Summer Program Starts July 5: 'Spend Summer with Little Lives 2026 – Sericulture Farmer Experience & Gateway to Industry'

SILK OF LIFE, in collaboration with sericulture farmers and professionals across Japan, is launching 'Spend Summer with Little Lives 2026: Sericulture Farmer Experience & Gateway to Industry' on July 5, 2026. This online program allows participants to learn about the connection between life, industry, and daily living by raising silkworms at home. Throughout the program, participants will interview sericulture farmers, experience shipping cocoons, and take virtual tours of silk mills to understand how a single life connects to society.

Currently, there are only 113 sericulture households left in Japan. Once a core industry that supported Japan's modernization, sericulture and the silk industry are in decline, and opportunities for the public to engage with them are disappearing. Today's children have fewer chances to realize how food, clothing, and daily necessities are made and by whom. We aim to address this challenge through experience rather than mere knowledge, providing a learning environment where families can understand life, circulation, primary industries, and manufacturing.

An Inquiry-Based Program for Parents and Children

Participants will raise silkworms at home, observing, recording, questioning, and researching their daily changes. This process fosters a sense of responsibility for life, an understanding of natural rhythms, and an inquisitive mindset. Through interviews with sericulture farmers and virtual tours of 'Usuiseishi,' a silk mill in Gunma Prefecture, participants can learn about the relationship between agriculture, manufacturing, and craftsmanship. The program also covers the history of the Japanese silk industry.

Participating in Industry: Cocoon Shipping Experience

Participants have the option to ship two cocoons they have raised. In return, they receive 'mulberry cookies' made from the mulberry leaves fed to the silkworms. These cocoons are then used in SILK OF LIFE's product creation. By seeing how the lives they raised contribute to society, children can better grasp the interconnectedness of agriculture, manufacturing, and distribution.

Program Features 1. Includes a Sericulture Rearing & Learning Kit (10 silkworms, rearing box, tools, textbooks, workbook, and silk samples). 2. Comprehensive Online Lectures (including rearing instructions and industrial tours with Usuiseishi). 3. Rearing Support Chat (Professional guidance via LINE Open Chat). 4. Exclusive Web Content.