whats your favorite Japanese city?

fukuoka,
then yokohama
then osaka

1. Sapporo
2. Kagoshima
3. Osaka
4. Hakodate
5. Yokohama

1. Toyama - Toyama
2. Kobe - Hyogo
3. Yokohama - Kanagawa
4. north zone - Okinawa
5. Ota - Gunma

Yokohama and Osaka.

my choices are always:
Hakodate
Otaru
(Hokkaido)
Nagasaki
(Kyushu)

-Tokyo
-Osaka
-kasukabe :LOL:

Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Nagoya.

I went to ten cities in southern of Japan in 7 days for my trip, in 1997.


1........I forget a name which Himeji castle was building. (I love this city)

2. Yokohama

3. Osaka

4. Tokyo

5. Hirochima

6. Nara

7. Kyoto

8. Nagoya

9. Kyoto

10. Toyohashi

Every city were a good place for my experiences.

I still have a good memory for that time.

I think that only have four favorites cities:
- Tokio.
- Kobe.
- Osaka.
- Kioto

Osaka and Yokohama:)

1........I forget a name which Himeji castle was building. (I love this city)



Himeji city :D

1-Tokyo.

2-Kyoto.

3-Kobe

Tokio is my favourite

you can try to make a poll for the quesion

1-Tokyo (But also Tokyo haves 22 cityes)
2-Nagoya
3-Kyoto
4-Yokohama
5-Osaka
6-Hiroshima
7-Kobe
8-Kawasaki
9-Fukuoka (Hakata?)
10-Sendai

Sendai...as the cleanest city and friendly people
Kyoto....beautiful city and chic
Tokyo....i just love tokyo

i like historic city as kyoto.

Tokyo
Kyoto
Sapporo

and i literary left my heart in Tsukuba....

Not many people know about it but Sapporo is known as "ura Kyoto" or "shadow Kyoto", implying the capital of Ezo, being the opposite side of Japan against the Yamato imperial court located in Kansai. It's just like the barbarians outside the Great Wall in China, when the Ainu language was spoken in North East Japan. :)

Anthropologically:

Tokyo - East Japan, mixture of Jomon and Yayoi people, today's capital of Japan
Kyoto - West Japan, Yayoi people
Sapporo - North Japan, Jomon people

Tokyo
Osaka
Hiroshima

Not many people know about it but Sapporo is known as "ura Kyoto" or "shadow Kyoto", implying the capital of Ezo, being the opposite side of Japan against the Yamato imperial court located in Kansai. It's just like the barbarians outside the Great Wall in China, when the Ainu language was spoken in North East Japan. :)

Anthropologically:

Tokyo - East Japan, mixture of Jomon and Yayoi people, today's capital of Japan
Kyoto - West Japan, Yayoi people
Sapporo - North Japan, Jomon people

Very interesting :okay:

^^ I like every city of Japan.

Osaka
Kyoto
Tokyo

1/ Osaka 2/ Fukuoka 3/ Kobe 4/ Tokyo 5/ Hiroshima

Very interesting :okay:

I heard that Sapporo was called "Little Tokyo" because of all the Tokyoites who have been sent here to work at branch offices.

And, there was no Sapporo until the Kaitakushi established the capital here around 1870; before that there were small trading posts (basho ukeoi) at Ishikari, Yoichi etc, but the "Ainu capital" of Ezochi was Piratori/Biranuma, also today called Biratori in the Saru area of Hidaka.

Favorite Japanese cities:
Nara
Hakodate
Kanazawa

I heard that Sapporo was called "Little Tokyo" because of all the Tokyoites who have been sent here to work at branch offices.

Not merely Sapporo.
Sapporo, Sendai, Hirosima, Fukuoka - these 4 citites are usually called 'Little Tokyo'.

Tokyo
Aomori/Hirosaki/Kuroishi Cities
Osaka
Himeji
Hiroshima
Kyoto

In that order... havnt been to Yokohama or Nagoya yet so the list is subject to change hehe :lol:

I THINK JAPAN IN GENERAL IS WONDERFUL.

I WOULD SAY IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN ANCIENT CITY WITH A LOT OF HISTORY IN JAPAN I THINK KYOTO IS THE BEST .

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MODERNISM AND HAVING FUN I WOULD SAY
TOKYO IS THE BEST TO BE.

BUT OF COURSE DON'T FORGET THE BEAUTY OF ALL THE OTHER CITIES
AND THE GREAT PEOPLE OF JAPAN.

tokio

I Love Tokio, Osaka and Kioto, but every city of japan is beautiful.

東京 Tokyo and 大阪 Osaka. But only in photos because I haven't travel to Japan already.

