Tokyo is a massive and crowded city, and although it is an incredibly interesting place to visit it is not cheap. In fact, finding cheap hotels in Tokyo that are still clean and in good parts of the city can be really tough. But if you do your research in advance and know where to look, you can find a room in Tokyo that will not cost you a fortune and will also not be a total dive!
In terms of cheap hotels in Tokyo, the areas of the city in which you should look for the most choices are Asakusa and Ueno, both in the Taito neighborhood. There is one kind of hotel called a “capsule hotel” which is not meant for tourists, although they are pretty inexpensive, so if you are comfortable with the culture you could try one of those. Do keep in mind that most are for men only.
Another option, particularly good for travelers who are on their own, are the “business hotels” in Tokyo. They are ideal for solo travelers because the rooms are so small! These are also intended not for tourists, so unless you speak Japanese or are comfortable relying solely on hand signals, you might not want to deal with the frustration of business hotels.
A few of the cheap hotels in Tokyo which you might be interested in considering are Sawanoya Ryokan (in Taito area, near Ueno Park, family run), Juyoh Hotel (in Taito area, singles and doubles, all with Japanese-style beds), Sukerokunoyado Sadachiyo (in Asakusa area, 20 Japanese-style rooms, all with en suite bathrooms), Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu (in Asakusa area, near Asakusa Station, free internet, Japanese-style bathrooms), and Sutton Place Hotel (in Ueno area, 51 rooms, some with en suite bathrooms).