From Jeonju Hanok Village to Jaman Mural Village

The most popular attraction in Jeonju is the Hanok Village. If you don’t have much time, walking around the Hanok Village and visiting famous restaurants will be your priority. However, did you know that there’s another attraction worth visiting only ‘a few steps away’ from the Hanok Village? It’s called Jaman Mural Village.

Jaman Mural Village is located on the hills next to the Hanok Village. At first glance, the village may be mistaken for a shantytown, but it’s in fact a neat and artistic area filled with murals and cafés. In this post, I will introduce Jaman Mural Village, a calm and relaxing place away from the bustling Hanok Village area.

Before heading towards Jaman Mural Village, I recommend renting Hanbok (Korean traditional costume) to make your trip extra memorable! The Hanbok renting shops can be found in the Hanok Village.

Many tourists are wearing Hanbok while walking around the Hanok Village. The Hanbok rent is generally reasonably-priced, so I recommend giving it a try. You may choose from a range of colors and shapes.

You can also rent or buy a variety of Korean traditional ornaments that goes well with Hanbok. There are parasols made from Hanji (Korean traditional paper), bags, and shoes which are both practical and beautiful.

If you’ve made your choice, then let’s head for Jaman Mural Village! Walk along the Taejoro Street into the Hanok Village (the main street of the village), you’ll find a street going uphill to your right as appearing on the above photo. To go to Jaman Mural Village, you can either cross the overpass or cross the road and walk up the steps.

If you choose to cross the road, you’ll come across these steps. Walk up the steps, and you’re at the entrance of the mural village!

If you choose to take the street going uphill, you’ll come across the overpass connected to Jaman Mural Village. This overpass has an interesting story.

In the past, Jaman Mural Village and the Hanok Village were connected through a railway bridge. As the railway became obsolete, the bridge was removed. Then, the car accidents suddenly surged on the road separating Jaman Mural Village and the Hanok Village. Accidents occurred almost every day, taking lives of many people. The locals thought that this is due to the severing of invisible energy that is supposed to flow between the two areas. After the construction of the overpass that connects the two areas, surprisingly, the car accidents on the road stopped.

Of course, the overpass has made it safer for the locals to move between the two areas. But it’s still very interesting, because some people still choose to cross the road.

Then, let’s begin the tour of Jaman Mural Village! I recommend consulting the map with tourist routes. The streets of the village zigzag, so you might get lost. But getting lost might be fun too.

This is what you’ll see upon entering the village. The village is filled with unique cafés, handicraft shops, and guesthouses, so you can take a break while looking around the murals. The terrace is very cute!

The watercolor-like murals with clustered flowers are invigorating.

And there are cute animals too.

The murals are colorful and impressive. New murals appear as I turn at every corner of the street. I lost track of time enjoying them.

You may take a break in a café. Some of them offer a great view looking over the Hanok Village. Today, I feel like drinking coffee on the terrace, enjoying cool breeze.

I have to remind you of just one thing. Although the place is quite dreamy, people do reside in the houses of Jaman Mural Village. The residents will appreciate it if you avoid making excessive noises or taking photos that might breach their privacy.

As can be seen in the above photo, I sat on the bench under the huge tree to take a rest. While walking around, I also met a resident of the village. He was very friendly.

I took a photo next to the characters from a famous Japanese anime, “Spirited Away.” This mural brought back my childhood memories.

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When you visit Jeonju, venture outside the bustling Hanok Village into the relaxing Jaman Mural Village! The mural village is calm and restful, with cool breeze flowing. You will surely have memorable moments with your friends and family while exploring the area.