Tomioka Silk Mill

Japan’s first silk-reeling factory and also a registered World Heritage site

The mechanized industries of the Meiji Era were highly praised from beyond Japan’s borders. Tomioka Silk Mill, as a representation of these industries, with its well preserved living environment inside the facility, was registered as a World Heritage site in 2014.
Business Hours
Saturday ( 9:0 AM ~ 5:0 PM )
Sunday ( 9:0 AM ~ 5:0 PM )
Weekdays ( 9:0 AM ~ 5:0 PM )

09:00~17:00 (final entry is 16:30) [close] December 29~31
Price
Adult: 1,000 YEN
Children: 150 YEN

High school/university students (student ID required) 250 yen Elementary/junior high school students 150 yen
Address
tomioka silk mill, Gunma Prefecture, Tomioka, 1丁目1
Phone
(0274) 67-0075

About

The Tomioka Silk Mill was the model factory established in 1872 for the Meiji government to modernize the country. Following the Meiji Restoration, the government’s goal to improve the quality and manufacturing of raw silk and to nurture the growth of technical advisors was achieved through the construction of a government-operated factory equipped with Western silk-reeling machines which became known as the Tomioka Silk Mill. The mill has been left basically as it was from those days. At the time of its construction, a French engineer specializing in silk, Paul Brunat, was hired to design and then run the mill so that he contributed greatly to the development of the silk-reeling industry in Japan. The mill was designated as a World Heritage site in 2014.

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