The merits of meandering: Art adventures in the Chinatown-International District

Poet and podcaster Shin Yu Pai is a fan of meandering.

"You know, taking an afternoon where you don't necessarily have a destination in mind, and you just walk," she said. "Where you let your feet follow your heart or your curiosity."

There’s a payoff to this expansive approach.

RELATED: Check out KUOW's new arts podcast 'Meet Me Here'

"I leave myself open to the possibility of learning or feeling or seeing or sensing something that I never had before in that place, in that time," she added. “And in that way I am changed by it."

Shin Yu is a former civic poet of Seattle and the curator of an exhibit at the Wing Luke Museum. She also hosts the podcast Ten Thousand Things, which just premiered its fourth season. And she thinks we could all use a little more meandering in our lives. To that end, she shared some of the arts and culture gems she stops at when wandering through Seattle’s Chinatown-International District with KUOW's Meet Me Here podcast.

To start with, Shin Yu suggests two bookstores.

Mam’s Books is a new independent Asian American bookstore that’s named after the owner’s dad. And Kinokuniya is known for its selection of Japanese and English books as well as its high-quality stationery and cute plushies. Hot tip: Kinokuniya is located inside Uwajimaya Asian Market, another one of Shin Yu's stops. She suggested checking out the Japanese mochi selection at Uwajimaya, particularly the mango and lychee flavors.

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Discover Risograph.

Ever heard of Risograph? Neither had we. It's a printing technique using a high-volume Japanese copier and printer called RISO. The machine produces much brighter colors than other copiers, and according to Shin Yu, it provides a "lo-fi, affordable method of making multi-colored zines." You can take Risograph classes and workshops at Reclaim Clay Collective.

Go back in time.

Shin Yu also recommended stopping by the Panama Hotel & Tea House. Built in 1910, it was originally a workingman’s hotel for single Japanese men. When the federal government incarcerated people of Japanese descent from the West Coast during World War II, some locals stashed their belongings at the hotel. They hoped to pick up their beloved items later. But many personal items still remain. Visitors can see these items and also listen to vintage Japanese music and soundscapes on an old record player as part of an art installation. (This episode of Ten Thousand Things features the installation's creator, sound artist Paul Kikuchi.)

Be open to miscellaneous moments.

Finally, Shin Yu recommended stopping by the Seattle Pinball Museum and Kobo Seattle while you're in the neighborhood. And of course, no meander is complete without gazing at a tree. Shin Yu loves the giant loquat tree on 8th Ave S; it's listed on the city's tree walk guide to the CID. Shin Yu made another episode of Ten Thousand Things about the tree's history,and the history of the family that planted it.

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Have you checked out an event we recommended? Tell us how it went! Leave us a message at 206-221-6100. Drop us a line at meetmehere@kuow.org.