that does not have a curfew is Kangaroo Hotel (http://www.kangaroohotel.jp/), rooms starting at ¥3200. There's also Economy Hotel Hoteiya (http://www.e-conomyhotels...), rooms starting at ¥2500. A list of economy hotels in Tokyo is (http://www.e-conomyhotels...).
Capsule hotels are generally the cheapest option. They may be reluctant to play host to foreigners as there are quite a few rules of behavior which may be difficult to explain; see the Japan article for the full scoop. Most capsule hotels are men-only. Asakusa Riverside (http://www.asakusa-capsul...) and Akihabara Capsule Inn (http://www.capsuleinn.com...) are among the very few to have women-only floors.
24-hour comic book library/internet cafes known as manga kisa, have become common around Tokyo. This is one of the cheapest ways to crash if you miss your last train and need to wait for the early morning transit service to get started. No bed, but you have a comfy chair and a PC and/or DVDs if you can't sleep. Later in the evening, karaoke boxes often offer discounted prices for the whole night, they usually have a couch you can sleep on. Most of these cyber cafes charge ¥1500â2500 for 8 hours.
One of the cheapest ways to stay can be also a youth hostel, prices start at ¥1200, e.g. in the Shinjuku area.
If you are truly on a budget, it is possible to go homeless and camp in public parks, for free. You can do this with a tent, if you want to carry one, and you can also sleep on benches, as exhausted salarymen and students do. It is also possible to do this all over Japan ; by doing nojuku as the Japanese call it and eating in convenience stores or making your own sandwiches from the food you buy in supermarkets, you can stay in Tokyo for around the same price as it would cost you in Kathmandu, Nepal !
Midrange
There is a wide range of choices in hotels while at Tokyo, most of the hotels are rated 3 stars or more. Tokyo is among most of the other cities when it comes to hotels because their services and hotel locations are the best of the best.
Keep an eye out for what is called a business hotel. The rooms are usually tiny, but they are conveniently located near stations and rates start from around ¥6000. Staff may speak minimal English, but it's not too hard to figure out. These are the best options for solo travelers. Affordable chains found throughout Tokyo include Tokyu Stay (http://www.tokyuhotels.co...), which offers free internet access and breakfast, Chisun (http://www.solarehotels.c...) and Sunroute (http://www.sunroute.jp/Su...).
Tokyo has some self-proclaimed ryokan Japanese inns that cater largely to foreign tourists, mostly concentrated around Ueno and Asakusa. While not as opulent as the real thing, they offer a sample of Japanese home life at affordable rates.
Japan's infamous love hotels can be a reasonable and interesting option in Tokyo. Shibuya's Dogenzaka "Love Hotel Hill" offers the widest selection in the city. If you're really going to spend the night, be sure to check in for a "stay" rather than a "rest". Be warned that some love hotels at least around Shinjuku have a 'No Japanese, no stay' policy, presumably to avoid confusion over billing; others lock you into your room until you pay into a slot by the door to leave.
If you plan to stay more than one week, you can try Weekly-Mansion Tokyo (http://www.wmt.co.jp/en/). These are flats you can rent for short periods of time for affordable prices. Rates are around ¥5000 per day for one person or a little more for two people. Sometimes you can find deals for as low as ¥4000 per day Various promotional deals are available for online reservations. You can also make online reservations in English.
Top end
You can spend a fortune on accommodation in Tokyo. Most of the high-end international chains are well represented. Particular concentrations of luxury hotels can be found in western Shinjuku including the Park Hyatt Tokyo, featured in Lost in Translation, around Tokyo station best here are Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, (http://www.shangri-la.com/tokyo/shangrila. Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, Seiyo Ginza and Four Seasons Marunouchi), and in Akasaka.
Beware of hotels marketing themselves as being located at "Tokyo Bay". At best, this means you'll be in or near the Odaiba district, built on reclaimed land half an hour away from the city center; at worst, you'll end up somewhere on the coast of the adjacent prefecture of Chiba, which is handy for visiting Tokyo Disneyland but quite inconvenient for touring Tokyo itself.