Why Are Japanese Towels Long?

I'm about to start a series on Japanese and American culture. It won't be every day. Every once in a while, I'll try to write about something that strikes my fancy.

This time it's about the size of towels.

Have you ever wondered about this? The size of the towel is different between America and Japan. In American hotels, there are usually three types of towels in the room. In other words, Americans use three main types of towels. The biggest one is the bath towel, the second one is a hand towel, and the third is a washcloth.

Every Japanese person who comes to the United States takes a shower with a hand towel. That's how they wash themselves. And they always think, "Well, this towel is too short.” And Americans on the other hand will be confused by these complaints.

Why is there such a difference?

The average American hand towel is 24" x 15". It has an area of 360 sq. in.

The towel most commonly used by the Japanese on a daily basis is called a Tenugui. Its towel is 34 in. x 13.5 in. with an area of 459 sq in.

Japanese towels are longer and have a larger surface area. Why is that? The Japanese are very particular about this size. Because it's a good size for washing oneself. Why?　Americans think. Why do Japanese people with generally smaller bodies use bigger towels than American ones?

That’s because the Japanese have a different approach to washing their backs. What does this mean?

Take a Japanese tenugui towel. If you grab both ends of the towel and put it behind your back, you can pull it from side to side like a saw and wash your back. That's why Japanese towels are so long. Americans think you can wash your back with water from the shower. But the Japanese want to wash their back just as thoroughly as their chest and limbs. It is based on the idea that the skin of the human body gets dirty in the same conditions everywhere. For Americans, the back may be a blind spot.

In Japan, we have something called a public bathhouse. They are places that can accommodate dozens of people and often serve as a place for socializing with other locals. In the United States, barber shops used to play a similar role.

A common occurrence in these public bathhouses is back washing by parents and children. This is a custom especially for children to wash the backs of their parents. Each child can wash his or her own back with his or her own hand towel. It is a common and comfortable sight.

The Japanese are a people who cherish their backs. It is the same even when they wear clothes. Japanese culture has a greater emphasis on reading the emotions of other based on their backs. This is another subject that may be worth talking about later.

Even the length of the towel shows their ethnic characteristics. Isn't that interesting?