Osaka & Kyoto: where to stay?

I'm planning 3-4 days to Osaka, Kyoto, and surrounding area e.g. Kobe and Nara. I'm planning to stay at either Osaka or Kyoto and do day trip to the other cities. What is your suggestion on where I should stay?

I recommend the Granvia Kyoto. It is a very nice hotel, very conveniently located for sightseeing in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara:
http://www.granviakyoto.com/

Thank you. I'm checking out the hotel.

I wasn't too clear with the question. What I mean was whether I should stay at one city and make day trip to other city, e.g. stay at Kyoto and day trip to Osaka, Nara, and Kobe?

I wasn't too clear with my answer: I recommend to use Kyoto as base, preferably the Granvia Kyoto, and visit the other cities in side trips.

But it really depends on the personal preference. Some prefer to have as few bases as possible. Others enjoy experiencing the nightlife of each city or staying at different hotels.

In any case, all cities are less than an hour from each other. So, you could even enjoy the nightlife to a certain degree and still return to your base.

Osaka woudl geographically be the more central base, but I recommend Kyoto because Kyoto has more sightseeing spots that are of interest to me (historic and cultural spots). Of course, if your personal interests are different from mine (e.g. theme parks, shopping), an Osaka base may be more suitable for you.

It all comes down to personal interest and preference.

If you are asking where to stay to make day trips for this region, my suggestion would be to stay near Shin-Osaka Station. It is a major JR hub.

By the way, the hotel Uji suggested in Kyoto is fantastic.