Spirited Away Vibes Cafe with Mountain Views

Chuncheon Daeryong Sanjang, searching for a Spirited Away-style East Asian cafe

I set aside a full day for a Gangwon-do trip and kept thinking, “Where should I go?” After going back and forth, I decided on Chuncheon. The plan that day was to ride the Samaksan Cable Car. But you know how it feels a little incomplete if you only ride the cable car and come straight back? So I thought, “Since I’m going anyway, let’s stop by one nice cafe,” and started searching around. That’s when I found this place—Daeryong Sanjang. The name alone feels intense, right? I clicked because “sanjang” (mountain lodge) sounded intriguing, and the photos showed an East Asian-style interior plus mountain views. And then I saw something completely mysterious: a signature menu called perilla oil makguksu ice cream. My curiosity just exploded. I immediately added it to the route. So… what was it like in real life? I’ll tell you honestly from here.

Daeryong Sanjang entrance, that Spirited Away scene

The moment I arrived, I could tell the vibe wasn’t normal—from the entrance alone. Is this really a cafe? There’s a proper East Asian-style gate standing tall, with round lights glowing softly on both sides. The area is wrapped in thick trees, so it genuinely feels like you’ve come to a lodge deep in the mountains. Honestly, I picked this place because blog reviews said it wasn’t a typical cafe and the concept was pretty unique. But seeing it in person, it felt way more atmospheric than the photos. If the entrance is already like this, how crazy will it be inside? My expectations shot up instantly.

Up close, I could see the characters ‘大龍山莊’ on the gate, and on the right there was a sign that said ‘far east coffee & dessert.’ But doesn’t this gate feel oddly familiar? The second I saw it, I immediately thought of Spirited Away—that scene where Chihiro walks through the tunnel and enters another world. A stone path stretches straight inside the gate, and it gave me this strange, exciting feeling like a whole different world might open up the moment I step through.

Passing the gate into another world

This is the exact moment I passed through the gate. It honestly felt like the Spirited Away tunnel scene in real life. Beyond the gate, you can glimpse a green lawn and a bit of garden, and the deeper you step in, the more it feels like you’re leaving the outside world behind. As someone who loves this kind of staging, my heart was pounding from the entrance—no exaggeration.

After crossing the garden and reaching the building, I saw ‘大龍山莊’ glowing in red neon. The arched wooden door has a Japanese-style lattice pattern, and it seriously looks like if you open it, Yubaba’s bathhouse from Spirited Away might appear. A round light above softly shines down, giving this weird “pulling you in” feeling. I’ll be honest—I hesitated for a second. It’s just a cafe door, but why was my heart racing like that? The immersion was unreal.

Inside atmosphere and the bakery

The moment you open the door, you see the ordering counter. A cute little sign saying something like “Please return (dragon)” catches your eye, and to the left there’s a showcase filled with bread and desserts. The ceiling has exposed wooden rafters, so it feels clearly different from a regular cafe. Even inside, the “mountain lodge” vibe keeps going.

Daeryong soryongpo bread and a unique bakery lineup

Right next to the counter, the showcase had Daeryong Sanjang’s signature bread, called ‘Daeryong Soryongpo Bread,’ neatly displayed. It’s a dumpling-shaped bread made with chewy potato dough, and apparently it’s filled with fluffy potato filling. A 6-piece box is ₩21,000 (about $16), and a single piece is around ₩4,000 (about $3). They also have gift box packaging, so it looked pretty decent as a souvenir.

Next to that, the bakery shelf continues with a surprisingly wide variety: yakisoba salt bread, octopus & pollock roe cream cheese salt bread, custard New York rolls, and “lucky pouch” bread. Every item was a weird-but-interesting combo you don’t see everywhere. The lucky pouch bread especially caught my eye—it’s said to be a savory bread with potato and nurungji (scorched rice). Honestly, I wanted to try a bunch of things, but I had to go ride the cable car, so I passed this time. Next visit, I’m 100% trying more.

The menu board—wait, is this really cafe food?

Okay, look at this menu board. It’s so wild that you start wondering if it’s even a cafe menu. Let’s check the signature items first: perilla oil coffee bottle ₩7,800 (about $6), sweet corn dango latte ₩7,500 (about $5.8), nurungji cream latte ₩7,000 (about $5.4), and a “long life” soy milk bottle ₩7,800 (about $6)… Perilla oil? Nurungji? Soy milk? In a cafe? What kind of combo is this? But the most shocking thing is at the very bottom: perilla oil makguksu ice cream ₩12,000 (about $9). Isn’t it hilarious that buckwheat noodles are on a cafe menu?

We didn’t even hesitate—we picked the perilla oil coffee bottle and the perilla oil makguksu ice cream. Coming all the way here and ordering a normal Americano would feel disrespectful, right? Perilla oil plus coffee, perilla oil plus ice cream… I couldn’t not order it. I’ll tell you if this “unhinged” combo is actually tasty after I try it myself.

