On The Menu:

Japan Travel: Facts & Figures

• Daily direct flights from Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver (save 15% on flights until August 15)
  
• Favorable exchange rates (market watch)
  
• No tourist visa required
• No vaccinations required
• The Japan Rail Pass provides convenient, easy travel
• The most popular times to visit are spring and fall, but Japan is naturally beautiful throughout the year and easily traveled at anytime. READ MORE…

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While many people think of Japanese cuisine as merely “the big three”: sushi, tempura, teriyaki; there is so much more. Seasonal and regional varieties abound. Across Japan people know: when visiting Tottori, try the pears; when visiting Kagoshima, try the black pork; when visiting Nagano, try the apples and the blueberries; etc. Every prefecture has its own specialty worth tasting. READ MORE…
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Where to DINE Now: Vita Sociale
Imagine walking into your grandmother’s living room and finding it had become a disco. Surprise! And so it was that I entered the new Toronto restaurant, Vita Sociale. Gone was the Centro that I had known and loved for twenty five years… Today, we’re standing in a casual bistro that could have been plucked from a roadside in Italy.  READ MORE…
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The Stratford Festival is renowned throughout the world, but this season has become even more exciting and more inclusive. Check out this season’s plays and musicals. Forget about driving; take the new Stratford Direct private bus from Toronto/return with twice-daily pick-up and drop-off at each of the theatres for only $10 each way! Also new: The Forum of panels, debates, symposia, exhibitions, and Food For Thought–a buffet lunch series followed by a talk on one of this season’s plays or musicals. READ MORE…
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Between the Coastal and Cascade mountain ranges, heavy rains nourish rich soils and enable the beautifully acidic, soft and elegant Pinot Noir for which Oregon is renown.

Sokol Blosser, one of the pioneers of Oregon’s wine industry, is also one of its most recognized. Having visited the winery in Dundee Hills an hour south of Portland, I was eager to taste their Evolution blends recently in Toronto–displaying the fun whimsical side of the winery. READ MORE…