shinjuku or ikebukuro?

where best to stay in terms of convenience of the station and the number of things to do?

I think it is personal preference, but that a large majority will prefer Shinjuku over Ikebukuro. Specific recommendations depend on your specific budget.

The Southern Century Tower, Sunroute Shinjuku Plaza and Keio Plaza are my recommendations for good value/location, medium-budget hotels in Shinjuku. The Shinjuku Prince is good for a lower budget. There is also a not so central located Toyoko Inn.

...now I am eyeing at Ueno instead since I found a Ryokan at Nippori and I thought maybe staying at a Ryokan would be a good experience...

What do you think? Should I just stick with Shinjuku/Ikebukuro?

If you're going to be spending a bit of time in the west then it wouldn't hurt to be in Shinjuku, but I totally see your point about not staying in a western style hotel. Nippori isn't inconvenient though - it's on the Yamanote line and gives direct access to Narita airport via Keisei Skyliner and JR.

We've stayed in a hotel in Akasaka and a budget ryokan in Asakusa, neither of which we found to be particularly inconvenient, but this time we wanted Shinjuku because then we don't have to worry about making the last train back. We'll be at one of the ones Uji mentioned, but had come across one ryokan in Shinjuku in our search: http://www.tamaryokan.com/ It seems alright for a budget place, but we opted for a private bathroom at a hotel instead.

It really depends what you want to do when you're there!

They are all on the Yamaonote-sen so you wont have too much trouble getting to anywhere you want to go!

Shinjuku is a major hub for a lot of lines, you can get to pretty much anywhere from there! There is plenty of action around the station itself, shopping, izakayas and bars.

Ikebukuro is a little quieter and can be a nice change if you head out for the night and then come back to a quieter neighborhood.

Ueno is a great place to stay, I stayed in a Ryokan that was near the far side of Ueno Koen and there is a lot of very cool small resturants, shops and shrines to see there. There is also all the action around JR Ueno station at night, plenty of Izakayas and even a few western friendly bars in the area too.

The Ryokan experience is great if you haven't been to one. You can't beat a dip in a deep, hot japanese style bath after a long day of walking and sightseeing!

hmmm...they sound so strict though...I initially preferred Shinjuku simply because I find it convenient to stay near Shinjuku station and because everyone else around me is saying that I should...

I found out however, that the nearest Toyoko Inn to the Ikebukuro is cheaper than that in Shinjuku so at some point I considered going to Ikebukuro. However, I thought I want to experience traditional inn because then I already experienced Toyoko Inn before...

Now however, I realized that I kinda have a bit of experience staying in a Japanese House since I have my host family...

agh...my mind is so messed up. I want to have an experience but at the same time I dont want to sacrifice convenience

Oh yeah that was another concern with Tama Ryokan, because we want to be able to stay out late, drink, and not disturb the family.

Perhaps you could stay at a ryokan for part of the time and a hotel the rest of your stay. I've heard there are shukubo's in/near Tokyo too, so that could pay off as a fancy traditional night or two....?

So I know Ikebukuro and Asakusa are just two different worlds (right?). The thing is, I found some cheap inn/hostel conveniently located near the stations...

this made me wondering if I should where I should stay for 3 and 1/2 days during my travel around Tokyo.

Any ideas? thank you very much!

Is the Ryokan near Nippori that you are talking about Annex Katsutaro Ryokan? I have stayed there a couple of times and I enjoyed it.

It is a modern Ryokan so Japanese style with modern conveniences. There is a night entrance so no curfew. It is about 7mins walk to Nippori station which is obviously handy as it is on the Yamanote line. Also the Keisei line trains from Narita Airport stop there. It is also only about a 2 minute walk to Sendagi station on the Chiyoda subway line.

It is in a really nice traditional neighbourhood with some small shops and narrow streets around it. It does mean a bit of travel to areas like Shinjuku but I enjoyed coming back to the quiet neighbourhood at night. It is a different experience to staying in the downtown areas.

I realize staying at a Ryokan in Asakusa is quite expensive...I did the math...so now i'm opting for an inn/hostel nearest to the respective stations and (un)fortunately, I found one in both areas...now I am just torn which place will give me a better experience. If course I will still travel around wherever I choose to stay at but it makes sense to think that where you're staying at will probably be the place you will be when you want a stroll just before you go to sleep or when you cannot sleep...things like that....hahaha!