Tomioka Silk Mill
A UNESCO World Heritage site — Japan's first modern industrial factory, built in 1872 to process silk using French Jacquard machinery. The vast brick and timber-frame reeling halls are the best-preserved 19th-century industrial buildings in Asia. Tomioka launched Japan's industrial revolution and made silk Japan's most valuable export for 70 years.
1.5–2 hours
¥1,000
9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30); closed year-end holidays
Year-round
Joshu-Tomioka Station on Joshiden Railway (45 min from Takasaki)
Location
Why Visit
- 1
UNESCO World Heritage since 2014 — Japan's first modern factory, built using French engineering in 1872
- 2
The brick and timber-frame reeling halls are the largest and best-preserved in Asia
- 3
Guided tours explain how Japanese women operated French silk machinery to industrialise the nation
Local Tips
Japan's first modern industrial facility (1872) — a UNESCO World Heritage site and the birthplace of Japan's silk export industry that funded Meiji modernisation. The French-designed brick reeling hall still contains original French Cochet machines. The entire mill complex is intact. The surrounding Tomioka town has good silk-related craft shops. Combine with the Watanabe farm silk heritage site.
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