[Itinerary 7] - Winter in East Jeju

Highlights

Places to visit on days when the weather is not friendly. Suggestions I have not been before for your consideration.

수풍석뮤지엄

Maps
수풍석뮤지엄: Google Map KakaoMap Naver Map

유동룡미술관 ITAMI JUN MUSEUM

Maps
유동룡미술관 ITAMI JUN MUSEUM: Google Map KakaoMap Naver Map

Moomin Land Jeju

Maps
Moomin Land Jeju: Google Map KakaoMap NaverMap

Back to Highlights

🔖 Snowy 1100

I would suggest to have a big good breakfast before setting off as the middle of forested mountains the options are limited and more expensive

Post snow day on Highway 1100 is a sight to behold. Usually after a day or 2 of heavy snow, Hallasan area and Highway 1100 would be closed for safety and clearing of snow. The workers have a tough time, but the view they have must be spectacular.

Highway 1100 is an important road for regular commuting locals because it connects the south and north of Jeju and for tourists who travel by car as Road 1100 is at the highest altitude of our national highways.

We did not have to use the snow chains provided by Lotte rental car as the roads were cleared of snow, but there were lines of cars. It is the fastest way between north to south, hence popular.

Road 1100 is at the highest altitude of our national highways. It is connected to many picturesque places like Eoseungsaengak Trail, Cheonma Ranch, and Yeoungsil, and is famous for its beautiful scenery in every season, attracting many visitors from abroad. Road 1100 has a view of Hallasan Mountain up above and an extraordinary view of Jeju’s landscape down below. Stay on this road for a while and find some spots you can enjoy these wonderful views of Jeju’s nature.

Completed in 1973, Road 1100 is 36.6 km-long in total and at a high altitude, with a wide view over the rich scenery of Hallasan Mountain. On top of the 1100 highlands, you can feel the cool breeze in the summer, and its frosty landscape in the morning and night in the fall makes it look like a view of the winter.

Next to the rest area, there is the Go Sangdon Park, commemorating the mountain climber Go Sangdon, who scaled Mount Everest for the first time in Korea and made a huge remark in Korea’s mountain climbing history. Alongside the statue of him, the white deer-shaped Baekroksang and Baekrokbi are standing next to each other. On a clear night, many photographers gather here to take pictures of the numerous stars in Jeju’s sky with Baekroksang. Unlike the downtown with many lights, 1100 Highland Rest Area is very dark to the point you can see the milky way with your bare eyes.

🔖 Bonte museum 本態 본태박물관

The admission ticket is 30,000KRW. It is a big place to spend time, contemplate and take nice photos. I can’t remember what I saw but the place left a good impression.

The Bonte Museum (본태박물관), meaning “original form,” explore humanity’s innate beauty through traditional and modern crafts. Designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando, a Pritzker Prize laureate, the museum reflects his philosophy of blending modern architecture with Jeju’s natural landscapes.

Architecture and Design

Ando designed the museum with his signature exposed concrete. Ando’s innovative approach to smooth, tactile concrete results in sturdy yet soft-to-the-touch surfaces, creating a timeless aesthetic.

Light and Shadow: Natural light plays a key role in shaping the museum's atmosphere, enhancing the interplay of space, shadow, and texture.

Water Features: Flowing water and serene ponds evoke tranquility and connect visitors to Jeju’s natural beauty.

See if you can sense the traditional Korean elements like stone walls, narrow alleys, and small bridges at the long entrance to the exhibition spaces.

Galleries and Exhibits

The museum’s five galleries showcase a seamless blend of traditional and contemporary art:

Gallery 1: Displays traditional Korean crafts collected over 30 years, including soban (wooden trays), embroidery, bojagi (wrapping cloth), ceramics, and traditional attire.

Gallery 2: Features works by renowned artists like Picasso, Dali, and Nam June Paik, alongside Ando's meditation room.

