Japanese Premium Imabari Face Towel - 34 × 36 cm

Imabari towels come from Imabari, a city on Japan's Shikoku island that's been the country's towel-making centre for over 120 years and today produces most of Japan's domestic towel supply. Towels carrying the official Imabari mark have to pass a stricter absorbency test than the national standard — sinking within five seconds instead of sixty — so the label is a real marker of quality, not just a place name. Beyond absorbency, Imabari towels are known for a soft, dense weave that holds up over repeated washes without going thin or scratchy.

This is a premium everyday face towel, cut to a compact 34 × 36 cm, small enough for a bag, big enough to actually dry your hands and face. Woven from 100% cotton with a dense pile, it holds a lot of water for its size and doesn't need much wringing out. We use these at the SORT counter, and they hold up well to daily washing.