Busan Diaries: Drones, Seafood Misadventures, and Chuseok Celebrations
From Japan to Korea: A Short Hop with Big Cultural Shifts (and Last-Minute Plan Changes)
After bidding farewell to Fukuoka’s ramen and yatai stalls, we found ourselves making an unexpected change of plans. Our original itinerary had us boarding the ferry from Fukuoka to Busan – a scenic sea journey we’d been looking forward to experiencing. However, Mother Nature had other ideas when an earthquake in Japan led to the cancellation of all ferry sailings.
With our hearts set on reaching Busan, we pivoted quickly and booked a flight instead. While we missed out on the maritime adventure (marked with a decisive “next time!” in our travel notes), the last-minute flight turned out to be a silver lining – a wonderfully brief hop across the Korea Strait that took less than an hour.
This quick transition highlighted just how close these two culturally rich neighbors actually are geographically, despite feeling worlds apart in atmosphere – trading Japan’s meticulous order for South Korea’s vibrant energy in less time than it takes to watch an episode of our favorite travel show.
Our destination? Busan – Korea’s second-largest city and a coastal gem that offers a perfect blend of metropolitan buzz and beachside relaxation. The unexpected flight may have changed our arrival method, but our enthusiasm for exploring this dynamic port city remained entirely intact.
Our home for the next three nights was the stylish L7 HAEUNDAE, a modern hotel positioned perfectly along Busan’s most famous beach. The L7 brand (part of LOTTE Hotels) hits that sweet spot between hip boutique vibes and reliable comfort, with design elements that manage to be Instagram-worthy without feeling forced.
Our room offered sweeping views of Haeundae Beach, where we could watch the endless parade of beachgoers by day and the twinkling city lights by night. The hotel’s location proved to be its greatest asset – just steps from the sand and surrounded by restaurants, cafes, and shopping options that kept us well-fed and entertained between our more ambitious explorations.
The Jagalchi Market Incident: A Costly Lesson in Local Customs
Let’s talk about Jagalchi Market – South Korea’s largest seafood market and a must-visit Busan attraction that came with an unexpected financial sting.
As seasoned travelers, we typically pride ourselves on navigating local markets with a mix of curiosity and caution. But something about the sensory overload at Jagalchi – the glistening fish displays, the shouting vendors, the salty air, and the bewildering variety of sea creatures (some still wriggling energetically) – had us slightly off-balance from the start.
When a particularly enthusiastic merchant beckoned us toward his stall with sub-par English proficiency, we approached with what we now recognize as dangerous naivety. His rapid-fire explanations of various seafood delicacies, accompanied by generous samples and theatrical descriptions, had us nodding along enthusiastically.
Before we fully processed what was happening, we found ourselves seated at a small table on the second floor, surrounded by a feast of raw fish, crab soup, mysterious shellfish, and various side dishes. The food was undeniably fresh and flavorful, but the bill that followed delivered the kind of shock typically reserved for accidentally stepping on a sea urchin.
Let’s just say that our spontaneous seafood experience cost roughly the equivalent of a domestic flight within Korea. As we somewhat dazedly handed over our cash, we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that we were now part of a long tradition of tourists who have learned about Korean market etiquette through the school of hard financial knocks.
Pro tip for fellow travelers: Always, ALWAYS confirm prices before sampling anything at Jagalchi. Those friendly offers to “try a little” come with implicit expectations that would benefit from explicit discussion.
Not all of our Busan planning mishaps involved expensive seafood. There was also the case of the Haeundae Blueline Park – a scenic coastal railway offering stunning ocean views from a specially designed train that runs along the coastline.
The concept seemed straightforward enough: board a unique tourist train, enjoy spectacular views, snap enviable photos. What could go wrong? As it turns out, quite a bit when you skip the crucial step of researching ticket requirements.
Our confidence bolstered by several successful navigations of Korean public transportation, we hopped in a taxi and asked to be taken to the Blueline Park. The driver deposited us at what appeared to be a middle station along the route – a small platform perched dramatically on the coastline with panoramic ocean views.
It was only as the taxi disappeared around the bend that we realized our error. The ticket office at this mid-point station was closed, and the handful of other visitors all clutched pre-purchased tickets. After a few futile attempts to decipher the Korean-only information signs, we came to terms with our predicament: no tickets, no train ride.
Rather than admit defeat, we decided to embrace the unexpected. The Blueline Park follows a picturesque coastal pathway that, as we discovered, can also be traversed on foot. What began as a planning failure transformed into one of our favorite Busan memories – a leisurely walk along dramatic cliffs, through scenic tunnels, and past fishing spots where locals cast lines into the churning sea below.
The roughly hour-long stroll back to our hotel offered photography opportunities that arguably surpassed what we would have seen from the train, plus the satisfaction of turning a tourist fail into an adventure. Sometimes the best travel experiences come from plans gone sideways.