Kiosk ordering, the price feels a bit heavy

Ordering is done through a kiosk. On the screen, the perilla oil makguksu ice cream is ₩12,000 (about $9), and the ice cream + soryongpo set next to it is ₩15,000 (about $11). Honestly, paying over ₩10,000 for a single ice cream does feel a bit 부담스럽다—like, that’s not nothing. It’s not even a drink, it’s an ice cream! But then again, I came all the way to Chuncheon, and skipping the signature menu would probably make me regret it even more. So I basically went, “Whatever, let’s just try it once,” and hit the pay button. After paying, you pick up a vibrating pager at the counter.

Perilla oil makguksu ice cream, what is this Haagen-Dazs-priced thing?

Alright—here it is. Time to reveal the identity of the ₩12,000 (about $9) ice cream that costs more than Haagen-Dazs. First, look at the visuals. This is seriously ice cream. Black sesame paste is piled up in curls like makguksu noodles, and on top there are seaweed chips, fried lotus root, sesame, and even a little shell-shaped cookie. And behind it, there’s a perilla oil bottle stuck in with the character ‘壽’ on it—and yes, it’s real perilla oil. You drizzle it down and mix it in as you eat. Perilla oil on ice cream… at this point, isn’t that just a crazy combo?

And you see the perilla oil coffee bottle next to it too, right? The cup has the Daeryong Sanjang logo, and you can actually see a thin layer of perilla oil floating slightly on top of the coffee. Perilla oil in coffee—this place is truly doing the most with perilla oil.

The portion is a nice medium size—not huge, not tiny—but I’ll admit the quality looked legit. It didn’t feel thrown together at all. Every topping looked carefully placed, and the whole thing honestly felt like a little edible artwork. Whether it’s “worth more than Haagen-Dazs,” I’ll decide after tasting it.

Perilla oil coffee bottle, oil in coffee?

This is the perilla oil coffee bottle we ordered. The label has the 大龍山莊 logo and a wave illustration—honestly, the design is pretty aesthetic. But the first thought I had holding it was, “If you put perilla oil in coffee… won’t it be greasy?” Oil and coffee just doesn’t make sense logically, right? If you shake it, you can see the perilla oil separates slightly between the coffee layers. You mix it up and drink it that way. Whether it’s actually delicious or not—I’ll give the honest taste review at the end together with the perilla oil makguksu ice cream.

Second-floor seating and mountain view

I went up to the second floor. East Asian-style lantern lights hang from the ceiling, and there are colorful paintings on the walls, so it feels pretty cozy. The tables aren’t packed tightly together either, which means you can sit comfortably without worrying about the table next to you.

The window-side seats are the real highlight. Beyond the big floor-to-ceiling glass, the green mountain view opens up wide, and sipping coffee while looking at that view just hits different. There’s also an arched nook that feels like a tiny private room for yourself.

If I’m being honest, the cushions are a bit lacking, so it’s not the most comfortable place to sit for hours. But the view is so good it more than makes up for it. When you come here, I think it’s better to expect a great view rather than super plush seating.

Honest taste review: perilla oil ice cream & perilla oil coffee

Before eating, I was honestly worried

Now for the part you’re probably most curious about—the taste review. To be honest, I was worried right up until I took the first bite. Perilla oil in ice cream, perilla oil in coffee… doesn’t that sound kind of terrifying? In my head, both combinations sounded like they’d be nothing but greasy. I kept thinking, “Does this even make sense?”

One bite in, my mind completely flipped

But then… the moment I took one bite, my thoughts completely flipped. The perilla oil makguksu ice cream has the nutty richness of the black sesame paste, and the perilla oil melts in gently—surprisingly, it’s not a strong or overpowering flavor. And the whole time, I didn’t feel “greasy” at all. Seriously, not at all. Instead, the finish comes up nutty and toasty—like I expected it to taste like plain sesame, but it was more interesting than that. The crispy seaweed chips and fried lotus root add crunchy accents in between, so it doesn’t get boring.

The perilla oil coffee was the same. After a sip of coffee, the nutty perilla oil flavor follows and wraps the mouth in a way that doesn’t feel heavy. My fear that it would be greasy was completely pointless—if anything, it softens the bitterness of the coffee and makes it feel smoother.

If I had to compare it, it’s like this: before a blind date, the “profile” sounds totally unappealing, but once you meet and talk, you click unexpectedly well. Perilla oil with ice cream, perilla oil with coffee—on paper, it sounds like they should never work, but in reality they bring out the best in each other. It was a surprisingly perfect match.

Final thoughts on visiting Daeryong Sanjang in Chuncheon

Daeryong Sanjang is a cafe that refuses to be ordinary from start to finish—from an entrance that feels like you’re walking into Spirited Away to bold signature menus built around perilla oil. The prices are on the higher side, but with this level of concept and quality, I honestly think it’s worth experiencing at least once. If you’re planning a Chuncheon trip, bundle the Samaksan Cable Car with Daeryong Sanjang as a route and you won’t regret it. Next time, I’m definitely coming back to try all the bakery items I had to skip.

This post was originally published on https://hi-jsb.blog.