Urgent Answer Needed Please: Kyoto or Tokyo???

I have two nights to spend either in Kyoto or Tokyo...

I have to fly in and out of Nagoya. The plan is Nagoya - Takayama - Shirakama Valley - Kanazawa then EITHER head by bullet train east(ish) to Tokyo then back to Nagoya OR south-west to Kyoto then back to Nagoya... Any suggestions as whether Tokyo or Kyoto would be the better choice, in view of the other places I'm already planning to visit which are by and large very rural.

Would be grateful for a fast reply as I leave 6th August.

Many thanks!

After your 'real' Japan trip I would persoanally suggest Tokyo. If you have not been before.... Rural (inakapoi) it certainly aint!

i vote for kyoto. lovely places and the sense of real japan. best sights will include kinkaku-ji and ryoan-ji, a walk from shijo-sanjo-gion-kyomizudera

what is real japan?? Tokyo is real japan too!(more than 30% of the japanese live in the Tokyo metropolitean area...). I vote for Tokyo. I thing that tokyo will "complete" your trip better than Kyoto, which for sure is a lovely place...

definitely Kyoto.. I've never met anyone who don't like Kyoto.

Kanazawa is like a mini-Kyoto anyway so without doubt head off to Tokyo...like marti22 said, it will complete your trip better.

These are both fine places, you can't go wrong, there is plenty to do for two days in either one. I would personally pick Tokyo since I get "templed-out" easily, but your personal interest should dictate the choice.

I'd chose Tokyo for 2 nights, because of the rural/big city contrast, but you would not be disappointed with Kyoto either. If you do go to Kyoto, you can get an all day bus pass which is excellent value.

Many thanks to you all for your prompt and appreciated feedback. What a great site for help! Thanks LP and contributors. You're all gems. Now it's time to do the sums so I'm guessing the budget (bullet train fares and accomm costs) will end up dictating whether it'll be Tokyo or Kyoto. Thanks again to everyone.

Cheaper to Kyoto than Tokyo from Nagoya. In fact, it can be even cheaper if you take Kintetsu limited expresses instead of JR shinkansen (unless, of course, you want to ride a shinkansen).

Take a look at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357_006.html<BR>

Kyoto for sure... take a short train hop to Osaka part of the time to get your big city fix.

I'd like to ditto #10. Why limit yourself to Kyoto or Tokyo? I'd stay in Osaka instead. Just walking around the Umeda area will wash all of that rural Japan right out of your head. Seas of people, tons of restaurants - from standing noodle shops to trendy spots (go to the top floor of any large department store for great views and food - not too expensive), and a ferris wheel poking from the top of a department store! - http://www.livehep.com/about/index2.asp<BR>In Google Earth, this area is at 34°42'13"N, 135°29'48"E
You can take JR from Shin-Osaka to Osaka, then walk around the area and get lost. Yodobashi Camera, just in front of the station (NE side) is overwhelming. The Umeda Sky Building is also cool - http://www.skybldg.co.jp/garden/e/index.html<BR><BR>If you stay near Shin-Osaka station, you can catch a quick train to Nagoya for your flight home. It's only 1:05 on the Hikari from Shin-Osaka to Nagoya.

This is a great new service in English for finding train times - http://www.japanrail.com/JR_timetableandfare.html<BR><BR>Have fun.