Allow me to introduce you to one of my summer necessities, the towelket. I cannot imagine this season without these lightweight cotton terry blankets. They are perfect for sleeping on and under in the sticky Tokyo heat. I splashed out and bought new ones yesterday and realised I’ve never seen them outside Japan.
Japan has a very strong towel lobby (weird, but true), so you see toweling everywhere in daily life – from the damp oshibori offered before meals to specially folded and sewn cleaning cloths. Thin rectangular Japanese bath towels appear not only in the bath, but also at outdoor venues as scarves and bandannas to keep sweat away. People give towels as gifts at funerals and other formal occasions. In summer, men and women alike carry tiny terry handkerchiefs to dab at perspiration. And my friends, the towelkets, come out to play on hot summer nights.
Have you ever had a towelket outside Japan?
