Nikko or Takayama?

Neither is a swimming destination. Both sit deep in the mountains, hours from the coast, and in summer the water you get into is a hot spring. Nikko does have Lake Chuzenji and Lake Yunoko for a boat trip, while from Takayama the sea at Toyama Bay is the nearer of the two coasts, though still a separate journey.

Takayama eats noticeably better. Hida beef comes grilled on magnolia leaves, on skewers in the old town and even as sushi. The soy-based ramen and the morning markets by the Miyagawa cover everyday eating, and the sake breweries in the merchant quarter add tastings you can walk between.

Nikko's table is narrower and rooted in temple cooking: yuba in many forms, soba and grilled river fish, mostly served at lunch along the road to the shrines. In both towns the best dinner tends to be the one at your ryokan, but in Nikko there is much less to choose from outside it.

Nikko has the bigger sight. Toshogu's lacquer, gold leaf and carved Yomeimon gate, set among giant cedars with Rinnoji, Futarasan and Taiyuinbyo beside it, form a UNESCO ensemble that draws visitors on its own. The Shinkyo bridge, the Tamozawa villa and the Jizo statues of Kanmangafuchi round it out.

Takayama's appeal is the whole townscape rather than one monument. Its preserved Edo merchant streets, the old government office at Takayama Jinya and the gassho farmhouses of Hida Folk Village give a quieter picture of everyday life in the past. Neither town has much in the way of museums.

Both towns go to bed early, but Takayama at least has somewhere to go after dinner. A few izakaya and small bars near the station and east of the river serve beer and sake into the late evening. In Nikko the day visitors have gone by late afternoon, and the evening is a ryokan dinner and a bath, with only hotel lounges in Kinugawa as an alternative.

Nikko's wild country starts at the edge of town. The Irohazaka hairpins lead up to Lake Chuzenji beneath Mount Nantai, with Kegon Falls at its outlet and the Senjogahara boardwalks running on to Yunoko. Walks range from flat marsh trails to steep summit climbs, with rafting in the Kinugawa gorge and frozen falls in winter.

Takayama is the gateway to higher mountains, the Northern Alps, with the Shin-Hotaka ropeway and the riverside trails of Kamikochi. Reaching them takes an hour or more by bus, though, and Kamikochi closes in the cold months, so day-to-day access is easier from Nikko.

Takayama has the better short outings. Shirakawa-go's thatched UNESCO village is under an hour by bus, canal-lined Hida-Furukawa is a quick train ride, and Gero Onsen and Kanazawa can be done as excursions or as onward stops.

Nikko's great asset is Tokyo, about two hours away, which brings the whole capital within reach of a long day. Closer at hand there are gyoza in Utsunomiya and the pottery kilns of Mashiko, with the post town of Ouchi-juku further north.

Both are safe and calm and suit a couple of days with children rather than a week. The difference is in what the children get to do. Nikko has the attractions built for them on the Kinugawa side, with ninja and samurai shows at the Edo village, miniature landmarks, and boat rides on the lake, but its shrine stairs and spread-out bus journeys are hard with toddlers. Takayama has nothing made for children, though its flat old town, street snacks, market stalls and giant festival floats are easy to manage with a pushchair.

Takayama is easier on foot. The old town, the Jinya and the markets are all within a short flat walk of the station, and the bus centre next door handles the regional trips.

Nikko is laid out along a single road that climbs about 2km from the stations to the shrines, and the shrine precinct itself is full of steps. The lake and falls depend on buses up the Irohazaka road, which can crawl badly on autumn weekends.

Takayama is the better place to buy something worth keeping: translucent Shunkei lacquerware, carvings in yew, Hida bentwood furniture and brewery sake, with market stalls of miso and pickles alongside. Nikko comes down to one street of souvenirs, where Nikko-bori carved trays and straw-soled geta are the genuine finds among the boxed yuba. Neither town has fashion or department stores.

Costs are much the same in both, and in both the price is set by the ryokan night with a full dinner rather than by daily spending. The pressure points differ: in Nikko, rooms by the lake and in the autumn foliage weeks are the dearest. In Takayama, the festival weeks book out, and a proper Hida beef meal is a splurge many visitors make, while ramen and market food keep the other meals cheap.

Neither town has theatre or concerts, so in both places live performance means the spring and autumn festivals. Nikko's is martial and solemn: around a thousand men in samurai armour re-enacting the shogun's funeral march, with horseback archery. Takayama's is more theatrical, with ornate floats, string-worked karakuri puppets and lantern-lit night processions.

Nikko has more hot springs within easy reach. Kinugawa's large riverside inns are a short train ride away, Yumoto's milky sulphur water sits up by Lake Yunoko, and many ryokan have open-air baths facing forest or river. Midweek and in winter the mountain resorts become very quiet.

Takayama's own ryokan often have spring-fed baths too, but its most famous soaks lie outside town, in the Okuhida river pools and at Gero Onsen. Getting to them means planning a separate outing.