• Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St. is an award-winning museum concentrating on the people of the Pacific Rim. www.wingluke.org

• Kobo at Higo, 602-608 S. Jackson St. It’s difficult to describe this combination of variety store and art gallery filled with random, unexpected treasures: books, art, calendars, saki sets, clothing, gift items. It all adds up to something more than the sum of its parts. www.koboseattle.com

• Kobe Terrace, 221 6thAve. S. a south-facing hillside where cherry trees bloom in March; pathways wind along the hill, and small plots of a community garden are tended by community members. At the top, an 8000-pound lantern carved from Japanese granite marks a place of sweeping views toward Mount Rainier. A truly extraordinary spot.

• Panama Hotel, 605 ½ S. Main St. houses the only remaining intact Japanese bathhouse (sento) in this country. The hotel’s “rediscovery” was the trigger for Jamie Ford’s novel, “On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.” Its teahouse is considered one of the best in Seattle. www.panamahotel.net

• Carlos Bulosan Exhibit, Eastern Hotel, 504 Maynard Ave. S., Bulosan, from the Philippines, died at Harborview Hospital in 1956, labeled an indigent upon arrival. In fact, Bulosan was the author of “America is in the Heart,” (1946) famous in its day. He was also a poet and labor activist who is not well enough known in the town he chose to call home.

• Uwajimaya, 600 Fifth Ave. S. is a Seattle destination for shopping for Asian-Pacific groceries and goods, including books. www.uwajimaya.com

• Kinokuniya Bookstore, 625 S. Weller St., in Uwajimaya Village, carries walls and walls of books and magazines in Asian languages. There is also a large English language section related to Asian subjects.

• Bakery Shops/Restaurants: There are 10 or so traditional bakery shops in the ID, and some 80 restaurants to choose from. Dim Sum, a Cantonese lunch tradition, includes numerous small dishes usually moved around the room on rolling carts.

• Northwest Nikkei Museum, 1414 S. Weller St. Under the auspices of the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, the museum is dedicated to preserving the heritage and history of the local Japanese American community. It is located on the site of the original Japanese Language School, founded in 1902. www.jcccw.org

• I-5 Columns: The thick columns that hold up the freeway, and mark the transition between Little Saigon and Chinatown, are painted in bright reds and yellows featuring carp and dragonflies.

• Bubble Tea has become quite the thing in the ID. Also known as boba or pearl tea, it’s a combination of tea, milk, black tapioca balls and flavoring. It became popular in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Most establishments that serve the concoction have Bubble Tea signs in their windows.