Mercedes’ travels began before she was two with a trip across Bass Strait when the family relocated from Hobart to Sydney. Since then, she’s hung off the tallest building in Toronto, camped by the Nile, helicoptered over Niagara Falls, been spat on by a llama in Cuzco and gotten lost in America’s most haunted house. Putting together the deals page for Escape for more than 12 years has helped her tick off a few items on her ever-growing travel bucket list.
It was written boldly on the wall in the beautiful sweeping hand of a professional script writer. But it is only once our calligraphy teacher in Kyoto translates it for us that we understand its true meaning.
“It means a once in a lifetime meeting,” Sono tells our assembled group. We had recently come together for a week-long Wendy Wu Tours trip and although we were all strangers just days ago, the friendships were already starting to appear.
That beautiful phrase on the wall couldn’t have been more apt.
I had prepared my 20-year-old daughter, Ava, to be the youngest of the group, after all guided trips generally attract an older demographic.
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Ava and Mercedes at the Hamariku Gardens in the heart of Tokyo_On tour with Wendy Wu Tours.
Photo supplied by Mercedes Maguire
But it couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Ava was the youngest of the group, which spanned 20-somethings to 70-somethings, but much to her surprise (and relief), there was a 21-year-old women from Sydney travelling with her mother and grandmother to mark her milestone birthday, and a 25-year-old from Canberra also travelling with her mother.
It seemed our little group of 24 was multigenerational indeed.
We all sit on the floor with large pieces of parchment before us learning to make the beautiful up and down strokes of the Japanese characters and eventually attempt to write “happiness” on a clean, new sheet of parchment.
Following the calligraphy class, Sono is replaced by Emily who guides us through a traditional matcha tea ceremony. Emily wipes each utensil with reverential and very precise movements and in complete silence. Then, she teaches us how to whip our tea into frothy peaks using a bamboo matcha whisk, or chasen. But before we taste, she warns us, “Don’t expect it to taste like matcha at Starbucks, this pure matcha is very bitter.”
She’s not wrong.
Our tour began in Tokyo where we met our guide Nobuku, or Nobu for short. Nobu is the perfect guide for her country, her passion and love for its history, culture and food evident at every turn. And there’s not a question she can’t answer – “Why are there so many deer in Nara? Why are there no garbage bins on the streets?” – Nobu knows all.
Ava and new friend Mikayla n the streets of Kyoto_On tour with Wendy Wu Tours.
Photo supplied by Mercedes Maguire
Our first morning in Tokyo takes us to the beautiful Hamarikyu Gardens right in the centre of the city. The peaceful sanctuary is bounded by towering office buildings and five-star hotels making it a true city oasis. At its centre, a tidal pond dominates, drawing seawater from Tokyo Bay.
Our next stop is anything but peaceful – the crowded Senso-ji Buddhist Temple in the Asakusa district. Nobu keeps us together by hoisting a stick in the air with a red flag attached to it. In case that doesn’t work, she has pre-armed us each with a business card containing a message in Japanese that explains you are lost and to please call Nobu’s mobile. Only one traveler needs to use it, and no, it wasn’t me.
Ava and Mercedes on a dinner cruise in the Tokyo Bay with the skyline in the background_On tour with Wendy Wu Tours. Photo supplied by Mercedes Maguire
Ava and I each get a fortune by shaking a stick out of a metal canister which has a number matching a drawer, which contains a prediction. I draw number 21, which decrees a “good fortune – washing off all bad things in the past, now everything is clear and clean.” Ava draws number 26 which delivers a “regular fortune” which she is not thrilled with, until Nobu points out there are also bad fortunes in the mix.
After lunch, we get to see Tokyo from a different perspective – 350m above the city from the first of two observation decks at Tokyo Skytree, Japan’s tallest tower. Even though the day is a little overcast, we get brilliant 360-degree views over Tokyo, which on a clear day take in Mt Fuji in the west.
The next day is dedicated to that iconic site most people come to Japan to see – Mt Fuji. Our comfortable coach takes two hours to arrive at the 5th Station, which is a central base for sightseers and affords views of the mountain – nicknamed the shy mountain as it’s so often shrouded in clouds - from several different vantage points.
Ava and Mikayla at a matcha tea ceremony in Kyoto_On tour with Wendy Wu Tours.
Photo supplied by Mercedes Maguire
Those who want to get up closer can hike from here on foot and even stay in one of several hotels at the 8th Station, allowing you to wake pre-dawn and reach the peak in time for sunrise.
We, however, stay in a hotel in Mishima and I have my first experience with a traditional Japanese onsen. I won’t lie, I was nervous at the prospect of being completely naked in public and Nobu had warned strict rules prohibit even taking a hand towel into the hot springs. So, I time my entry for the 6am opening next morning to ensure I have the place to myself. It’s worth it, sinking neck-deep into the 40-degree water is as pleasant as it sounds, and a little liberating.
Mercedes with new friends learning caligraphy in Kyoto_On tour with Wendy Wu Tours.
Photo supplied by Mercedes Maguire
We get to tick off another Japanese icon next morning when we board a bullet train for the one-hour trip to Kyoto. On route, Nobu tells us the ancient capital was one of only three Japanese cities not bombed during World War 2 and as a result is beautifully preserved boasting about 2000 shrines and temples.
Over the next few days we visit three of the most important, and beautiful. First up, Fushimi Inari Shrine, a Shinto shrine which most people will recognise for its hundreds of vermilion torii gates lined up like sentinel soldiers. Next is the Zen Buddhist Ryoan-ji Temple which was once an aristocrat’s villa featuring a tranquil pond, but today, most people come to see its beautiful rock garden.
Ava and Mikayla with the Sika Deer at Nara_On tour with Wendy Wu Tours.
Photo supplied by Mercedes Maguire
The third Kyoto temple we visit is the Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku-ji Temple. Once the villa of the third Shogun of Ashikaga, he deemed it become a temple in his will. It’s not difficult to see where the Zen Buddhist temple gets its name from, the gold sparkling off the pond over which it proudly stands.
We depart Kyoto for Nara about an hour’s drive away where we are all looking forward to interacting with the deer, especially after Nobu tells us that the animals bow to you in order to get the treats sold onsite made especially for them.
Sounds cute, until I find myself surrounded by half a dozen hungry and determined deer fossicking in my pockets and bag for more treats. Standing still with your hands up is supposed to put them off, but they just wanted the snacks.
Our trip sadly winds to an end in Osaka, but not before a visit to the imposing Osaka Castle – it’s worth the hike up hundreds of stairs to enjoy the views over the city from the top (at least it felt like hundreds).
After a traditional lunch of okonomiyaki – think savoury pancakes filled with shredded cabbage and pork – Ava and her new friends set off to explore the famous Dotonbori shopping district by themselves. They return later that night with bags full of gacha trinkets they bought from the vending machines and beauty products from the famed discount store, Don Quijote.
When we all fly out for homes in various parts of the world the next day, we carry home with us memories to last a lifetime, but also new friendships that I am sure will also last the distance.