Gallery 3: Houses permanent installations by Yayoi Kusama, including Infinity Mirror Room and Pumpkin.

Gallery 4: Highlights traditional Korean funeral customs with items like sangyeo (traditional funeral palanquins).

Gallery 5: Hosts rotating exhibitions combining tradition and modernity.

Outdoor Spaces

The outdoor areas include a sculpture park with works by Jaume Plensa (Children’s Soul), David Gerstein (Euphoria), and more. Recently, Ando’s Blue Apple was added near the lake, symbolizing youthful vitality.

The Bonte Museum seamlessly weaves together traditional Korean culture, modern architecture, and Jeju’s natural environment, offering an enriching and meditative experience for visitors.

MAPS
Bonte museum 本態: Google Maps Kakaomap Naver Map

Back to Highlights

🔖 Bangju Church 방주교회 (Itami Jun)

Next to Bonte Museum designed by Tadao Ando, there’s a little church designed by another prominent architect Jun Itami. The church is built to look like a ship, reminiscent of Noah’s Ark. It is a very small area that is not likely to take more than 15 minutes to visit. There is a cafe if you want to take a rest.

Jun Itami (유동룡 伊丹潤) is a Zainichi, a Korean citizen living in Japan. He was born in Japan to parents who was proud of their ancestry and he too retained his Korean citizenship until his death in 2011. He is famous for his architectures in Korea that blend nature, the surroundings and building. He also uses local materials.

Besides Bangju Church, his other architecture works in Jeju are Podo Hotel, Water, Wind, and Stone Museum. These places need reservations and admission tickets.

Itami Jun's works emphasize the raw beauty of untamed nature, simplicity, and the balance between nature and humanity, creating a "middle ground" between the two that rejected trends in favor of harmony with the natural environment.

Own ref : https://star.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/OhmyStar/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002561128

MAPS
Bangju Church: Google Map Kakaomap Naver Map

Back to Highlights

🔖 Osulloc Tea Museum 오설록 티 뮤지엄

I have wrote about Osulloc before, but here it is again. It is almost a must-go on Jeju travel itineraries, the place is worth a visit as it is not far from other places of interest. However, if you are expecting a “museum”, it is more like a big modern tea shop with a big cafe.

Osulloc means the “Origin of Sulloc”. 설록 Sulloc refers to the “green in the snow”, highlighting the strength and vitality of the tea leaves.

Osulloc is owned by Amore Pacific, Samsung of Korea’s beauty product industry with brands like Sulwhasoo, LanEIGE and Innisfree. Formerly named Pacific Chemical, the company started cultivating green tea fields on wasteland to create a tea garden and green tea factory.

MAPS
Osulloc Tea Museum: Google Maps Kakaomap Naver Map

Back to Highlights

🔖 제주그림카페 jejugreemcafe

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 제주그림카페 (@jeju_greemcafe)

그림 means picture, so the name actually means Jeju Picture Cafe.

This 2D cafe located on the 4th floor of Aerospace Museum is such a work of effort and creativity, that I strongly recommend to come here if you are in the area and have never been to a place like this.

The cafe is spacious and provides a birds-eye view of the surrounding landscape. The drinks and desserts are decent but not spectacular.

MAPS
평대전복: Google Maps Kakaomap Naver Map

Back to Highlights

🔖 Arte Museum Jeju 아르떼뮤지엄 제주

This is an immersive indoor 3D museum that closes at 8PM. The admission ticket is 19,000KRW, look out for online deals.

The bamboo forest was the most interactive where you could scan your drawings and they will be displayed on the walls.

MAPS
Arte Museum :
Google Maps Kakaomap Naver Map

Back to Highlights

🔖 Zen Hideaway

Zen Hideaway is actually a place that provides accommodation, but we came to the restaurant by chance after visiting Sanbangsan.

The interior decor for this restaurant is beautiful fitting of the awesome seaview on the other side of its floor to ceiling glass window ,enough for me to want to revisit. The food is not spectacular but delicious.