Not merely Sapporo.
Sapporo, Sendai, Hirosima, Fukuoka - these 4 citites are usually called 'Little Tokyo'.
Sendai, Hiroshima and Fukuoka may be. But Sapporo is more unique, functions as the capital of Hokkaido, not even on the same path with Osaka and Nagoya. The closest equivalent to Sapporo is Naha, Okinawa.

in order

KIOTO
TOKIO
OSAKA
KOBE

I haven't been to Japan yet. I had a chance to visit it when my brother worked in Japan several years ago, although I missed it. :cry: I am in the US now, and I go to New York every once a while. I love NYC! But I am sure I would love Tokyo much much more if I go there someday. I am a big fashion lover, so when you talk about visiting Tokyo, it's almost like a pilgrimage.:colgate:

Tokyo
Osaka
Aomori
Kyoto
Sendai
Fukuoka
Nagasaki

^^ Maybe I'll choose first Fukuoka,have been to other parts of Japan although if you're going to compare walang gaanong pagkakaiba sila,but the busiest City is of course Tokyo(very high standard of living),but when it comes to low standard of living FUKUOKA is the best:okay: to stay for good,for business it's Tokyo of course coz it's the center of Japan.Hokkaido the standard of living is very expensive especially foods:ohno: Every cities of Japan has it's own especiallity ,beauty spots,foods,custom and tradition.I love every corner of Japan:) :cheers:

namba

Kyoto
Kobe

My favorite Japanese cities [in order]:
1. Tokyo (the richest and the most modern city in Japan)
2. Sapporo (the wide plains of Hokkaido are a plus)
3. Yokohama
4. Fukuoka (probably the most "open-minded" city in Japan)
5. Kyoto (ancient Japan comes alive in this city)
6. Osaka

Is there other cities than tokyo ?
Olala ! I though that Yokohamma was in tokyo's suburbs ! (joke...sorry)

My favorite city is Japaneese Megapolis (100Mo)

But actually i don't really know all the city of Japan to have a favorite.

1) Tokyo
2) Osaka
3) Kyoto
4) Sapporo

#1 Fukuoka
#2 Kobe
#3 Osaka
#4 Tokyo + Yokohama
#5 Sapporo

1. Fukuoka
2. Tokyo
3. Okayama
4. Nagasaki
5. Osaka

Okayama? I don't know about Okayama :)

1. Nagoya
2.Tokyo
3.Yokohama
4.Sapporo
5.Nagasaki

I have not been to Fukuoka yet or anywhere in Hokkaido.. but for me:

1. Kobe
2. Yokohama
3. Nagano
4. Naha
5. Tokyo/Osaka (tie)

1 Tokyo
2 Sapporo
3 Kyoto
4 Hiroshima
5 Sendai
.
.
.
Osaka

1. Osaka

Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Sapporo and Osaka :)

1 Tokyo. Honestly, it's not pretty. But it is so epic and crazy that it feels like an urban maze you could not possibly experience entirely. I dream of exploring Tokyo.

2 Nagoya. Maybe it's because I visited right during the Sakura blossom, but Nagoya was just very pleasant, and the people were very friendly.

3 Kyoto. I don't like tourists, but there were some very cool districts away from the crowded temples.

^^ agree with NZer: Tokyo must be #1, even though it drives me crazy living here sometimes. but after that...

Yokoyama: bayside setting is nice

Kyoto: I've only been there in high summer so there weren't any crowds. Lovely & peaceful, and easy to find your way around.

Hiroshima: I love streetcars; great setting with all the rivers

Naha: no-one else will choose this. But I love Okinawa so it has to go on the list. Plus, Kokusai-dori on a warm evening is wonderfully trashy, chilled out, and smells like steak. I would live there if I had a choice.

1. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Symbol_flag_of_Tokyo.svg/32px-Symbol_flag_of_Tokyo.svg.png Tokyo: For its size.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Tokyo_odaiba.jpg/320px-Tokyo_odaiba.jpg

2. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Flag_of_Kyoto_City.svg/32px-Flag_of_Kyoto_City.svg.png Kyoto: For its tranquility.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Kiyomizu-dera_and_Kyoto_at_night.jpg/320px-Kiyomizu-dera_and_Kyoto_at_night.jpg

3. http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1637/hokkaidohakodate.jpg Hakodate: For its romantic sights.

http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/3583/lqdmb521g8kalqtuf7jpc6j.jpg

4. http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6862/hokkaidosapporo.jpg Sapporo: For its livability.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Hokkaido_Sapporo_Odori_Park.jpg/320px-Hokkaido_Sapporo_Odori_Park.jpg

5. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Flag_of_Kobe.svg/32px-Flag_of_Kobe.svg.png Kobe: Mountain, sea, and fashionable people.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Port_of_Kobe01s3780.jpg/320px-Port_of_Kobe01s3780.jpg

6. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Flag_of_Nara%2C_Nara.svg/32px-Flag_of_Nara%2C_Nara.svg.png Nara: The true living museum that beats out Kyoto.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/YAKUSHI_light_up.jpg/320px-YAKUSHI_light_up.jpg

7. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Flag_of_Ishigaki%2C_Okinawa.svg/32px-Flag_of_Ishigaki%2C_Okinawa.svg.png Ishigaki: This still is a city, technically speaking.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Kabirawan.jpg/320px-Kabirawan.jpg

8. http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/5042/hokkaidofurano.jpg Furano: This is, too.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Kanno_Farm%2C_Furano.jpg/320px-Kanno_Farm%2C_Furano.jpg

9. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Flag_of_Onomichi%2C_Hiroshima.png/32px-Flag_of_Onomichi%2C_Hiroshima.png Onomichi: Cats, slopes, and movies.

