Great informative post. I tend to spend a day or two in Tokyo and then get out in the country and small towns. Tokyo, like NYC, tend to wear me out. Kyoto is probably my overall favorite city, with all the world heritage sites, great food, and being pretty walkable. I'll be there again this spring, so plan to do many new sketches. cheers! (My wife and I are from Seattle.)
My friends went Osaka and Kyoto and said they were amazing too. I can certainly believe it, I imagine a lot more charm and local history. Tokyo is about as crowded as Hong Kong, but across a massive scale. Pretty hard on the senses.
For me, I just need something more from a city, since I live in one of the biggest (more people than Australia in Shanghai). London, for all its failings, has an immensely vibrant identity of history and culture. You can't turn a corner without finding something fascinating to learn about from 700 years ago.
Shanghai is entirely sterile and devoid of life. Tokyo somewhere in between the two. All I know about Seatlle is the song Hello Seattle, and Frasier! And it's pretty rainy?
Oo, something I shall investigate I assume on your profile =D