Tomioka Silk Mill
富岡製糸場 · Gunma Prefecture · Tomioka City
Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, about 100 kilometres from Tokyo; Japan's first government-run modern silk-reeling factory, inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO World Heritage List as “Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites.”
Know before you go
- Red lines: in World Heritage buildings, do not touch machinery or cocoon-warehouse timbers, and do not enter closed areas. Taboos: no photography where forbidden in halls, and do not carve brick walls. Good manners: follow indicated routes, visit quietly, and respect the historical account of women workers. Common mistakes for outsiders: (1) expecting a working factory and live silkworm reeling — it is now a site museum with limited live displays
- (2) seeing only the main mill and missing the East and West Cocoon Warehouse National Treasure buildings and the visitor centre.
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Tomioka Silk Mill and its workers
Opened in 1872, Tomioka Silk Mill introduced French silk-reeling technology and became an important site in Japan’s industrial modernisation. Women workers learned new skills there and carried that knowledge to other regions. The mill operated until 1987 and joined the World Heritage List in 2014.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
built in 1872 by the Meiji government under French engineer Paul Brunat, introducing French machine silk reeling; the reeling mill and the East and West Cocoon Warehouses are National Treasures; female trainee workers (denshu kojo) returned home after training to spread the technique, helping Japan become a leading raw-silk exporter in the 20th century; the mill operated until 1987.
Local customs
- (1) See French-style reeling machines and timber-framed brickwork in the Reeling Mill (繰糸所)
- (2) exhibition halls in the East Cocoon Warehouse (東置繭所) and West Cocoon Warehouse (西置繭所)
- (3) the Silk Gallery (シルクギャラリー) and silkworm exhibits
- (4) ancillary buildings such as the Women's Dormitory (工女寄宿舎) and Brunat House (ブリュナ館)
- (5) combine with the Tomioka Warehouse complex (富岡倉庫) and the Gunma World Heritage Center (群馬県立世界遺産センター).
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Red lines: in World Heritage buildings, do not touch machinery or cocoon-warehouse timbers, and do not enter closed areas. Taboos: no photography where forbidden in halls, and do not carve brick walls. Good manners: follow indicated routes, visit quietly, and respect the historical account of women workers. Common mistakes for outsiders: (1) expecting a working factory and live silkworm reeling — it is now a site museum with limited live displays
- (2) seeing only the main mill and missing the East and West Cocoon Warehouse National Treasure buildings and the visitor centre.
Locals appreciate DO
Please respect local residents, open areas, and on-site rules.
Plan your visit
Practical info
| Getting there | Intercity: from Tokyo Station by Hokuriku or Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki Station in about 50 minutes, then the Joshin Dentetsu Line to Joshu-Tomioka Station in about 40 minutes, and about 10 minutes on foot. Local: on foot. Tickets and payment: Joshin Dentetsu fares and mill admission are priced separately; IC-card coverage follows station counters. Fare scales are several hundred to about a thousand yen, as officially published. |
|---|
Travel tips
- Allow 1.5–2 hours
- mill interiors are stuffy in summer, so bring water. Guided and audio-guide times are as officially published. Nearby, also see Tomioka City Hall and the station's brick architecture.
Sources & verification notes
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