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/2500/07002.jpg

10. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Flag_of_Fukuoka_City.svg/32px-Flag_of_Fukuoka_City.svg.png Fukuoka: For its noodles.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Nakasu-yatai.JPG/320px-Nakasu-yatai.JPG

Tokyo looks pretty cool.

Here's an example why. (http://twitter.com/TheTokyoForum/status/18546401326) Even the homeless are high tech.

Tokyo

But it's hard to choice a favorite city, I LOVE Japan and your culture.

Osaka
Naha (Okinawa)
Yokohama
Kyoto

1- 那覇 (obvious reason)
2- 大阪
3- 東京

What's the obvious reason? And interesting you like Osaka more than Tokyo :P, why?

What's the obvious reason? And interesting you like Osaka more than Tokyo :P, why?

we all know kansai people are better than kanto!
haha i'm kidding :lol:
いっしょにはんしんおーえんしたいんや～！

That's only because I am a kansai :lol:

I originally wanted to make my account KinkiGirl though that doesn't sound good for most people unfamiliar with "kinki" (kansai) :lol: It woukd be funny though

What's the obvious reason? And interesting you like Osaka more than Tokyo :P, why?

Naha...the place i never been to yet the name is familiar to me for a personal reason. I'm sure RyukyuRhymer know what i mean. :)

Osaka sounds more sexy to me, with all its good foods (Takoyaki) and festivals. Just imagine the scene of Osaka castle with all it's Sakura blooming...wonderful isn't it? Besides it fits with my all time favorite Video Game, Onimusha. :lol:

Tokyo...ehhh I wasn't going to pick it but since it's a nice city and a capital...And i need a #3 so i decide to put it in. I have no impressions of other Japanese cities.

we all know kansai people are better than kanto!
Hmm regional pride? hehe

7. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Flag_of_Ishigaki%2C_Okinawa.svg/32px-Flag_of_Ishigaki%2C_Okinawa.svg.png Ishigaki: This still is a city, technically speaking.

]


well Ishigaki City is actually a City, its just that the picture is not of the city :)
but the city itself isn't particularly interesting. Just a typical small Okinawan town, nothing eye catching.

http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/_images/blog/1901rjtt-to-roah/2336146.jpg
http://img.f.hatena.ne.jp/images/fotolife/s/skno11/20081211/20081211174340.jpg

Osaka :)

I have no favorite single location in Japan..........because I love all of in Japan (all 47 prefectures are equally awesome).

You have to visit all places in Japan because all are awesome. :D

:)

i've never been to Okinawa, but heard that it's an interesting place...

By the way, my choice

1. Tokyo
2. Yokohama
3. Kyoto
4. Osaka
5. Oita ^^

Kyoto - Osaka - Nara

1: Osaka - by a longshot. The Chicago of Japan, REAL CITY, no pretention. Japan's juggernaut!
2: Kobe - Osaka's little brother, is handsome and great Chinatown.
3: Fukuoka - the Vancouver of Japan
4: Nagoya - workingman's Japan with lots of style, ala LA.
5: Tokyo - Yokohama - I get the feeling that Kanto is very pretentious even though it is obviously the #1 urban area in the world. Kind of weird in a way, but I suppose New Yorkers often feel the same way in regard to Chicago too. Anyways, Tokyo (and the world's biggest suburb, Yokohama) needs to be mentioned.

I honestly wasn't too impressed with Kyoto and I''ve traveled to Japan more than 5 times (Kyoto at least 3 times). Seemed very polluted to me.

Where's the love for Nagasaki?

Gotta be Tokyo, 2nd place is Kyoto

i like all Japan equally :)

一番:那覇市沖縄県
二番:福岡市
三番:東京都
四番:宮崎市
五番:長崎市
六番:大阪市
七番:熊本市僕は熊本市に住みます。

http://www.tiiki.jp/corp_new/pressrelease/2009/20090910.html
http://www.tiiki.jp/corp_new/pressrelease/2010/20100908.html

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/photos/life/trend/100917/trd1009170211000-p1.jpg
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/photos/life/trend/100917/trd1009170211000-p2.jpg



2009 (2008)
1 (2) 函館市 北海道 58.8
2 (1) 札幌市 北海道 56.4
3 (3) 京都市 京都府 56.3
4 (4) 横浜市 神奈川県 51.9
5 (6) 神戸市 兵庫県 50.9
6 (5) 小樽市 北海道 50.5
7 (8) 鎌倉市 神奈川県 48.0
8 (7) 富良野市 北海道 47.6
9 (10) 金沢市 石川県 41.3
10 (9) 軽井沢町 長野県 40.9
11 (11) 屋久島町 鹿児島県 40.5
12 (12) 那覇市 沖縄県 40.2
13 (14) 長崎市 長崎県 37.0
14 (13) 仙台市 宮城県 36.4
15 (23) 名古屋市 愛知県 36.0
16 (17) 奈良市 奈良県 35.3
17 (18) 石垣市 沖縄県 34.1
18 (32) 箱根町 神奈川県 33.8
19 (22) 沖縄市 沖縄県 33.6
20 (24) 倉敷市 岡山県 33.4

http://www.tiiki.jp/corp_new/pressrelease/images/20100908_01.jpg

Tokyo
Osaka
Yokohama
Kyoto

Kyoto
Sapporo
Fukuoka

Sapporo is by far my favorite city. Followed closely by Kyoto and Gifu. The other two are all back in Hokkaido: Otaru and Hakkodate. Oh Japan, how I miss you!

