Our trip to Seattle would not be complete without a visit to the infamous troll under the bridge. I apologize in advance if I don't look super excited to be there. I hate to admit it but I've gotta have that first sip of coffee to wake me up in the mornings! We had decided to visit the troll before walking down the steep hill to the coffee shop around the corner. And you can probably tell I was not quite awake and lively.

 We ventured to Pike Place Market our first full day in Seattle. We fell in love with the place and easily spent an entire day there. I've got to say, Seattle really does make the best coffee. We went to five different coffee shops throughout our stay and every cappuccino I had was delicious. Sweet, rich, and aromatic. The baristas have really perfected the art of lovely, lush foam. Oh, the foam! I was blown away. It was so thick and velvety and creamy. I'm crying right now because I can't get anything like that here in So Cal.

 Last week's #tbt post featured Miyajima Island, which we all dubbed the "deer island". This week, I'll be talking about our visit to Okunoshima, which we accordingly dubbed the "bunny island". It houses a large population of bunny rabbits, who also do not shy away from people and will approach you. We toured the island in the midst of a sweltering summer day. It was quite grueling to listen for long periods of time with the sun shining ruthlessly down on us. We learned that during WWII, poison gas was produced in a factory built on the island, which had been chosen because it was so isolated and was not even on the map. The poison gas were tested on the bunnies that populated the island. So sad!

 We were given the choice of attending a baseball game and I, along with a majority of our study abroad group, opted to attend. I had always heard the Japanese were very enthusiastic about it. I never cared too much for baseball (and I still don't), but I wanted to experience it anyway. Unfortunately, I did not understand the game itself. The crowd, however, was what made it really enjoyable. The Japanese were so coordinated in their chanting and dancing that I couldn't help but get carried along with the fever of their excitement. And in the end, everyone threw up these pink balloons. This was probably the best part. I had to wonder where they got them because I had not seen a stand that sold balloons.

 As touristy as we could be decked out with cameras of all types, here we were on our walk to the ferry boat that would take us to Miyajima Island, renown for the deer populating the island. This was part of our trip to Hiroshima, which I had somehow forgotten to include. Oops!

 Our visit to Hakone felt like a relaxing vacation. We stayed two nights at a beautiful ryoken (unfortunately, I can't recall the name anymore) with a traditional tatami flooring and onsen, which is a hot spring. Bathing in an onsen had always been my dream when I was younger. I knew it was hot but I didn't realize it was that hot until I stepped foot in it. I'm not sure why we decided on Hakone but I'm glad we did. We ventured out to Owakudani, Hakone known for being a volcanic mountain and its sulfuric pools.

 We awoke before the sun showed its face this prospective day. Yes, we were tired and bleary eyed during the ride to the amusement park, but as we drew near our destination, an excitement built up in all of us and spread like an infectious disease. Suddenly, we were babbling and fidgeting in our seats as children do when they can barely contain themselves. And at last, we were there, eyes glittering and bright and smiles stretched across our faces. At last, we had arrived at Tokyo DisneySea.

 Here at last we come to the final leg of the three-part Kyoto post. Our destination this time was Arashiyama. There was much to see here and we were short on time. And, oh, it was so overwhelmingly beautiful. Historical buildings in preserved architecture line the streets of one way. Oi River stretches gently across the landscape where riverboats hug the edges of civilization. With the sun already past noon, we grew increasingly aware of the passage of time. How I ached to spend a little longer here.

 So much has happened to me in the past week that I'm finding it difficult settle down. But first, let me begin by saying that I had a wonderful time in Texas (I will talk more of Kansas in later posts). We stayed with my cousin and her husband in Uptown, which was a beautiful part of the city. I absolutely love the architecture. Lots of brick and stone walls and unique looking eateries. My cousin took us around to Klyde Warren Park, which was built above a freeway. I thought that was pretty neat. It was about a 10 minute walk from her apartment. I, myself, don't really consider it a park. It's certainly beautiful with a lovely landscape, but I'm used to the ones with tons of trees and fields of grass that look more "natural".

