The Essence of Jeju in 14 Emails
January 27, 2026
A free-14 part DIY guide to unlock all that Jeju has to offer, packed with practical tips to discover the island yourself. Welcome to our island home!
A free-14 part DIY guide to unlock all that Jeju has to offer, packed with practical tips to discover the island yourself. Welcome to our island home!
Ed opens with his “criminal history” — killing a rental car in Japan by putting diesel in a gasoline engine. This leads into a
What You’ll Find in This Article Jeju has 368 volcanic cones, 258 kilometers of coastline, and more Instagram-worthy cafés than you can visit in
Find out how to get around Jeju on the excellent bus system. Your hosts cover bus colors and what they mean, the alternatives to
There is some nuance when we talk about Korean Fast Food, because there are the Western-style chains you’ll recognize from home. And then, the
Ed opens with his “criminal history” — killing a rental car in Japan by putting diesel
What You’ll Find in This Article Jeju has 368 volcanic cones, 258 kilometers of coastline, and
Ed opens with his “criminal history” — killing a rental car in Japan by putting diesel in a gasoline engine. This leads into a nuanced discussion of whether DIY travelers should rent a car.
Find out how to get around Jeju on the excellent bus system. Your hosts cover bus colors and what they mean, the alternatives to T-Money cards, transfer rules, Also, they discuss how visitors can grab a cab without knowing Korean!
From budget roach motels to five-star Hyatts, this episode covers the full spectrum of Jeju accommodations. Ed and Soraya break down where to stay and the types of lodging available.
How much does a trip to Jeju actually cost? This episode breaks down every budget category and covers practical flight tips for visitors.
This episode breaks down what to expect in each season, and how those may affect your trip to Jeju. Ed and Sora also warn about Korea’s “golden weeks”, when half of Korea is on the move.
Not everything on your Jeju Instagram feed is worth the trip. In this episode, Ed and Soraya rank the 10 biggest tourist traps on the island—places that are famous, often crowded, sometimes overpriced, and may leave you wondering “that’s it?”
For those who find Hallasan too challenging or Seongsan too crowded, oreums offer an authentic, peaceful alternative, and you might be the only tourist there.
This episode covers everything Jeju’s coastline has to offer. Ed and Soraya share where to spot wild dolphins, the best spots for sunrise and sunset, and why Koreans describe their turquoise beaches as “emerald color.”
Ed and Soraya cover the history of tangerines (once so precious that Joseon kings gave them as rewards to scholars), the scale (over 50 varieties grown on the island), and the best way to experience them: tangerine picking at a U-pick farm.
The tie between Jeju Shamanism and Haenyeos is a tight one. The haenyeo didn’t keep shamanism alive because they were superstitious. They kept it alive because they needed it.
Ed opens with his “criminal history” — killing a rental car in Japan by putting diesel in a gasoline engine. This leads into a nuanced discussion of whether DIY travelers should rent a car.
What You’ll Find in This Article Jeju has 368 volcanic cones, 258 kilometers of coastline, and more Instagram-worthy cafés than you can visit in a week. What it doesn’t have — or at least, what most visitors never find — is silence.
Find out how to get around Jeju on the excellent bus system. Your hosts cover bus colors and what they mean, the alternatives to T-Money cards, transfer rules, Also, they discuss how visitors can grab a cab without knowing Korean!
There is some nuance when we talk about Korean Fast Food, because there are the Western-style chains you’ll recognize from home. And then, the Korean alternatives that are at once similar and different!
Korean comfort food and the Korean concept of Anju overlap and make up a whole dine-and-drink culture that most visitors never get to because it looks intimidating from the outside. Local places with signs and menus all in Korean, staff who speak
From budget roach motels to five-star Hyatts, this episode covers the full spectrum of Jeju accommodations. Ed and Soraya break down where to stay and the types of lodging available.
How much does a trip to Jeju actually cost? This episode breaks down every budget category and covers practical flight tips for visitors.
This episode breaks down what to expect in each season, and how those may affect your trip to Jeju. Ed and Sora also warn about Korea’s “golden weeks”, when half of Korea is on the move.
Not everything on your Jeju Instagram feed is worth the trip. In this episode, Ed and Soraya rank the 10 biggest tourist traps on the island—places that are famous, often crowded, sometimes overpriced, and may leave you wondering “that’s it?”
There is some nuance when we talk about Korean Fast Food, because there are the Western-style chains you’ll recognize from home. And then, the Korean alternatives that are at once similar and different!
Korean comfort food and the Korean concept of Anju overlap and make up a whole dine-and-drink culture that most visitors never get to because it looks intimidating from the outside. Local places with signs and menus all in Korean, staff who speak
The five-day markets (오일장, o-il-jang) of Jeju are treasure troves of authentic experiences, quality produce, and fair prices. There are nine of them and each appears every five days at a fixed facility. The stalls are operated almost entirely by older locals
Want to understand one of Jeju’s most iconic cultural traditions before it fades? This episode dives deep into the world of the haenyeo (해녀)—the women divers who harvest seafood without air tanks, sometimes to depths of 20 meters.
How much does a trip to Jeju actually cost? This episode breaks down every budget category: flights from Seoul, accommodations, transportation, food & drinks, and admission fees.
Jeju International Airport is one of Jeju’s largest massacre site. And almost no tourists know this. Whether it markets itself as a dark tourism destination or not, the trauma of the 4:3 massacre makes it one.
The tie between Jeju Shamanism and Haenyeos is a tight one. The haenyeo didn’t keep shamanism alive because they were superstitious. They kept it alive because they needed it.
Forget overpriced tourist markets and tourist traps. The best food experiences in Jeju aren’t the ones marketed to visitors—they’re the ones locals dig into in the evenings or weekends with family and friends. Find out what makes Jeju’s food culture so unique,
Jeju shamanism has faced centuries of headwinds and by all historical logic, it should have disappeared decades ago. But it endures because it served—and still serves—real human needs.