I really can't say which city is my favorite (I live in Sapporo btw), as you really need to live in a place for awhile to form any substantive opinions, and I have lived only in one other (small) city for an extended period of time. Castermaild's data is interesting, once again it is based more on image rather than hard facts such as cost of living, social services, health care, environment, culture, etc. However, you can see that Sapporo (Hokkaido) is at the top of the list- I suspect alot of this has to to do with people in Honshu having some idealized image of Hokkaido, though I admit Sapporo, discounting the six month long winter, is a very livable if somewhat boring city. Even more interesting are the places ranked at the bottom, mainly the Kanto region prefectures of Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Saitama- I think these areas suffer from being adjacent to idealized Tokyo, and Saitama especially, being basically a bedroom region for Tokyo workers- residents imagine living in any place besides their current digs, I reckon.

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2416/20100531232325original.gif

I'm surprised Saitama didn't rank the lowest, but I guess our prefecture is at least famous, albeit with impoverished image. Our brothers in north Kanto, on the other hand, are truly jimi or chutohanpa. Of course, that's just an image, not a reality. They actually do have nice places like Kusatsu, Oze, Nikko, Nasu, or... erm... Never mind, Ibaraki.

:jk:

Tokyo
Osaka
Sapporo

Yokohama (I always think of it as a city that stands on its own)
Sendai
Tokyo
Kobe
Fukuoka
Nagoya
Osaka
Sapporo
Kawasaki (It seems, in some ways, to be a natural extension of Yokohama)
Hiroshima

Some honourable mentions:
Hamamatsu
Toyama
Shizuoka City
Niigata
Sakai

I am fascinated by the smaller large cities of Japan (i.e. Fukuoka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Sendai). There is just something about them.

I have never been in Japan but through several posted pictures. I can finally choose my favorites: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama and Okinawa island.

Osaka
Nagoya
Kobe
Fukuoka
Kyoto

Yokohama, probably. And Nagoya as well ^__^
but I'm still looking forward to visit Sapporo and Fukuoka...

1. Kobe (the best Japanese city to live in)
2. Tokyo (the real Metropolis of Eastern Asia)
3. Nagoya (not as big or futuristic as Tokyo, but still quite impressive with great transportation system, many things to see and good place to live too)
4. Kyoto (just because of its history)
5. Yokohama (clean, beautiful and with many attractions nearby, great buildings)

I went to Hakodate on the weekend.
It was lovely, I prefer it to Sapporo.

1-Fukuoka
2-Naha
3-Tokyo
4-Nagasaki
5-Miyazaki

All over Kyushu!

So besides TOkyo as a must visit,
for a tourist/interested student, which should be the top 3 cities to see?
General interest are architecture, culture, history, normal life (not tourist atractions)

Those 4 criteria is big lol. In most cities you can see all of those.. but..

Architecture: Kobe, Kyoto, Nara
Culture: Kyoto
History: Kyoto, Hiroshima
Normal Life: All of them, but Nagoya would be good since it's like Tokyo without the "international" feel.

Also Fukuoka is the best :P

Thanks for the reply Nihonkitty
Kyoto looks promising ...
Nagoya was less known for me, but i'll search for some info about it

thanks!

Kamagasaki "Airin" sector in Osaka if you want to see the Japanese version of GTA "Liberty City" or "Vice City" :-P

^^ haha, and by that you mean, it's dangerous? or south-californian style?

Tokyo..there is so much to offer and you can never really get bored of Tokyo.

^^ I've heard from some people on travel forums that tokyo goes dead after the last train. Or at least isn't as lively as some other japanese cities, Osaka for example, around that time and after (say 3 in the morning)....

quite a lot of votes for nagoya. I should visit that place.

quite a lot of votes for nagoya. I should visit that place.

I'm biased. Being a Nagoyan at heart, but I simply love the city.

If you go there PM me for a list of places to go. I've been away a few years, but I'm going back this May, I can't wait!!!

Hehe like I said, for me, when it comes to Japan, I have no favorite city. All of Japan is my favorite :D.

:)

P.S.
Btw guys:
Where is this?

http://images.noticiasautomotivas.com.br/img/f/novo-civic-2012-exclusivo-japao-9.jpg

Seeing as the cars are Hondas and the truck's plate says Mie Prefecture, probably Suzuka City.

Nah, closer to Yokkaichi I reckon.

