A Noble Love Between an Old Couple

Once, there was a man who combed the land for a place that could comfort his wife, who was suffering from asthmatic bronchitis. During his search, he found that his wife was breathing and sleeping comfortably at a mountain 700 m above sea level, in Jeongseon, Gangwon-do. The man purchased a plot of land there, and built a garden and mountain trails for the next 10 years. This is the romantic story of how Romyzian Garden came to be.

Romyzian Garden is located at the foot of Gariwangsan Mountain, in Jeongseon, Gangwon-do. After parking your car, you come face to face with mountains all around you. Most of the facilities are located at the midpoint of the mountain, and must be reached on foot. While the steep trails feel hard to climb at first, they turn into wonderful places for meditation once you immerse yourself in the pure energy of the forest. After passing the “Tower of Lifetime”, made with a 500-year-old Canadian cedar timber, you arrive at a clearing just as you feel the sweat breaking out. Most visitors are stunned at the size and the beauty of the garden they find here.

At This Mountaintop Garden, Size is Not the Most Impressive Thing

Romyzian Garden encompasses some 330,00㎡ (about 81.6 acres) plot of land at Hwabong Peak, Gariwangsan Mountain, sometimes referred to as the “Alps at Jeongseon”. The garden is organized around the two themes of reflecting on one’s life and meditation. Indeed, you can find about 60 meditation spots around the garden. All the hills, passes, and rocks in the garden are named and imbued with meaning. None is made without thought. The most prominent landmark at Romyzian Garden is the Gasibeosi Castle. Its location at the scenic view of the mountain ranges surrounding the area means that the castle functions as a vantage point for the area. The name of the castle comes from a native Korean word for a couple. As the exemplar of the Romyzian Garden’s identity, the castle enjoys quite a reputation as a photo spot in SNS, aided by its wonderful placement among the lush trees and the beautiful garden in the area. Don’t forget to take a photograph here! Other spots for scenic views include the “Aura of the Sky”, a massive limestone formation, and “Samhapsudae”, a vantage point over the spot where three waterways converge.

The areas near the “Garden of Rock” and the “Dharma Stone” are said to be the places that are the most intense in energy within the Romyzian Garden. Indeed, visiting these places seem to fill you with an inexplicable energy of nature. “Begonia House” offers you a chance to engage with horticulture healing meditation. The Smart Farm grows and houses jumbo begonia plants sourced from around the world.

The largest building in the Romyzian Garden, the Mountain House, houses the Wellness Center (which includes facilities like InBody equipment) and the Zian Art Hall. Zian Art Hall is a performance hall equipped with advanced sound and video systems (4K UHD), which are used to provide weekend healing programs that integrate classical music. Other events on site include concerts, lectures, and humanities, art, and cultural programs.

A True Management of Your Life with Lifestyle Meditation

Meditation programs at the Romyzian Garden are designed to help you discover the “true you”, and through that find the goals, meaning, and values that can orient your life’s journey. By doing so, you can then awaken your power to govern yourself and your life. Forest therapy programs form an integral part of that process. It involves activities like forest bathing, wind bathing, meditation and yoga in Geumgang pine forest, and body scans that move your conscience to the different parts of your body. Pilgrimage Routes are guided tours that bring you on a journey to ponder about the values of life on a forest trail. There are seven trekking courses and 23 thematic trails in Romyzian Garden. 2.5km-long thematic trail walks are offered in weekends (Friday-Sunday) for groups of more than 5. The trails themselves take you to a healing walk through the virgin forests of the area.

Things To Do

Jeongseon Skywalk & Zip Wire

The view from Jeongseon Skywalk features the beautiful scenery of Donggang River.
∇ 225, Byeongbangchi-gil, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon- gun, Gangwon-do

Arirang Museum

This museum houses nearly 600 pieces of artifacts and albums on Arirang, a folk song listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
∇ 51, Aesan-ro, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do

Taepyeongso

This restaurant serves an elegant set of Gangwon-do’s famous thistle (gondeure) salad rice.
∇ 5-35, Gohan 7-gil, Gohan- eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do

Yona Cakii

This dainty bakery and cafe is known for desserts, such as macarons.
∇ 57-11, Noksong-ro, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon- gun, Gangwon-do