I am heading off to Australia next year again, and have the opportunity to route through either NRT or HKG (or SIN I suppose) and do a 3 or 4 day stopover. I have never been to either city, and am curious as to what you would recommend and why?

Merci.

Usual question: give a few hints about what you're interested in and how much you're willing to spend, and maybe we can give suggestions. For example, Tokyo's Intestinal Parasite Museum would be must-see if you happen to be into bugs

I like just wandering around, exploring new cultures, seeing the touristy sites etc. In London for example I get lost with the crowds, Paris was the Louvre and coffee along the Seine etc. (plus Montmarte, Moulin Rouge, Catacombs). Sydney was the beaches, Opera House, Mardi Gras etc.

I just like to experience someplace I have never been before. Not a giant fan of the bar scene but I do love open markets, architecture...

Does that help?

I could make a case for either place based on your preferences.

Tokyo is the more interesting city in terms of specific tourist sites and architecture. Also, the culture there is more focussed on a single ethnic background. Moreover, the overall Japanese culture is likely to strike a Westerner as being far more polite than you'll find in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is the more interesting city from just about every other perspective I can think of. Visually, it is an amazing place, with the central part pf the city sitting on opposite sides of a magnificent and incredibly busy harbor. In Hong Kong, all of your senses are involved with every step. Hong Kong is a ***much*** easier city for a tourist than Tokyo. The transportation system is the best and simplest in the world, and you'll see 10x as much English on signs as you will in Tokyo. And then there's the question of finding an address: simple in HK, but you really don't want to even hear about Tokyo.

To toss something else in the mix, one of the most fascinating cities in east Asia is Kyoto, with an almost overwhelming mix of culture, architecture, and history. While Kyoto is certainly a large city, it isn't nearly as overwhelming as either Tokyo or Hong Kong. Kyoto is about 70 mins by train from Kansai Airport (KIX).

Summary of my opinion: If you love cities, Hong Kong is easily the 1st choice; it's the best city in the world to visit. If you enjoy cultural/historical stuff and could do without the biggest crowds in cities, Kyoto is the place. If your best friend lives in Tokyo, that might be a reason to go there.

Hong Kong is like a banana. You unzip it, and it is ready for enjoying. Tokyo is like an onion. You can keep peeling and peeling and more and more stuff comes out. You can also cook an onion in many more ways than you can a banana. However, it takes longer and can make you cry.

Both are amazing cities, but for a quick swing Hong Kong has the edge. The Hong Kong skyline is amazing no matter how many times you see it.

I hope you will choose Tokyo.

http://www.japanwelcomesyou.com/

One other factor. If you want to be around people who are polite and helpful, go to Tokyo. If you don't care when people are rude and impolite, then Hong Kong will be acceptable.

Do you perfer order or chaos?

Is comparing bananas and onions the same as comparing apples and oranges?

Bingo! Very different places. As for rudeness/politeness/chaos, I don't know, but having lived in both, Tokyo has more than its share of rude and crass people. But you have to peel the onion to get there.

Try the following: get on a subway, find an empty seat between two sararimen, and sit there. Watch one or both of them get up and stand rather than sit next to you.

The crowds etc., don't bother me and by the sounds of it, Hong Kong seems like a better stopover for me. Now I just have to see if seats are available - oh LH are you there?

I thought there would be more English etc., in Tokyo and the fact it does not seem very tourist friendly makes me a bit nervous.

If Hong Kong is not available, then I will go for Tokyo and hope for the best. Thank you for your input.

HKG is much cheaper, much more enjoyable if you don't know your way around, and more distinctive as an experience. NRT is better if you have lots of money to spend and are willing to spend it and/or know your way around Japan. That is a gross over-simplification, but i think for the casual tourist without an agenda HKG is far better (really no comparison in my opinion).

But to be fair, if you do know your way around, Tokyo is more memorable and a more distinctive experience. But it will take time. It took me 6 months. "Figuring out" Hong Kong took me three weeks.

Both cities give me very profound experiences when I first visited. Tokyo is - for me - the urban experience par excellence, as Pickles says it has many many layers. A fascinating place, but not quite so initial accessable as Hong Kong. One walk along Victoria Harbour at sunset is normally enough to capture most people - the view, the people etc. And if you do get bored of HK, a day (or morning/afternoon/evening) trip to Shenzhen in China might be of interest.

If you are not a confident traveller, HK will be a much easier experience. While the level of spoken English gets worse year by year it is still MUCH easier to communicate, get around and get things done.

Either way you will have a great experience, so don't sweat the decision to much!