Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm

What to know

The Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm (田島弥平旧宅, Tajima Yahei Kyūtaku) is a historic farmhouse in Isesaki City, built in 1863. Tajima Yahei was a silkworm farmer who developed a ventilation system to produce consistently high-quality silkworm eggs. Many silkworm growers visited the farm to learn and research egg-raising techniques. In recognition of its contribution to the silk industry's advancement, the farmhouse is one of three sites, alongside the Tomioka Silk Mill, that earned World Heritage status in 2014.

The ventilation system designed by Tajima Yahei features two-story buildings with smaller raised roofs (yagura) atop the main roof. The higher roof and windows below the yagura allowed natural ventilation for the silkworm eggs. In addition to ventilation, the eggs were monitored to breed silkworms that produced the highest quality silk. The farm originally consisted of two houses connected by a second-floor bridge, but only one house and the bridge remain today.

Visitors can enter the former farm's garden and view the building from outside between 9:00 and 16:00. However, entering the building is not possible as it still serves as a residence for some of Tajima Yahei's descendants. A small museum on the grounds displays silk production tools, and an information center a few hundred meters away offers exhibits, a movie, pamphlets, and guided tours in Japanese.

The nearest train station is Okabe Station on the JR Takasaki Line (25 minutes, 440 yen from Takasaki), from where it's about five kilometers or a ten-minute taxi ride (around 2000 yen one way) to the farm. Alternatively, a community bus connects Sakaimachi Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line (2.5 hours, 1230 yen one way from Asakusa) with the farm every two hours, taking about 25 minutes and costing 200 yen one way.

The Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm is about a 20-minute drive from Honjo-Kodama IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. From the Tomioka Silk Mill, the farm can be reached in about 60-75 minutes via toll-free roads or about 45 minutes via expressway (950 yen one way). Free parking is available at the information center and the nearby parking lot of Shimamura Kaiko-no Furusato Park.