Interesting walking activities in Narita on an overnight stop

I'd like to hear about pleasant hotels near interesting walks or other activities in Narita. We are going to be on a long trip between North America and Asia, but plan to take about a day at a Narita-area hotel between legs of our flights.

Our goal is not simply to have a cheap airport hotel room, but to be able to enjoy a few hours on foot outside in the Narita area between our flights — nothing strenuous, but enough to get fresh air and a little exercise. We'll have a full afternoon and evening on the ground each time we're there, so we'd like to be well within reach of good walking and (of secondary importance) shopping.

As an example, we once stayed at an airport hotel that was a short walk away from a small forest and cemetery, which brought us serendipitous happiness for an hour. I remember that there is a large mall in Narita and also a tourist-oriented shopping street, and I suppose most of the hotels provide transportation there. But it's very hard to tell from my desk in New York what else might be easy to get to from the many Narita hotels.