Ojukheon

Ojukheon is the building in your wallet. Pull out a 50,000-won note and flip it over — this is the house printed on the back. Yi I, one of Korea's greatest Confucian scholars, was born here; his mother Shin Saimdang lived here. Standing in the actual rooms of figures you read about in every Korean textbook gives them a sudden, physical dimension. The house takes its name from ojuk — black bamboo — which stands throughout the garden. Most bamboo is green, but here the stalks are dark. In autumn the foliage inside the grounds contrasts with the black canes and creates a color palette you will not find elsewhere. Include the adjacent Gangneung Municipal Museum and budget about ninety minutes. Together with Seongyojang, Ojukheon forms the twin pillar of Gangneung's historical trail.