When I planned my first trip to Japan during cherry blossom season, I knew I wanted to see the tourist highlights in major urban centers like Tokyo and Osaka, but I also wanted to embrace the countryside.

I asked my relatives who live in Japan for recommendations, and their suggestions led me to three rural day trips, each just a couple of hours from a major city.

Fortunately, each of these locations was fairly easy to navigate and well worth the public transportation trips required to reach them.

If you’re also heading to Japan and looking for a break from the noise of the major cities, here are the day trips I recommend.

Oshino gave me my first real experience with the Japanese countryside.

From Tokyo, I took a two-hour bus to Oshino, a small town in Yamanashi Prefecture. The big attraction is Oshino Hakkai, a set of eight ponds fed by spring water from Mount Fuji.

The village is known for its thatched houses, tall grass and working water mill. The slow pace felt peaceful and calming. I spent the afternoon wandering between traditional houses, exploring hot food and local craft stalls, and sampling regional snacks.

For lunch I tried hōtō, a noodle dish originally from this area. It’s made with thick, flat udon-style noodles and vegetables like kabocha squash, stewed in a flavorful miso-based broth.

It was the perfect meal, especially since I visited on a cold, rainy day. Mount Fuji remained behind the clouds for most of the afternoon, but broke through long enough for me to see it above the river, where the cherry trees were just beginning to bloom, creating a stunning view.

Shirakawa-go looked like a fairytale town frozen in time

My second day trip was Shirakawa-go, a short 75 minute bus ride from Kanazawa.

The main attraction is the village of Ogimachi, home to about 500 residents and famous gassho-zukuri farms. The name translates to “like praying hands,” as the steep, triangular thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks clasped together.

I spent the day visiting an open-air museum of 25 cottages (some of which we were able to visit inside), eating gohei mochi (a grilled rice snack) at a street stall, and climbing a gentle slope to the observation deck of Ogimachi Castle, the former site of Ogimachi Castle.

From above, I could see the entire town spread out below, with cottages scattered across green fields.

There were other tourists in the area when I visited, but the experience didn’t feel loud or crowded due to the spacious layout of the town.

Walking along the cobblestone paths, surrounded by forests and mountains, made me feel very serene.

Nachi-Katsuura had mountains, shrines and the highest waterfall in Japan

Nachi-Katsuura, also known as Kii-Katsuura, is about four hours by train from Osaka. If you fancy a longer day trip, I highly recommend it.

During a pilgrimage to the Kumano Sanzan I visited three sacred shrines, one of which is located in Nachi-Katsuura. I took the Daimon-zaka slope to visit the shrine, which meant climbing 267 moss-covered stone steps that wound uphill through a cedar corridor.

While I was there, I also got to see Nachi Otaki, the tallest single-level waterfall in Japan, at about 436 feet. Visitors can hike the mountain trails to get closer views of the waterfall from several viewpoints.

Beyond tourism, the coastal city is also known for its seafood and its onsen caves (natural seaside thermal baths). After a long day of hiking, soaking my feet in an onsen, surrounded by beautiful views of the water, seemed like the perfect relaxing end.