Kamakura or Nara?

Kamakura has a real summer shoreline. The dark volcanic sand of Yuigahama and Zaimokuza is a short walk from the station, the Enoden reaches the beaches at Katase, and Zushi and Hayama to the east are calmer. The swimming season is high summer only, and the beach works best alongside the temples rather than as the main reason to go.

Nara is inland, and the sea plays no part in a stay. The nearest shore is the industrial edge of Osaka Bay, and the clear water of the Kii Peninsula is most of a day away, so a summer swim means a pool.

Neither is a place to eat your way through, but Kamakura's table is a little richer. You can have whitebait from Sagami Bay over rice near the beach, temple vegetarian cooking at its most refined around the Zen monasteries, and vegetables from the Renbai farmers' market.

Nara's specialities are distinctive but few: kakinoha-zushi wrapped in persimmon leaves, pickles cured in sake lees, Miwa somen noodles, and sake poured at counters in Naramachi. Near the park the food leans towards quick lunches and kitchens close early, so for a serious dinner you go to Osaka or Kyoto.

Both towns have a Great Buddha, and the pair shows the difference well. Kamakura's bronze figure sits in the open air, and around it are the Zen temples of Engaku-ji and Kencho-ji, the warrior-clan shrine of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and smaller pleasures such as the Hokoku-ji bamboo grove. Its museums are modest.

Nara goes deeper and further back in time. The eighth-century capital has Todai-ji's vast wooden hall, Kofuku-ji's pagoda and the lanterns of Kasuga Taisha. It also has the Tang-era calm of Toshodai-ji and Yakushiji, and a national museum of Buddhist sculpture that has no equal in Kamakura.

Both go quiet once the day visitors leave, so neither is a reason to choose. Kamakura has a few izakaya and bars between the station and the beach, and the shore is a little livelier on summer evenings.

In Nara you get a sake counter or a small bar in the covered arcades, and Osaka's bar districts are under an hour away, as long as you watch the last train.

Kamakura's setting, wooded hills curving down to the sea, gives it a slight edge. The Daibutsu and Tenen trails link temples along the ridges past cave tombs, Shichirigahama draws surfers, and on clear winter days Fuji appears across the bay.

Nara's green space is gentler and starts in the centre of town. Deer graze on the park lawns, the Kasugayama Primeval Forest has been protected for more than a thousand years, and the flat basin and the old Yamanobe-no-michi route suit easy walking and cycling. Yoshino's hills are further out.

Kamakura is a strong base in its own right. Yokohama is under half an hour away, Tokyo about an hour, and Enoshima a short ride on the Enoden. Hakone's hot springs and the fishing port of Misaki make quieter outings, so the mix is modern and coastal.

Nara's list is longer and goes further back in history. Kyoto and Osaka are each well under an hour away by train, and Horyu-ji, with the oldest surviving wooden buildings in the world, is nearer still. Beyond them are Asuka's burial mounds, Uji's tea and the Byodo-in, and Himeji's white castle if you have a longer day.

Kamakura gives children more variety. They can climb inside the Great Buddha, ride the Enoden along the sea, swim from gentle beaches in summer, explore the caves on Enoshima and visit the aquarium at Katase. The catch is the long temple staircases and the weekend crowds.

Nara has one great experience, bowing to the deer in the park and feeding them crackers, plus squeezing through the pillar at Todai-ji. It has no zoo or aquarium, the deer can nip, and summer heat wears children out, so most families give it a day or two.

Kamakura's sights sit up wooded valleys and flights of temple steps, while Nara's are spread across the level ground of a basin. In Kamakura one small line, the Enoden, links the Great Buddha, Hase-dera and the coast. The narrow roads jam at weekends, though, and the train can be packed to standing.

In Nara most of the main sights are a gentle walk from Kintetsu Nara station, and a rented bicycle makes light work of the flat streets. The western temples need a short bus or train ride. Neither town needs a car.

Kamakura's one craft of note is Kamakura-bori, carved and lacquered woodwork that goes back to the Zen temples. You find it with ceramics and good knives in the quieter streets off Komachi-dori, the lane of snacks and souvenirs.

Nara's craft tradition is older and wider. It has sumi ink and calligraphy brushes made here for centuries, hand-woven linen, Akahada pottery and carved Ittobori dolls, sold in Naramachi and the covered arcades. Neither town suits a shopping trip: for fashion you go to Tokyo or Yokohama from Kamakura, and to Osaka from Nara.

Nara is the easier town on a budget, mainly because of where you sleep. Day-tripper traffic has filled the streets around its stations with fairly priced business hotels and guesthouses, and the park costs nothing to wander. Ryokan stays with dinner are the exception.

Kamakura has few hotels, and Tokyo weekenders compete for the seaside and old-house rooms, so many visitors sleep in Yokohama or Fujisawa instead. Once you are there, temple fees and soba lunches are fair value.

On an ordinary evening there is little to see in either town, and both come alive on the shrine calendar. Kamakura has a small Noh theatre with occasional introductions to the art, traditional dance at the spring Kamakura Festival, and yabusame horseback archery in autumn.

Nara's traditions are older and more ceremonial. It is one of the birthplaces of Noh, and Kasuga Taisha performs gagaku court music and bugaku dance, above all at the winter On-matsuri. The Omizutori fire rites at Todai-ji in early spring are its most dramatic sight.

Kamakura is the better place to slow down on purpose. Engaku-ji and Kencho-ji hold zazen sessions open to the public, and the moss gardens and tea pavilions of Kita-Kamakura are almost silent on weekday mornings. For an onsen, though, you need to go to Hakone.

Nara has no meditation offer to match, but you can at least have a soak without leaving town, in old neighbourhood bathhouses, larger bathing complexes or a ryokan's own bath. Early mornings in the park are its calmest hours.