Most convenient Toyoko Inn in Tokyo

I will be visiting Tokyo for roughly a week in oct and trying to make out which Toyoko Innin there could be most convenient. I will make a few sidetrips most starting out from Tokyo station. Flying home from Narita. I went to Toyoko Kanda Akihabara once, quite okay since I could go to Tokyo station from there. Perhaps it is still the best option?

http://youtu.be/1r76OLSCJiw

I dont know why google street view would help me, I am asking for advise from people knowing the area better than me. I have been in both Osaka and Tokyo so its not that I dont find my way there, still I need advise on accomodation so please.

When looking for hotels in Japan, usually Toyoko Inn is my first option, mainly because of the combination of price, quality and location. I just returned from 2,5 weeks in Hokkaido and Tohoku, using 7 of their hotels.

However, in Tokyo their locations aren't that great, at least not when you want to be near one of the main railway stations on the Yamanote line. I usually stay near Ueno (I did once book a hotel near Shinjuku but had to cancel that), maybe just a little more expensive than Toyoko Inn (and no free breakfast), but much better located.

If you don't mind staying near a smaller station or a less central area, there might be a few options, otherwise I think there are better options.

my personal choice is always one of the two in Otsuka. Both hotels are only 1-2 minutes walk from the station which is rare for a Toyoko inn in Tokyo.

I've used the Keio Plaza once and the Shinagawa Prince twice. This time around, I'll be using the Toyoko Inn in Shinagawa (Takanawa guchi) which is right next to the Shinagawa Prince and not that far from the station either. I will also be using the ones in Sapporo, Aomori, Sendai, Nagano and Matsumoto.

@John B, which Toyoko Inn did you book for Sendai? I recently stayed at Toyoko Inn Sendai Chuo Itchome Ichi-ban, but I wish I had booked Nishi-guchi Hirose-dori instead. However, since my visit was during the Tanabata Matsuri and every hotel was fully booked, it wasn't possible to change this anymore.

Chuo Itchome Ichi-ban is just a bit further from the station than I would wish for (the 4 minutes on the website are rather optimistic), but also in the wrong direction, in a rather boring area. Nishi-guchi Hirose-dori might not be that much closer to the station, but is right in the middle of the action.

In Sapporo I stayed at Susukino Kosaten, maybe not so close to the railway station (but with the subway around the corner), but right in the middle of Susukino with all the restaurants and bars, straight across Ramen Yokocho, and within walking distance from most downtown sights. The first night in Sapporo I had to stay in another hotel near the station (again, almost every hotel in town fully booked), but I would definitely prefer staying in Susukino next time.

@WizardOfOss, the one in Sendai is the Higashi guchi No.1 and the Sapporo one is the Nishi-guchi Hokudae Mae.

I go for the cheaper ones as the night life is not usually what I'm after. They are still relatively close to the station as I usually will leave those cities on the first train out.

In 2010, I stayed at Toyoko Inn Shinjuku Kabukicho. It was about a ten minute walk from Shinjuku Station, which will get you just about anywhere. Close to Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya, etc.

A few months ago, I stayed at Toyoko Inn Akiba Asakusabashi. While staying there specifically to be close to Akihabara, I found that the Asakusabashi Station was very convenient due to its placement on the Chuo-Sobu Line. It's the only line that cuts through the middle of the Yamanote Line so we used it to get to places like Nakano, Mitaka, and Shinjuku very easily. I especially liked the area that Toyoko was inn; very close to Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple.

Toyoko is the only western style hotel chain I've stayed in while visiting Tokyo and I've been very pleased with them in general. The Asakusabashi location had some questionable desk clerks, but other than that, great value.