Tomioka Silk Mill
富岡製糸場36°15′ N 138°53′ EMuseumMeiji era, founded in 1872UNESCO
Tomioka Silk Mill suits a rest day or a stop on the way to the mountains for anyone curious how Japan industrialised, and it lies well south of the ski areas, so you change trains at Takasaki to reach it.
Photo Yoshio Kohara · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Open to visitors
From Tokyo take the Joetsu or Hokuriku Shinkansen to Takasaki, then the Joshin Electric Railway to Joshu-Tomioka, about 40 minutes, and walk about 15 minutes.
- Visitors who guide their own group must not give talks inside the exhibition rooms
- Give any talk to your own group outside the exhibition rooms, as the mill asks
The Meiji government opened Tomioka in 1872 as a model mill, bringing in Western machinery to reel silk for export. Private owners took it over later and kept improving the reeling, and in 2014 UNESCO inscribed it with related sericulture sites as the Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Industrial Heritage. Its west cocoon warehouse is a National Treasure.
It makes a good half-day from Takasaki, where the Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen stop. The Joshin line takes about 40 minutes to Joshu-Tomioka, and the mill is a 15-minute walk from there. Adults pay ¥1,000, and guides lead 40-minute walks through the site for ¥200 more. A free app gives the commentary in English.
Worth knowing
- Download the free audio guide app before you arrive for commentary in English.
- Check the news page for special openings of the west cocoon warehouse and the iron water tank.
Quick answers about Tomioka Silk Millよくある質問
Can you visit Tomioka Silk Mill?
Open to visitors. Visitors who guide their own group must not give talks inside the exhibition rooms.
How much does Tomioka Silk Mill cost?
Prices at Tomioka Silk Mill start at ¥1,000 per adult (2026), about CAD 9 or USD 6.30 (October 2026 rates).
What are the opening hours of Tomioka Silk Mill?
Tomioka Silk Mill keeps these hours: Mon 09:00–17:00; Tue 09:00–17:00; Wed 09:00–17:00; Thu 09:00–17:00; Fri 09:00–17:00; Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 09:00–17:00.
How should you behave at Tomioka Silk Mill?
At Tomioka Silk Mill: Give any talk to your own group outside the exhibition rooms, as the mill asks.
Within 12 km
