I had the good fortune of spending some time on a call this week with Shin Kawai from Japan Communications. Kawai represents the Japanese island of Kyushu, and also works with Tokyo. Our chat was focused on Kyushu, which is in the far southwest of Japan, just southeast (maybe 135 miles or 215 km’s) of South Korea and has a subtropical climate. The island is home to Nagasaki and several other major cities, including Fukuoka, which is home to Kushida-jinja, a beautiful 8th-century Shinto shrine. I was also quite interested to hear about Yanagawa, which has a series of canals Read more
Niagara on the Lake
You’d have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the fuss that U.S. President Donald Trump made when he asked American authorities to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. It’ was a foolish, childish decision made in a fit of pique. But it has helped put a focus on the lake, the smallest of the Great Lakes by size but an amazing place to explore. Here are some suggestions on how to enjoy LAKE ONTARIO. TORONTO Ontario’s biggest city sits on the northwestern “corner” of Lake Ontario. One of the best ways to see the lake is Read more
A look at where Canadians will be travelling this summer, as well as a new list of the best family beach vacation spots in the U.S. That and more in today’s blog post. BEST U.S. FAMILY BEACH VACATION SPOTS With the U.S. Memorial Day weekend pretty much here (it’s the unofficial kick-off to summer in the States), here’s a nice U.S. News list of the top 18 places in the US of A for a family beach vacation. Florida took home the top two spots and had a remarkable five places in the top 10. South Carolina has three spots Read more
It was a rather limited year of travel due to health concerns in the summer and fall, but I still managed to check out cool motels in southern Ontario, stylish digs in Hawaii, lovely restaurants in Vancouver, and great places in my home state of California. Not to mention fab stops in Montreal and Florida. Here are some 2025 travel highlights. CANADA Coolest Montreal Hotel: Le Petit Hotel Notre Dame in Montreal. Part of the William Gray Collection, this is a small (hence the name), boutique property in Old Montreal with stylish rooms, a check-in desk that doubles as an Read more
One of Canada’s finest hotels. A marvelous, family-run winery. A highly-rated spa. And excellent food. Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of the top destinations in North America, a stunningly beautiful Ontario town with a rich, colourful history and one of the top theatre programs in the world, the Shaw Festival. My wife and I were lucky enough to spend a couple days in town earlier this month, a stretch of November that felt more like early October. We had sumptuous meals, wonderful wine, high tea at a posh hotel, relaxing spa treatments, and a fun walking tour. Here’s a look at our Read more
