Kaohsiung or Osaka?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Kaohsiung has a modest edge. Cijin's dark sand is a ferry hop from the centre, Sizihwan has a sheltered seasonal swimming bay, and the sea is warm for much of the year, although currents and typhoon swells often keep people out. Its real asset is Xiaoliuqiu, where you can snorkel with sea turtles in small coral coves.

Osaka's beaches, at Suma or towards Wakayama, are each about an hour away by train, suburban and coarse-sanded, and open only for July and August. They make a summer outing rather than a reason to come.

Both are cities where cheap, informal eating is the best of it, but Osaka plays in a higher league. Kaohsiung's southern Taiwanese cooking is sweeter and built on seafood: milkfish congee in the morning, oyster omelettes and grilled squid at Ruifeng night market, and catch-of-the-day dinners on Cijin. Fine dining is thin.

Osaka has its own repertoire of takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu, Kuromon Market for grazing, and izakaya packed into the alleys of Ura-Namba and Tenma. It also reaches the very top, with the kaiseki and sushi counters of Kitashinchi, so it serves a serious food trip from street stall to special occasion.

Both are working port cities whose heritage comes in pieces rather than old quarters, and each takes two or three days. Kaohsiung's sights are the temples and pagodas around Lotus Pond, the red-brick former British Consulate above the harbour and the warehouse galleries of Pier-2, more pleasant than profound.

Osaka has more weight: the great stone walls and moats of Osaka Castle, the ancient foundations of Shitennoji and Sumiyoshi Taisha, and the fine Korean and Chinese ceramics on Nakanoshima. In both cities the deeper history lies next door, in Tainan for one and Kyoto and Nara for the other.

This is where the two differ most. Osaka is famous across Japan for its sociable evenings: neon Dotonbori, standing bars in Ura-Namba, small clubs in Amerikamura and tiny bars around Umeda, with strangers chatting at the counter and many staying out until the morning trains.

Kaohsiung's nights are quieter and mostly local. The classic evening is a stir-fry hall with seafood and crates of Taiwan Beer, perhaps followed by craft beer near Pier-2 or a drink on the Love River. Clubs in Sinsing and Lingya fill only at weekends.

The two are broadly level outdoors, but the landscapes differ. Kaohsiung has wild ground right in town, with macaques on the Shoushan trails above the harbour, and stranger country within reach: the mudstone badlands of Moon World, mud volcanoes, the butterfly valleys of Maolin and coral reefs off Xiaoliuqiu.

Osaka itself is flat concrete, but a short train ride brings the forest trail to the Minoo waterfall, ridge walks in the Rokko mountains and gentle wooded hills to the east. Its draw is seasonal, cherry blossom and autumn maples, rather than the subtropical oddities of southern Taiwan.

Kaohsiung has good outings: Tainan's forts, temples and food are about half an hour by high-speed rail, the vast Buddhist complex of Fo Guang Shan is close inland, and Meinong, Xiaoliuqiu and Chiayi for the Alishan tea country add variety.

Osaka is in another class as a base. Kyoto, Nara, Himeji Castle and Kobe are all within roughly an hour, followed by Koyasan's monastery stays, the tea town of Uji and Lake Biwa. Frequent trains mean you could spend two weeks on day trips and never change hotel.

Kaohsiung keeps children happy with simple pleasures: the short ferry across to Cijin, a ride round the harbour on the light rail and the Ferris wheel on the roof of a harbourside mall. The National Science and Technology Museum is large and hands-on, and the theme park in Dashu or the small zoo on Shoushan can fill a day. After that the list runs thin.

Osaka gives a family much more to choose from, and it is the better pick for a longer stay. Besides its famous theme park and aquarium, there is Tennoji Zoo, a science museum, the Ferris wheel at Tempozan and the wide lawns of Expo '70 Commemorative Park beneath the giant Tower of the Sun. The main trial is weekend crowds, and spring or autumn make the easiest visit.

Osaka's network is dense and quick: the Midosuji line runs through every central district, the JR loop and other subway lines fill the gaps, and the same IC card takes you on to Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. The only real trial is changing lines in the underground maze of Umeda.

Kaohsiung has clean, calm trains, but only two metro lines and a harbour light rail loop for a widely spread city. Many places are a bus ride or a long, hot walk from a station, so taxis and bike-share do more of the work.

Osaka is the better shopping trip by some way. Shinsaibashi-suji's long covered arcade, generations-old department stores in Umeda, flagships on Midosuji, vintage in Amerikamura and anime and electronics in Den Den Town cover most tastes, and the kitchen knives of Doguyasuji make a memorable purchase.

Kaohsiung is mainly malls and department stores around Sanduo, plus youth fashion in Xinjuegang and cheap goods at the night markets. Its best take-home items are edible: tea, pineapple cakes and dried mullet roe.

Kaohsiung is the cheaper of the two. Market breakfasts, noodle shops and night-market snacks cost very little, transport is low-priced, and business hotels stay fair outside long weekends and festivals.

Osaka is fair rather than cheap. Its food is generous for the money, but rooms rise sharply in cherry-blossom and autumn-leaf seasons, and big tickets such as Universal Studios add up. Staying a little outside Namba or Umeda helps.

Kaohsiung's showpiece is Weiwuying, a huge wave-roofed arts centre with an opera house and concert hall hosting touring companies and the city orchestra, while glove puppetry and Taiwanese opera turn up at temple festivals. Small-venue music is scarce.

Osaka offers more for a visitor: full seasons of bunraku with English guides at the National Bunraku Theatre, Festival Hall and Symphony Hall for orchestras, rock and jazz live houses in Minami and Umeda, and the Takarazuka Revue a short train ride away. Its manzai comedy is lively but entirely in Japanese.

Osaka has a bathing culture that Kaohsiung lacks. Neighbourhood sento and large super sento complexes make a long soak an easy evening, and Arima Onsen, one of Japan's oldest spa towns, is about an hour away, though the city itself is fast and noisy.

Kaohsiung's version of relaxation is skilled, inexpensive foot reflexology and massage on ordinary streets, and slow walks by the Love River or Chengcing Lake. Its nearest hot springs need a long drive and an overnight stay.