Having only been to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji and Hiroshima I'd have to say:
1- Tokyo
Amazing metropolis, so much to see and do, incredible contrast between high technolgy and ancient traditions. Love the TV billboards everywhere, very scifi.
2- Osaka
Universal Studios! Loved Dotonbori district as well, so much happening there at night.
3- Kyoto
Temples, temples, temples everywhere! All quite amazing, especially the Golden Temple. Gion district is quite stunning.
4- Hiroshima
Really enjoyed Miyajima Island and of course the A Bomb Dome is a must see.
5- Himeji
The castle is spectacular and Mt Sosha with Engyo-ji is incredible.
6- Kobe
I found this city to be very boring, no stand out attractions but maybe I didn't stay long enough or just didn't research it properly?

Osaka - Tokyo - Kyoto seem to be the most popular in general in this thread...
To have a good look at japan, and see things, experience the lifestyle, what time is need?
1month? 3 months? ..

Osaka :cheers:

Osaka - Tokyo - Kyoto seem to be the most popular in general in this thread...
To have a good look at japan, and see things, experience the lifestyle, what time is need?
1month? 3 months? ..

I spent nearly five weeks there in Sept/Oct last year, most of which was in Tokyo. I could easily of spent all five weeks in Tokyo and still not seen half of the city. If you want to really explore the big cities and 'experience the lifestyle' then obviously the longer the better but bear in mind that visitors from most countries will need a visa if they stay longer than three months. JR Rail Passes are great if you want to head out of Tokyo to the other major cities via the Shinkansen (bullet train).

thanks for this great and useful reply inefekt!
sounds like a good plan for when I finish my university studies to head out for a few months...

Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto

From what I've seen in TV documentaries, my favorite city is Tokyo, because it mixes modernity and tradition, and is the global epicenter of otaku culture :3

Saludos desde España.

My top 5 are:
Tokyo - Most futuristic city on the world.
Sapporo - I just love this city so much, especially in winters.
Nagoya - Awesome city with great skyscraper architecture.
Kyoto - Best touristic city on Japan.
Saitama - very nice city, small but so modern.

I want to see Osaka (lots of shopping arcades, and I love octopus balls) and Yokohama (nice artificial skyline at the port)

based on things I've seen and read online..........

Tokyo- amazing metropolis with unlimited things to see and do

Kobe and Fukuoka- beautiful medium sized cities and excellent all-round for living

Kyoto- incredibly beautiful historical areas, and amazing cultural experience



many other Japanese cities seem nice too

I love FUKUOKA.
The foods in this prefecture is so taste, so stunning. People here is so nice, friendly.

Fukuoka... I dont know that city
is it big? Interesting?

Fukuoka... I dont know that city
is it big? Interesting?

Yes, it is senventh largest cities of Japan. Shopping and restaurants are what you will find interesting here.

So from a cultural point it's not that interesting...

I googled quickly and found this image http://www.metaefficient.com/images/The_Fukuoka_Prefectural_International_Hall_Ambasz.jpg
innovative architecture.. green minded city?

Only Tokyo, Kobe and Kyoto.... :)

1/ Osaka
2/ Fukuoka
3/ Kobe (before earthquake - not visited afterwards)
4/ Hiroshima
5/ Tokyo

In my opinion

I think Tokyo is the best one
It's one of wonderful city and one of amazing catipal in the world.
Tokyo is number one i think!!

next, Osaka , Yokohama , Kyoto , Supporo
are the city that I'd also like to visit one day

So,In my life I must to see and visit all of Japan

Can some people give me their opinions on Fukuoka and Kobe, and maybe Yokohama

A comparison of the 3, or at least Fukuoka and Kobe would be excellent

Can some people give me their opinions on Fukuoka and Kobe, and maybe Yokohama

A comparison of the 3, or at least Fukuoka and Kobe would be excellent

Both cities are beautiful, but i think in my opinion Fukuoka is quite more attractive in the archticture aspect. Also, it has alot of parks and green spaces if we compare it to Kobe. Kobe is more akin to Osaka, It's like smaller Osaka with alot of tall classic residental buildings. Although both , as any Japanese city, have landmarks that makes them very interesting to visit. Fukuoka has Fukuoka tower stands for 234M, and Kobe has Kobe port tower that stands for 108M.
I made a compilation video of 6 Japanese cities including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and ultimately Kobe. I included wide variety of Photos that show the modernity of these beautiful cities.

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D6rJ8-xrY4

Can some people give me their opinions on Fukuoka and Kobe, and maybe Yokohama

A comparison of the 3, or at least Fukuoka and Kobe would be excellent

well geographically, Kobe is unique because its so close to the mountains, you can see it quite easly.. while Yokohama is still on the Kanto plain

so while walking, the feel is different.. as Yokohama feels more spread out.. like a spacious version of Tokyo (wider streets, wider spaces between buildings)..
but Kobe has hills.. it feels a bit more homelier.

