Better to stay in Iwakuni or Yamaguchi?

Hi,

We will be travelling between Osaka and Beppu (Kyushu) on the 15 Nov. As it is a long trip via shinkansen, we are planning to stop by in Iwakuni for a day trip.

But we're not sure where we should stay overnight, at Iwakuni, Yamaguchi or Shimonoseki. We want to rest before reaching Beppu.

We will stop by Hiroshima/Miyajima on the way back.

Any ideas are welcomed,
R.

The total trip is only 3.5 hrs one way, or a little longer if you break it up into sections, so not really long enough to require a stopover along the way. If you do want to stop along the way for some sightseeing then I'd suggest checking out Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni. It's a short taxi ride away from the shinkansen station. After that continue on all the way to Beppu.

It depends what you wanna do. Shimonoseki is closer to your destination so that would probably be my first option. Iwakuni is okay. There's not too much to do there from what I remember but for one day, you should be okay. You can hang around around the bridge and visit the castle if you like. There's also Mike's Tex Mex which is well-known among the foreigner circle. Yamaguchi has its fair share of stuff as well but it is mostly countryside so if you're on foot, it might not be the best option. So yeah, depends what you want to do.

Thanks for the prompt replies everyone. We want to stop by at Iwakuni exactly for Kintai-kyo bridge.

Perhaps we should just go directly to Beppu or even spend a night in Fukuoka. And yes, we will be on foot and dragging our strolling luggages with us. Is there a locker facility at Iwakuni Station?