Neko Jirushi Milk Tenugui Face Towel, Strawberry Milk Color

Brighten up your bag or home with the charming Neko Jirushi Milk tenugui in a sweet strawberry milk colorway. Retro pink artwork sits on natural, unbleached ivory cotton, and this design was originally a 2021 limited release from the Japanese brand Seiyosha, now back in limited quantities. Compact, absorbent, and quick to dry, it makes a handy stand-in for a handkerchief, a wrap for a gift bottle, or even a small noren curtain if you feel like arranging it that way.

Each towel is dyed by hand along the banks of the Honzu River in Kagawa Prefecture, a spot said to be where Momotaro's grandmother once did her washing. The artisans press dye deep into the Oka cotton fabric so the color comes through vividly on both the front and back, a result only hand-dyeing can achieve. Because the fabric is left unbleached, you may notice tiny dark specks here and there; these are simply harmless bits of the cotton plant itself, and they fade with each wash.

Measuring 35 by 90 cm and made of 100 percent cotton, this brand-new towel only gets softer with use. In classic Japanese tenugui style, both short edges are left raw and unhemmed, so they may fray a little at first before settling down over time. Gentle enough for small children and versatile enough to serve as a hand towel, bottle wrap, or simple interior accent, it brings a bit of traditional Japanese craft into everyday life.