Kyoto or Nagasaki?

Kyoto has no coast at all. The nearest swimming is in the freshwater of Lake Biwa, at strands such as Omi-Maiko, or at the plain city beach of Suma on Osaka Bay. The white sand of the Tango Peninsula is far enough away to need a night.

Nagasaki is no beach city either, but the open sea is much closer. Takahama on the Nomo coast is a clean sandy bay about an hour away by bus, and Iojima's small beach is a short ferry ride from the harbour, so a swim fits easily into a summer afternoon.

Kyoto is one of Japan's great places to eat. Kaiseki is served in wooden houses in Gion, temple cuisine can be eaten at Daitokuji and Tenryuji, and the city is known for its tofu, yuba and pickles. Nishiki Market and the sake breweries of Fushimi add plenty for everyday grazing.

Nagasaki's food is more distinctive than refined. Champon, sara udon, castella and the shared shippoku banquet carry Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch traces you will not taste in Kyoto. The fish in the Shianbashi izakaya is excellent, but there are few top-end tables and the range is narrow.

Kyoto's heritage is on another scale. Seventeen UNESCO-listed sites, among them Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Ryoan-ji and Nijo Castle, sit alongside Fushimi Inari, the imperial villas and whole districts of old townhouses, and a week barely scratches the surface.

Nagasaki tells a different, narrower story. It is the story of Japan's only window on the West and of the atomic bomb, told through the Peace Park, Dejima, Glover Garden and Oura Cathedral. It is deeply affecting and compact, and two or three days do it justice.

Evenings are low-key in both, and the difference is one of setting. Kyoto's nights centre on the lantern-lit alley of Pontocho and the Kiyamachi canal, with sake and whisky bars, riverside terraces in summer and a handful of student clubs. Osaka, under an hour away, is there for anyone who wants a big night.

Nagasaki's going out is concentrated in Shianbashi, among izakaya, karaoke and snack bars that cater mostly to regulars. Many visitors trade the bars for the night view from Mount Inasa.

Kyoto puts gentle nature right on the doorstep. There are trails up Daimonji in the Higashiyama hills, bamboo and wooded slopes at Arashiyama, the cedar path between Kurama and Kibune, and the Kamo River banks for flat walks through the centre.

Nagasaki's own green space is mostly its steep harbour hills, and the ropeway up Mount Inasa is the highlight. Its wilder landscapes, the volcanic peaks of Unzen and the islands of Kujukushima, need a longer journey to reach.

This is where Kyoto pulls furthest ahead. Nara's deer and great Buddha, Osaka's food streets, the tea town of Uji, Himeji Castle and Kobe are all under an hour away. Fast trains let you decide the night before.

Nagasaki's outings are fewer and farther apart. The boat to the ruined island of Gunkanjima is unforgettable but depends on the weather. Shimabara, Huis Ten Bosch, the porcelain towns of Arita and Imari and Hirado each take most of a day.

Both cities are safe, clean and easy with children, but Kyoto has more made for them. It has the Railway Museum with its steam roundhouse, an aquarium and zoo near the centre, ninja shows at the Edo-period film set, the deer in Nara and Osaka's theme park close by.

Nagasaki's highlights are the trams, the Inasa ropeway, the penguins at the aquarium and a day at Huis Ten Bosch. Its stepped streets are hard work with a pushchair, and the Atomic Bomb Museum needs some thought with younger children.

Both are easy without a car, but in different ways. Central Kyoto is a flat grid made for walking and cycling, but its major temples lie around the edges of the basin. Reaching them means mixing buses, private railways and the Randen tram, and the buses crawl in the blossom and maple seasons.

Nagasaki runs on one simple tram network along the valley floor, which links almost every sight. Once you leave the valley, though, you are climbing steps on foot.

Kyoto is the place to buy beautiful things. Family workshops sell Nishijin silk, Kiyomizu-ware, lacquer, incense and hand-forged knives, and you can browse the covered arcades of Teramachi or time a visit for the flea markets at To-ji and Kitano Tenmangu.

Nagasaki's shopping is modest and local, centred on the Hamanomachi arcade. The best things to take home are boxed castella, local glassware and porcelain from nearby Hasami, Mikawachi and Arita.

In Kyoto, the costs build up in hotels and ryokan, which become scarce and costly at cherry blossom time and in the maple season, and kaiseki dinners are a splurge. Everyday noodles and food halls stay cheap.

Nagasaki is the gentler of the two on the wallet. Business hotels near the station and Shianbashi have fair rates and a tram day covers the sights for little. The extra spending is mostly on the Hashima boat and the ropeway.

Kyoto has a real stage calendar. The geisha districts hold their public dances in spring, the Minamiza is Japan's oldest kabuki house, Noh is staged regularly, and the concert hall and ROHM Theatre add orchestral music, opera and dance.

Nagasaki's great performances are festivals: the Kunchi at Suwa Shrine in October and the Lantern Festival around Chinese New Year. Between those dates there is little to plan an evening around.

Kyoto has calm in the city itself. You can visit century-old sento with tiled murals, join zazen or a tea ceremony, sit before the raked gardens or stay in a temple lodging. Hot springs are close at Kurama, Ohara and Arashiyama.

Nagasaki's best bathing is out on the Shimabara peninsula, at seaside Obama and mountain Unzen, both best with a night's stay. In the city, quiet hillside temples and evening walks along the harbour have to stand in.