Originally Posted by hhonorman

Here's another vote for Osaka. Although everytime I think of that city, I think of it as "whoa-saka", since that's the way it sounded to me whenever they made the announcement for it on the shinkansen trains. I especially enjoyed walking around in the Namba section of Osaka. There were many interesting shops and restaurants. It was very busy, but alive and vibrant, with almost a "Times Square" feel to it.

Another suggestion would be Odawara. The Hilton there has a world-class spa. It could make for a very relaxing stopover. The scenery there is gorgeous and the town is quaint and interesting.

Have a great trip.