 With Kinkaku-ji Temple being one of the most popular among tourists, it was no surprise that I would dedicate an entire post to it. This one left a deep and lasting impression on me. It was enormous with various paths one can traverse, but all equally beautiful. I recall I would have loved to visit Ginkaku-ji Temple as well but we were short on time.

 Hello, and welcome to the second installment of my stay in Kyoto. First up is the Heian Shrine, home to Japan's largest torii gate. Look, you can even see it all way from a distance in the street. I love the stark contrast between the gate and contemporary society with its sea of cars and clean pavement. Upon crossing the gate, one is thrust back into another era, with the shrines architecture kept in tact by preservation. While everyone else seemed to be in motion or their body language suggested a more relaxed mood, I noticed this little boy, who had a profound effect on me. You hardly notice him at first but then suddenly, you see him there standing so poised and regal in his hakama, bearing a kind of maturity a child his age rarely possesses.

 First and foremost, we began our second day in South Korea with a big, hearty meal consisting of soondubu jigae, which is a delicious spicy tofu soup. I especially love eating this in the winter. It warms you right up! I don't remember who but one of us ordered a spicy pork dish. And as it when one goes traveling, obligatory photographic documentation of the things we noshed on shall consume this post in its entirety.

 I imagined this as more of a fall/winter dress with its vivid boysenberry hue, but I had an incredible urge to wear it the day we went to visit the Ghetty Museum. I used to associate September with the beginning of autumn, but I know now summer's will to live on into October is undeniable. I suppose my subconscious yearning for the darker, cooler days must have been quite powerful for me to have chosen such a color. I'm reminded of the plush red wine lipstick sitting in my makeup drawer and I want to smooth it over my lips. Opulent, somber velvet. I'm itching to slip into long sleeved blouses and cozy knit sweaters. And I'm even craving pumpkin already!

This post is picture heavy so I've manually added a jump break. Might consider doing this more often...!

In this week's throwback post, I will be writing a three-part series of our trip to South Korea. In November, we received an entire week from our studies to do whatever we wish. Of course, many of us decided to travel. My group consisted of three other girls. I don't recall any of us being familiar with the Korean language so I was bit nervous. We stayed at a really cheap hostel. I had never stayed in one before and the only hostel I ever heard of was the movie, which I don't recommend anyone ever watching. We were lost for a little while trying to find it. It was very clean and simple inside. I wasn't expecting much but we did find a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter inside the mini fridge!

We discovered this beautiful river beneath the bridge. We did not explore the entire length. It extends for quite some distance! I would have loved to have something like this where I live. With the drought we're having, the only riverbed near my house is dry as a well. I wouldn't really call it a river either.

Oh, delicious bibimbap! It's such a riot of color that it made it really fun to eat. It looked so pretty that I felt a little guilty destroying its loveliness by mixing it all up.

Oh, gosh. The journey to N Seoul Tower was quite a trip. We had no idea if our taxi driver understood where we wanted to go. We were taken and round and round for such a long time that we wondered if he was just taking advantage of us. Or that he might take us somewhere and do the unimaginable! Eventually, much to our relief, we reached our destination. I don't remember how much we paid. I was just glad we finally got off. The walk up to the tower was breathtaking - literally and figuratively. It was all uphill for at least a mile, but the autumnal leaves of the maple trees were so beautiful it made the walk more bearable.

N Seoul Tower had more features inside of it than Tokyo Tower. And like Tokyo Tower, it looked to be a popular date spot for couples. I thought the wall of what seemed like love notes was pretty cute. There were even trees of hearts and padlocks outside that reminded me of the famous Love Lock bridge in Paris that no longer exists. It's too bad. I had wanted to see it. Understandably, the strain of so many padlocks put the bridge at risk of breaking and causing harm.