The late summer sees the emergence of the adult silk moth, a behemoth that can reach a wingspan of nearly 15cm (6 inches). Though the moth itself is a beautiful creature (if beauty is in the eye of the beholder), it is the child form of the moth, the silkworm, that is valued to the Japanese. Chichibu, a town in Saitama about an hour from Tokyo, is famous for harvesting silkworms to create Chichibu Meisen, a woven fabric of silk with a distinct pattern. It can take months of weaving and dozens of silkworm cocoons to make enough fabric for a single kimono.