Nyororin... I'm not sure why you think that people hate Nagoya.
I could have left 15 years ago if I wanted to but I love it here. A great city indeed but lacks the "old traditional face of Japan" that tourists come here for.
That is why I just simply implied that for a tourist who wants to experience authentic Japanese culture this is not the right place to be since there's not much of authenticity left (the Nagoya castle was completely rebuilt and has an elevator inside).
You mentioned that Nagoya has a lot to offer to tourists - "plenty to see". I have visitors all the time so I really would like to have your "real Japan in Nagoya list" so that I can show them traditional Japan locally.
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MorningFlash... I think your original idea was great. Arriving in Tokyo on 3rd and leaving for Nagoya on 5th sounds all right. The New Year's rush is 12/30, 31 and 1/1, 2, 3 maybe 4.
Arriving at Nagoya on 2nd and going away for a day or two on one of THOSE days (see above) might be more stressful than arriving in Tokyo and coming to Nagoya on 5th. This is my opinion, ask the others too!
If you choose to go to Osaka, then Dotonbori is great at night (great during the day too but at night it's fantastic)... and that's my list for Osaka... unless you want to see things that you can see anywhere else around the world.
Kyoto on the other hand has a lot to offer (it is the "city of temples")... but you'll get bored after 2 temples... so don't overdoze yourself.
My list for Kyoto for a one day trip is: 1) Golden Temple 2) Ryoanji (800m from Golden temple) 3) Kiyomizudera and if you have time left that I doubt then 4) Fushimi Inari or Arashiyama.
Just write these keyword 1)2)3)4) to your explorer and check out some pictures.
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As for Nagoya... here's an idea for your stay! Why don't you visit one of the Toyota Factories? There are free Plant Tours every day from 11am to 13pm with an English guide. I've been there several times, it's a great experience!
If you know Japanese or have a friend who does then you can book a day ahead. You can do so at this page:
http://www.toyota.co.jp/jp/about_toy...r/general.html
If you can't do it yourself then I can help you.
Good luck,
Japean
www.japean.jp