Welcome to Silk Country. Gunma Prefecture has been famous for its silk manufacturing for more than a century. One of the largest silk mills in the world was built here in 1872, which took silk textiles out of the realm of the rich and put them into the reach of the masses for the first time. For decades this was a major silk producing region, but cheaper labor from other parts of Asia have made it difficult to maintain that distinction.
This photo shows a bit of my stash so far on this trip: two packets of cocoons (the yellow color is natural and somewhat rare) and a bundle of scrap cotton from a local textile mill.
More to come as I follow ShiboriGirl through our Japanese textile tour!
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 
Looking good so far. What is it that makes those cocoons yellow?
It’s a hybridized variety of silkworm. There is quite a demand for that color as it is super rare in the wild.