Seogwipo forest tea house: hojicha by a stone garden, Egatot Library

What is Egatot Library?

Egatot Library is a reservation-only tea house and library in the forest of Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju, a place to stay quietly with a tea ceremony and a book. I'd recommend Egatot Library🌿 to anyone in modern life who needs time to focus fully on themselves amid a busy routine. I also thought that visiting with a partner would make it an even more special time.

If you can, leave your phone in the car and come with a mind ready to focus on yourself, with no interruptions.

Where do you park at Egatot Library?

For Egatot Library, park at Parking 2 and walk from the lot to the library. There's plenty of space, so I could visit without any parking worries.

From the moment I walked the forest path after parking, the comfort of nature made it feel like the healing had already begun.

Hours and visitor info

• Daily 11:00-17:00
• Restroom and parking lot available
• No kids, reservation only
• 266 Byeongak-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju (Ga-dong, 1st floor), Egatot Library

1st-floor library and 2nd-floor wellness center

The building is split into two floors: the 1st floor is a library for reading quietly and reflecting, and the 2nd floor is a wellness center for caring for body and mind. In front of the building are moss-covered stones, and I felt that just strolling slowly around would make you feel like you're deep in nature💚

Solo seats at Egatot Library are by reservation, so book through Naver before you go. The first thing you notice inside is the calm, comfortable atmosphere. Note that you need to change into indoor slippers before entering.

How does the tea ceremony program work at Egatot Library?

After you go in, read the provided notes and introduction to the space first. It makes it easier to understand the atmosphere Egatot aims for and how to use the place.

When you arrive, a staff member walks you through the tea ceremony program. If you're more than 30 minutes late for your reservation, the guidance may not be possible, in order to keep the quiet atmosphere, so please be on time!

About 10 minutes after I arrived, a staff member guided us through the tea ceremony program, which was done together with another group.

I learned how to brew tea and the order of drinking it for the first time. It's not something you get to experience every day, so it was fresh and fun🍵🌿💚

Smell the teas and choose: I picked hojicha

At Egatot Library you can choose from several kinds of tea to suit your taste. I liked that you can smell them before picking. I chose hojicha, which has a subtle, nutty aroma!

Two solo seats: forest view and stone garden view

Egatot Library has solo seats where you can stay looking out at the green forest, and others where you can focus on meditation facing a calm stone garden.

Books in 8 categories: several thin books in 2 hours

The books are divided into 8 categories in total, so it was easy to pick a field that interests you. Personally, since the stay is about 2 hours, I recommend reading several short books rather than one that's too thick!

While browsing, one book had a title I especially liked, so I took a photo of it too✨

Brewing hojicha at your seat, plus a free dessert

A staff member brought the hojicha I chose right to my seat. The brewing method is also written on paper, so it's very easy to follow.

Healing time with tea💚

The complimentary dessert was sweet and went very well with the hojicha.

What's the atmosphere like at Egatot Library?

Egatot Library keeps a very quiet, still atmosphere like a real library, which makes it a perfect space for reading, sorting out your thoughts and focusing wholly on yourself.

My husband and I sat separately, slowly brewing warm tea and spending time looking inward in the quiet space✨

The day we visited was thick with fog and overcast, but I felt that mood suited Egatot even better. Next time I'd love to stay overnight here and spend a longer time,,