Activities - Arts & Crafts

Silk-Related Crafts
Komagane Silk Museum : 駒ヶ根シルクミュージアム

Learn about Nagano’s Silk Heritage Through Hands-on Silk Crafts.

Southern Nagano

Description

Komagane is in the center of the Ina Valley, the origin of Japan's silk road that extended to Yokohama Port where the silk was exported to the world. You can get a sense of that history and of the complexity of the silk making process here at this working museum.

Recommendation

The Komagane Silk Museum traces the history of silk from the ancient Silk Road across Asia to Japan's own silk road of the Edo era, and on to today, with its research lab where silkworms are actually grown for their cocoons. It boasts a full workshop where visitors can do everything from making cocoon-based crafts to dyeing silk fabric or weaving a silk tapestry at a real loom.
Curious about how many cocoons it takes to make a kimono? See the glass canister filled with exactly the necessary amount of cocoons. Want to know where the indigo dye for the silk dyeing comes from? There are indigo plants right outside of the workshop. Ever seen a real-life silkworm? Check out the lab where you can see the larvae munching away at mulberry leaves. (By the way, cocoons used in the workshop are grown in the museum's lab, and the indigo dye is hand-made on-site from the indigo plants growing in the museum's garden.)
Enhance your appreciation of silk by experiencing one of the many activities in the workshop. With your own hands, make a tiny animal figure out of silk cocoons, or work the silk into the shape of a flower. Using wax and one of the patterns, dye your own original silk cloth. Incorporate leaves or colored threads to make an original silk spool. Or sit down at a loom and weave a coaster or tapestry.

Details

  • 40
  • 3
Hours
9:00-17:00 (Last Entrance 16:30)
Date(s)
Closed Wednesdays (Except if Nat'l Holiday) and from 29-Dec to 03-Jan.
Cost / Price of Admission
Museum Entrance: 300/adult, 100/children (middle or elementary school); Workshop crafts from 300.
Time Required
+30 min
Reservations
Not required(Not required (except for groups of 10+))
# of Participants
1 - 50
Foreign Languages
(English brochure available. Crafts taught using body language.)
Luggage Storage
Not Available

Notes

Ask at the entrance for the museum's English description sheet. No English spoken at the workshop but the staff is foreigner-friendly. Restaurant (lunch only, reservations required) and shops on upper floor.

Contact

tel : +81(0)265-82-8381fax : +81(0)265-82-8380Official site

Access / Location

By Train
From Komagane Station(JR Iida Line), 10 minutes (approx, 2000 yen) by taxi.
By Car
From Komagane IC, Follow Route 75 down towards the Tenryu River. Location is very complicated, so using GPS is highly recommended. 10km (approx. 20 min.)
Address
482  Higashi Ina, Komagane 399-4321

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