The silk museum in Nomura stands on a hillside with a fine view over the town. It’s housed in a building that’s designed to look like two cocoons. Before it merged with Seiyo city,  Nomura was a separate town known for its silk production.

Sericulture started in the early Meiji period in Nomura, where the upland fields fed by rivers flowing from the Shikoku Mountains are good for growing the mulberry required to feed silkworms. This silk gained a reputation both in Japan and abroad, and the highly profitable business ensured the prosperity of the town. For decades, raw silk from cocoons raised in an ideal climate and produced using advanced silk-reeling technology was traded under the ‘Camelia’ trademark. Silk from Nomura was worn by Queen Elisabeth at her coronation, and by priests at Ise Shrine. Since 2015, Iyo Raw Silk from Nomura has been recognised an important regional product.

The museum exhibits historical materials related to the silk industry, as well as many of its beautiful products. There’s also an activity room where you can try wax dyeing, plant dyeing, and weaving to create your own original work. Next to the museum is a factory where raw silk from cocoons is rewound onto reels for use. You can see the cocoons and silkworms, and watch the fascinating process by which the home of an insect becomes clothing for humans.