Snapshots from Tokyo
Wow, it’s been four months since I returned from my trip to Japan, and I still haven’t posted my photos from Tokyo. Here’s a mini collection of the sights and people that inspired and intrigued me. Cute Japanese snacks. I would like one Japanese house with a garden and bonzai trees, please. Meiji Jingu, a...
Black Raspberry Picking, Bare Handed Fishing and Clamming in North Jeolla Province
In Korean, the word bokbunja literally means, “a force so strong that it would knock a urinal over.” The city of Gochang, located in North Jeolla province, is famous for bokbunja, luscious black raspberries, that ripen in the month of June. These black raspberries are used to make juice, candies, and most importantly, bokbunjaju, black raspberry wine. This festival...
Hitting a Plateau with Korean Language Learning
I sighed. “It’s terrible. I mean—I can get around and make small talk, but I still can’t have a good conversation.” My friend Shannon and I were at a Korean bathhouse, sprawled on straw floor mats when she asked me about my Korean. “I’m so frustrated lately—and I feel guilty, but I stopped taking classes...
Sunday Wanderings at the Jangwi Jeontong Street Market
The front door to my eight story apartment slides open automatically and I’m facing Onnuri hospital, a hospital for the elderly. Male patients slouch on benches and chat with others in wheelchairs, all wearing the same white, paisley-printed pajamas. To the left, middle-aged couples drink beer around a round plastic table with a rainbow-colored umbrella....
Pimp your travel photos with Android: PixlrOMatic
film type: Sophia, border: Whitetwo This image was taken at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Yeouido, Seoul in April. A woman is cooking street food, and selling ice cream, coffee, dried squid, and beondegi, boiled silkworm pupae. ** This is the third installment of the Pimp your travel photos with Android series, experimenting with the PixlrOMatic photo app....
What to do in Seoul if you only have 24 hours
My Seoul trip planning guide, What to do in Seoul if you only have 24 hours, was published today on Matador Trips. Check it out! -Text and photography by Sarah Shaw @ www.mappingwords.com. All rights reserved.
Seoul’s 13th Korean Queer Culture Festival and a glimpse into homosexuality in Seoul
Ironically, my first appearance at a gay pride parade happened to be in Korea, where being gay is still widely unaccepted. However, I was happy to see a relatively large amount of Koreans and foreigners participating and watching from the sidelines. Although most of the Koreans in the parade wore face masks and sunglasses to...
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