They also have similarities too.. perhaps its because both were port cities used for foreign trade in the past.. or because both are mid size cities next to a major one (osaka and tokyo)..

either way i like both cities alot! the people are nice and friendly, it doesn't feel congested, and theres a little bit more nature than osaka/tokyo.

but i do feel that its easier to find your way around kobe than yokohama.. yokohoama as i said, feels very big

I love Osaka !
I like too Tokyo only Shibuya and Minami Senju.

Can some people give me their opinions on Fukuoka and Kobe, and maybe Yokohama

A comparison of the 3, or at least Fukuoka and Kobe would be excellent

I've been to all three and I live in Yokohama. They are all good cities, I like them all. Fukuoka is probably the funkiest and most modern. Kobe and Yokohama are famous for being the first ports to open to the West during the Meiji restoration so they have a similar feel. Kobe is thin (look at a map); it's flanked on one side by mountains and the sea on the other. Kobe and Yokohama don't feel very big because they are overshadowed by nearby, bigger cities (Osaka and Tokyo respectively). However, Yokohama is technically the biggest city in Japan (Tokyo is not a city but a special prefecture), but it doesn't feel as big as it should because it is essentially a huge bedroom community for people working in Tokyo. For a city of 4 million, there aren't a comparatively high number of jobs in the city center and few skyscrapers. This is obvious when you look at a rail map; Yokohama has only 2 subway lines. But it has a ton of rail lines used to ferry people into Tokyo. Fukuoka feels bigger because it is the main city of Kyushu; many people that live there also work there. It also has more of an 'identity' because it is all alone. It gets a lot of attention for being a center on Northeast Asia; I believe it is closer geographically to Seoul, Taipei and Shanghai then to Tokyo. It is also a 3hr boat ride away from Busan, Korea.

KYOTO..!!!!

Time I post here!

It's definitely hard to choose an overall ranking but just to mention each city (I've been to) that stands out for their own aspects. In no particular order:

Osaka

- I love the no-nonsense, straightforward (though still in a Japanese way) and frank/rough/funny way of Osaka people. The closest Japanese friend I have is from Osaka. He always says they communicate from the heart. Haha.

Fukuoka

- great livable atmosphere and good food. Seemed to me like a very nice place to live in. City is not soo big and rowdy, but not too boring. Yokkabai! Hehe.

Kobe

-The landscape reminds me so much of my home city, Cebu in the Philippines- being a major port city, the narrow plains, the mountains so close to the sea. It is also much more organized than the larger cities of Osaka and Tokyo.

Naha

-Climate, seafood and general vibe. A very positive feel, fresh and young and lively. More laidback than other Japanese cities. And of course, the sea!


Tokyo

-the big city frenzy, the current that flows through this megapolis is very remarkable. Very interesting nooks and corners. The old and new. Cousin who visited said she liked Singapore better but I thought (no offense to Singapore) that there was NO COMPARISON! Singapore is very artificial (and hence very well-planned and consequently boring) while Tokyo is just bursting with interesting things happening, or that have happened in the past, and it is very old and very new at the same time. It's a feast for the senses (and sometimes it can be too much hehe).

Kochi (I know it's a surprising choice! I'm the first one after all hehe)

-Just because I've gone there many times for field work and there is this great place called Daikichi which serves the best seafood for the cheapest price with all the alcohol you'll ever need!. And actually, almost everywhere you'll find the best katsuo-tataki there, and cheap! Climate is also balmy and nice and very provincial.

Hiroshima

- Sea, mountains, Miyajima, historical significance, strength. resiliency and the best-comeback of any Japanese city perhaps.

Kyoto and Nara

-for history and lots of old amazing things to see!

Okayama

-because it is just a great place to live in. It might seem boring to big city people, but nature is great, fruits and vegetables are safe and delicious (oh the peaches and grapes especially), crabs and shrimps of the Seto Inland Sea, green mountains. Life is definitely less stressful. The weather is great. Lots of sunshine, less rain and snow (almost never snows!), and no nuclear plant nearby, safe from tsunamis (mostly) and has had no really damaging earthquakes!

And yeah, it's because I live here hehehe!

I'm honestly surprised to see anyone liking Nagoya!
I should try to take a fresh look at the city while I'm still here.
Personally, out of the few (big) cities I've been to it would be:
1.Tokyo
2.Kyoto
3.Nagoya
4.Osaka (Only here because I hardly know the place at all)

Nara was nice, but it hardly qualifies as a city, and Nagano is in a great location, but the city itself is pretty ugly and dull.

1. Fukuoka
2. Osaka
3. Kagoshima
4. Osaka
5. Sendai
It's all about the food, really. Tokyo has the worst food, while Fukuoka, Osaka & Kagoshima have the best. But it's a close call, as I've eaten wonderfully well in Sapporo, Sendai, Toyama, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Morioka, Niigata, Kobe, Yokohama, too...
If you can handle the volcanic ash, Kagoshima is a bit of a hidden gem. Well worth a day or two for an excursion.
Fukuoka has brilliant food, gorgeous girls, and is generally rather pleasant IME.

You put Osaka twice! Definitely agree with you on Fukuoka.