For future visitors: Yes, you need advance tickets for the Blueline Park, especially during busy periods. But if you find yourself ticket-less, the walking path alongside the tracks offers its own rewards.
Accidental Cultural Immersion: Experiencing Chuseok in Busan
Sometimes the travel gods smile upon you, even after allowing you to be fiscally ambushed by seafood vendors. In our case, this cosmic balancing came in the form of unintentionally scheduling our Busan visit during Chuseok – one of Korea’s most significant holidays.
Often described as “Korean Thanksgiving,” Chuseok is a three-day harvest festival when families gather to honor ancestors and celebrate abundance. For tourists, this means witnessing a side of Korean culture that feels particularly authentic and meaningful.
While some businesses closed for the holiday, the festive atmosphere throughout the city more than compensated for any tourist inconveniences. Traditional performances popped up in unexpected places, and the streets filled with Koreans in hanbok (traditional Korean attire), creating a visual feast of color and elegance.
Our hotel concierge explained that many Busan residents were receiving visitors from Seoul and other inland cities, as families often travel to ancestral hometowns during the holiday. This reversed the usual domestic tourism pattern and gave the city a distinctly local feel despite the holiday crowds.
Drones Dancing Over Haeundae: A Modern Beach Spectacular
The undisputed highlight of our Busan adventure came on our second evening, when we joined thousands of others along Haeundae Beach for a spectacular drone show that illuminated the night sky.
As hundreds of synchronized drones took flight over the water, they transformed from discrete points of light into mesmerizing patterns – traditional Korean symbols, animated sea creatures, and abstract designs that elicited gasps from the crowd gathered along the shoreline.
What made this experience particularly special was sharing it with primarily Korean spectators. Unlike many tourist attractions where visitors observe local culture from a distance, this felt like a genuine communal experience – our awe and delight mirrored in the faces of families picnicking on beach mats around us.
The drone show, we later learned, was part of the Chuseok celebrations, combining cutting-edge technology with holiday festivities in a way that felt quintessentially Korean – a culture that seamlessly blends reverence for tradition with enthusiasm for innovation.
Culinary Adventures Beyond Jagalchi
Having learned our expensive lesson at Jagalchi Market, we approached the rest of our Busan dining experiences with slightly more caution – but no less enthusiasm. Korean street food proved to be both delicious and economical, with hotteok (sweet filled pancakes) becoming our favorite on-the-go treat.
For more substantial meals, we discovered the joy of dwaeji gukbap, a Busan specialty consisting of a rich pork soup served with rice. Simple in concept but complex in flavor, this hearty dish became our go-to comfort food, especially at small neighborhood restaurants where language barriers were overcome with smiles and pointing.
On our final evening, we splurged on a Korean barbecue experience at a restaurant recommended by our hotel staff. The theatrical tabletop grilling of marinated meats, accompanied by an array of banchan (side dishes), created a festive finale to our culinary adventures in Busan.
Parting Thoughts: Why Busan Deserves More Than a Stopover
As we packed our bags and prepared to continue our Asian journey, we reflected on how Busan had surprised us. Often overshadowed by Seoul in Korean travel itineraries, Busan offers a distinctive personality that combines urban sophistication with coastal relaxation, traditional markets with futuristic architecture.
Our accidental timing during Chuseok provided unexpected cultural insights, while our mishaps at Jagalchi Market and the Blueline Park gave us stories we’ll be dining out on for years to come (considering what we paid for that seafood, we’re determined to get our money’s worth in storytelling value).
For travelers considering Busan, we offer these quirky-but-practical takeaways:
- The Fukuoka-Busan connection is versatile – ferry when conditions permit, quick flight when they don’t
- L7 HAEUNDAE offers an ideal location for first-time visitors who want beach access
- Always establish prices BEFORE sampling anything at Jagalchi Market
- Pre-purchase tickets for Blueline Park (or enjoy the coastal walking path instead)
- Consider timing your visit during festivals or holidays for added cultural experiences
- Balance beach time with explorations of Busan’s architectural and artistic offerings
- Try dwaeji gukbap – it’s the soul of Busan in a bowl
- Be flexible – some of our best experiences came from unexpected plan changes
Three nights felt just right for scratching the surface of what Busan has to offer, though we could easily have stayed longer to explore the hiking trails in the surrounding mountains or venture to nearby coastal villages.
As our taxi wound through morning traffic toward Gimhae International Airport, we agreed that Busan had earned a place among our favorite Asian destinations – a city that manages to be authentically Korean while maintaining a distinctive regional character that sets it apart from the capital. Not bad for a place many travelers still consider merely a stopover.
And while we missed out on the ferry journey this time around, it’s given us the perfect excuse for a return visit. Next time, Busan – by sea!
