I day-tripped to 3 peaceful Japanese towns just a few hours from major cities — and they were the highlights of my visit

Visiting Shirakawa-go felt like stepping into a fairy tale.

Anika Nayak

When I planned my first trip to Japan during cherry blossom season, I knew I wanted to see the tourist highlights in major urban hubs like Tokyo and Osaka, but I wanted to embrace the countryside, too.I asked my family members who live in Japan for their recommendations, and their suggestions led me to three rural day trips, each just a couple of hours away from a major city.Luckily, each of these places was fairly easy to navigate and well worth the public-transit rides it took to get to them.If you're also headed 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 taste of the Japanese countryside

Oshino was tranquil and full of charm.

nongpimmy/Getty Images