Stayed for about three weeks, and although the room was simple, Van's warm hospitality more than made up for it from day one. While I wasn't able to meet him until the last day, he was a fantastic host, supplying more than enough snacks, towels, futons and blankets. You definitely won't go hungry or cold in this room. It was a little small but still enough for two people to sleep comfortably (and fit a suitcase and a few bags).

Location-wise, it was very convenient as it was only about 10 minutes away from a subway station (less than 5m away from Ikebukuro, which I definitely recommend for shopping!). A nice and quiet neighbourhood where you can just enjoy the walk.

Note that the toilet is a squat toilet and shared by people from the other rooms on the floor. There's also no bathroom (but there's a sink at least). You can also hear the TV from the room next door, but it's not particularly disruptive and doesn't go until very late.

Overall, I had no problems, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend anyone who's not too picky about the above paragraph because it's a great room run by a wonderful host!