These days I think i will put
#1 Hiroshima
#2 Kobe
#3 Naha
#4 Nagasaki
#5 Kamakura
#6 Kofu/Matsumoto tie

Before I'd rank Kobe and Kamakura higher but after going to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, really liked the atmosphere of the city and the people's friendliness

I like Hiroshima's many rivers and bridges.. good transportation system, modern, urban, but also cosmopolitan. Has all the amenities you find in Tokyo and Osaka, but with less crowds, better urban planning. And I like their Okonomiyaki better :)

Kofu and Matsumoto, some people may find boring.. and maybe if I lived there for a long time I would feel the same. but as a visitor I liked the quietness and nice personalities of the people there. very easy to walk around in the urban part. People there always curious about Okinawa and I'm always curious about Yamanashi/Nagano.

You put Osaka twice! Definitely agree with you on Fukuoka.
:banana:I *love* Osaka, but Fukuoka is fab.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x_06jA8Hfq4/T1vWx0ZfzKI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/ZMUMOiSfwR4/s640/Goka_Fukuoka_Jan_2012%25201.png
Tantanmen 担々麺 Fukuoka style!

based on safty, convenience、amenity　and affluence

#1; Inzai, chiba

http://lib.toyokeizai.net/public/image/2012061501003450-5.gifhttp://lib.toyokeizai.net/public/image/2012061501003450-4.gif

http://www.toyokeizai.net/business/regional_economy/detail/AC/9de7bd2ea53ac06135577af8c19ba48d/page/1/

No kofu listed..

1- Sapporo
2- Sapporo
3- Sapporo

:D

Tokyo
Yokohama
Sendai

Unfortunately I haven't visited Japan yet ( but plan to do so as soon as possible ), so based on the info and pics from the Internet, I'd say:

1. Tokyo
2. Kyoto
3. Fukuoka
4. Hiroshima
5. Yokohama

Tokyo and Osaka. Looks like I'll have to check out Fukuoka for the food!

I would say : TOKYO !!

Tokyo
Osaka
Kyoto

I haven't been never to Japan (I hope visit it as soon as posible :D), but I have seen a lot of pictures of japanese cities, and I say:

1.Tokyo
2.Nagoya
3.Osaka

I don't get the Yokohama love from many.
I find it to be a pretty horrible and bland place with not much at all going on given its size. Despite its reputation for terrible design Nagoya is better. And though Nagoya itself is pretty ugly and has nothing for tourists there's loads of stuff in the surrounding area.


I hate to be generic but out of those I've been to it probally is Tokyo.
Kobe is awesome too however.
Osaka and Hiroshima seem decent as well.

hese days I think i will put
#1 Hiroshima
#2 Kobe
#3 Naha
#4 Nagasaki
#5 Kamakura
#6 Kofu/Matsumoto tie

Before I'd rank Kobe and Kamakura higher but after going to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, really liked the atmosphere of the city and the people's friendliness

I like Hiroshima's many rivers and bridges.. good transportation system, modern, urban, but also cosmopolitan. Has all the amenities you find in Tokyo and Osaka, but with less crowds, better urban planning. And I like their Okonomiyaki better

Kofu and Matsumoto, some people may find boring.. and maybe if I lived there for a long time I would feel the same. but as a visitor I liked the quietness and nice personalities of the people there. very easy to walk around in the urban part. People there always curious about Okinawa and I'm always curious about Yamanashi/Nagano.
__________________
Matsumoto fine, its quite pretty.
But...Kofu?
The people are decent but the place seems to have been designed by Jeremy Clarkson's idiot brother. Its just one of the worst designed messes I've ever been to.

I don't get the Yokohama love from many.
I find it to be a pretty horrible and bland place with not much at all going on given its size. Despite its reputation for terrible design Nagoya is better. And though Nagoya itself is pretty ugly and has nothing for tourists there's loads of stuff in the surrounding area.


I hate to be generic but out of those I've been to it probally is Tokyo.
Kobe is awesome too however.
Osaka and Hiroshima seem decent as well.


Matsumoto fine, its quite pretty.
But...Kofu?
The people are decent but the place seems to have been designed by Jeremy Clarkson's idiot brother. Its just one of the worst designed messes I've ever been to.

you going to try argue something that's subjective? lol.

these days I've spent more time up north and with that I'm going to have to bump Kofu and Matsumoto off the list and put Sendai as #6, maybe higher once they finish the metro

you going to try argue something that's subjective? lol.
I don't see the problem with that.

I don't see the problem with that.

I liked Kofu because of the people there. Not everything is based solely on physical structures.
As for Nagoya, its a boring city. The people there have lots of pride in their city which is good, but they're not very sociable generally speaking. There's nothing unique about it.
The love for Yokohama owes much to its proximity to Tokyo. Its like Tokyo yet feels like it has more space, a perception of being more international in its design, etc

I agree with Yokohama btw...but that's from a visitors perspective if we're talking about living I'm pretty sure it's better (on average) than Tokyo.

