Hiroshima or Yokohama?

Neither city is built for a beach vacation, but Yokohama gets you to proper sand more easily. Its own man-made beach at Umi no Koen is in the city, and the Shonan coast at Zushi, Kamakura and Enoshima, with broad grey-brown beaches, is a short train ride south.

From Hiroshima a swim means a ferry or a drive to small beaches on Miyajima, Ninoshima or Etajima, which are calm but modest. In both places the season is short, roughly July and August, with jellyfish towards the end.

Yokohama has the wider table. Japan's largest Chinatown, the rich iekei ramen born here and a whole museum of ramen shops give it more variety, and the small grill bars of Noge add a good evening scene.

Hiroshima eats more narrowly but with real character: layered okonomiyaki straight off the griddle, winter oysters from the bay, and sake tastings in the breweries of Saijo, a short train ride away. Neither city has much high-end dining, so the best meals in both are at the counter.

The two are close in what they offer, but the experiences could hardly differ more. Hiroshima's sights are dominated by the Peace Memorial Park, the A-Bomb Dome and a museum that needs half a day and an open heart, with Shukkeien garden and the castle grounds as quieter counterpoints.

Yokohama tells the story of Japan opening to the world: Western merchant houses on the Yamate Bluff, the stone customs buildings of Kannai, a moored 1930s liner and Sankeien's relocated temples and teahouses. It is lighter going, and two days covers either city.

Evenings out are much alike, built around izakaya and small bars rather than clubs. Hiroshima's Nagarekawa is a single dense grid of tiny bars and karaoke that keeps going past midnight, especially after a baseball game. Yokohama spreads its drinking between Noge's standing bars and harbour-view bars in Minato Mirai, winds down earlier, and sends anyone wanting a late night to Tokyo.

The outdoors is equally good in both, but it is sea against mountains. Hiroshima's landscape is the Inland Sea: forested islands linked by ferries, the climb up Mount Misen on Miyajima, the gorge walk at Sandankyo and the Shimanami Kaido cycle route across the islands.

Yokohama looks inland and down the coast instead. There are temple trails on Kamakura's wooded ridges, real day hikes in the Tanzawa mountains, volcanic valleys at Hakone and, on clear winter days, Mount Fuji on the horizon.

Both make excellent bases, but Yokohama has the edge because Tokyo is under half an hour away and Kamakura's Great Buddha and Zen temples even closer. Hakone, Enoshima and Kawagoe round out an easy list on cheap local trains.

Hiroshima's own day trips are superb, led by Miyajima's floating torii and Iwakuni's arched wooden bridge, with Onomichi, Takehara and rabbit-filled Okunoshima nearby. Himeji Castle and Kurashiki need the shinkansen, so the wider circle costs more time and money.

Yokohama is far better set up for children. It has Hakkeijima Sea Paradise with its aquarium and rides, the Cup Noodles Museum where children make their own noodles, the Anpanman museum, the Zoorasia zoo and Tokyo Disneyland about an hour away.

Hiroshima is safe and friendly, and children enjoy the Miyajima deer, the ropeway and Okunoshima's rabbits. Yet it lacks big attractions, and parents must think carefully about how much of the Peace Memorial Museum to show young children.

Yokohama is the smoother city to move around. One tap-on card covers the Minatomirai Line, subways, JR and private railways, with fast links to Tokyo and Haneda Airport and a flat harbour walk from Minato Mirai to Chinatown.

Hiroshima's centre is compact and flat enough to walk between the Peace Park, Hondori and the castle. Its trams are charming but slow at busy times, so JR trains are the better choice for Miyajima.

Yokohama gives more choice. Department stores and underground arcades around the station, waterfront malls at Minato Mirai and the long, smart street of Motomachi, known for leather goods, cover most needs, with Chinatown for teas and tableware.

Hiroshima's Hondori arcade is pleasant but smaller. What it does better is distinctive crafts to take home: Kumano brushes, Miyajima rice paddles, Saijo sake and local lemon products.

Costs are much the same, and in both cities cheap noodles and set lunches keep food bills low. The difference lies in where the money goes. In Hiroshima it is shinkansen tickets for longer day trips and pricier island hotels on Miyajima, while Yokohama's free harbour sights and cheap local trains are offset by harbour-view hotels and family attractions that charge admission.

Yokohama has the stronger stage. Minato Mirai Hall, home to the Kanagawa Philharmonic, and the Kanagawa Arts Theatre host concerts, opera and dance, and jazz runs through the city's old cafés and its autumn festival. Tokyo's Kabuki and musicals are a short ride away.

Hiroshima's programme is more modest, though it has one thing Yokohama lacks: regular performances of kagura, the masked and drummed Shinto dance-drama from the surrounding mountains.

Yokohama offers more for a restful stay. Hot-spring bath complexes, including one on the Minato Mirai waterfront, are in the city itself, and Hakone's mountain onsen inns make an easy overnight escape.

Hiroshima has no hot springs of its own, so it relies on sento and hotel baths, with real onsen an hour out. Its quiet charms are a ryokan night on Miyajima after the crowds leave and slow walks by Shukkeien's ponds.