I recently visited the north. Wow.
Morioka despite being a small prefectural capital in a rural and not particularly famous prefecture is a really nice city. It actually feels like a real city, has a lively city centre with stuff going on. And you can walk from the train station and in 20 minutes be in the real countryside, surrounded by fields. Not at all the urban design disaster that Kofu and many other Japanese cities are.
Sendai too was rather good and very well designed and had the feel of a real city. I was a bit dissapointed though that there wasn't much in the way of pubs but about a billion snacks. Don't think I'd enjoy living there too much at night, for daytime living though its great.

I recently visited the north. Wow.
Morioka despite being a small prefectural capital in a rural and not particularly famous prefecture is a really nice city. It actually feels like a real city, has a lively city centre with stuff going on. And you can walk from the train station and in 20 minutes be in the real countryside, surrounded by fields. Not at all the urban design disaster that Kofu and many other Japanese cities are.
Sendai too was rather good and very well designed and had the feel of a real city. I was a bit dissapointed though that there wasn't much in the way of pubs but about a billion snacks. Don't think I'd enjoy living there too much at night, for daytime living though its great.

we have really different tastes then. you dont like Kofu I liked Kofu. I went to Morioka two months ago to work on some disaster stuff there and my entourage and I hated it there.

but at least we can agree, Sendai is nice.

No love for Sapporo I see :(

Also, if Yokohama were not close to Tokyo it'd be a more interesting place. The argument that it isn't much "for a city of it's size" is rather moot since Tokyo pretty much steals all the attention and projects these adjacent cities would get were they not close to it. You could say the same for Chiba or Saitama. But Yokohama does have Minato Mirai and china town, plus a more relaxed atmosphere than Tokyo, which makes it IMO a better place to live.

No love for Sapporo I see :(

Also, if Yokohama were not close to Tokyo it'd be a more interesting place. The argument that it isn't much "for a city of it's size" is rather moot since Tokyo pretty much steals all the attention and projects these adjacent cities would get were they not close to it. You could say the same for Chiba or Saitama. But Yokohama does have Minato Mirai and china town, plus a more relaxed atmosphere than Tokyo, which makes it IMO a better place to live.

I simply haven't been to Sapporo to rank it :lol:
I think most people in Okinawa haven't gone to Hokkaido, even on school trips.

we have really different tastes then. you dont like Kofu I liked Kofu. I went to Morioka two months ago to work on some disaster stuff there and my entourage and I hated it there.

but at least we can agree, Sendai is nice.
Are you American per chance?
The driving focus of Kofu is a big and hard to tackle cultural difference for me. To my American friends meanwhile it isn't even a consideration, they have trouble with the manners, indirectness, etc... (which isn't such a problem for Brits).

No love for Sapporo I see :(

Also, if Yokohama were not close to Tokyo it'd be a more interesting place. The argument that it isn't much "for a city of it's size" is rather moot since Tokyo pretty much steals all the attention and projects these adjacent cities would get were they not close to it. You could say the same for Chiba or Saitama. But Yokohama does have Minato Mirai and china town, plus a more relaxed atmosphere than Tokyo, which makes it IMO a better place to live.

I've never been to Sapporo alas.

Proximity to Tokyo goes both ways really. Yokohama, Saitama, etc... aren't as great as a city of their size would be if it was the big fish in the small pond (ala Sapporo I hear, Sendai, etc...) but a big part of the reason they are so big in the first place is Tokyo overflow.

Are you American per chance?
The driving focus of Kofu is a big and hard to tackle cultural difference for me. To my American friends meanwhile it isn't even a consideration, they have trouble with the manners, indirectness, etc... (which isn't such a problem for Brits).



I've never been to Sapporo alas.

Proximity to Tokyo goes both ways really. Yokohama, Saitama, etc... aren't as great as a city of their size would be if it was the big fish in the small pond (ala Saitama I hear, Sendai, etc...) but a big part of the reason they are so big in the first place is Tokyo overflow.

nope but yes.. actually we do find the British to be a bit closer than the Americans in terms of mannerisms and indirectness. I hear it quite often on both sides.

I do agree about Yokohama too, its proxmity to Tokyo is what made it, but also works against it as Tokyo agglomerates everything around it.
I really don't want to see Japan as ending up as basically four big metros.

Osaka, Kobe and Naha
(I haven't visited Japan yet)

Osaka, Kobe and Naha
(I haven't visited Japan yet)

Naha is nice but not that great.. the urban planning is messy and confusing. people are friendly of course.. maybe I'm a bit more harsh on Naha because I know it so well. that's why I ranked it third. I probably would rank it lower now that I've been to more places since I last wrote that list.

Osaka, Kobe and Naha
(I haven't visited Japan yet)
Kobe is amazing indeed. It's a smaller version of Yokohama but still has a nice harbor and vast parks.

Osaka and Kobe are actually a miniature of Tokyo and Yokohama.
I'd still prefer living in Kanto than Kansai anyday.

I just visited Fukuoka. I think I've found my favourite. Its quite like a Japanese version of my local city back home, Newcastle.
And it has excellent ramen.

^ would have to agree, Fukuoka is really quite great! Had a blast there a few years ago. Some really interesting architecture too.