Oshibori

Anoshibori(おしぼりorお giảo り), orhot towelin English, is a wet handtoweloffered to customers in places such asrestaurantsor bars, and used to clean one's hands before eating.Oshiborihave long been part ofhospitalitycultureinJapan:in theTale of Genjiera, it was used for visitors; during theEdo periodit was used inhatago;later, it started to be used in many restaurants.It eventually spread to worldwide use. Coldoshiboriare used in summer, and hotoshiboriin winter. In Japan, October 29 has been observed as the day ofoshiborisince 2004.

Oshiboripresented on a small bamboo stand

Etymology

The wordoshiboricomes from the Japanese verbshiboru(Giảo る),meaning "to wring", with thehonorific prefixo-.In Japanese script, the wordoshiboriis normally written inhiragana(おしぼり), and seldom usingkanji(お giảo りorNgự giảo り).

Oshiboriare also known aso-tefuki;tefukirefers to ordinary handkerchiefs, and these derive from the Japanesete(Tay)(hand) andfuku(Lau く),to wipe.

Inmah-jongparlors, the wordsatsushiboandtsumeshibo,from the Japanese adjectivesatsui(Nhiệt い),hot, andtsumetai(Lãnh たい),cold, are sometimes used to refer to hot and coldoshiborirespectively.

Typicaloshibori

Oshiboriin aJRexpress train, Japan

A typicaloshibori,made of cloth, is dampened with water and wrung. It is then placed on the dining table for customers to wipe their hands before or during the meal. Theoshiboriis often rolled or folded and given to the customer on some kind of tray. Even if a tray is not used, it is usually rolled up into a long, thin shape, although this is not necessarily the case withoshiboriprovided with, say,bentolunch boxes.

Many establishments also give out towels made ofnon-wovencloth or paper, which are generally used once and then disposed of. Paper ones sometimes contain a sterilizing agent such asalcoholor stabilizedchlorine dioxide.Paperoshibori,as well as clothoshibori,are often folded and sealed into a plastic wrapping for inclusion with packaged products such as bento lunch boxes inconvenience stores,or to pass out at weddings, corporate events, or hospitality-related venues.

Hot and coldoshibori

Anoshiborican be moistened with hot water at an appropriate temperature or steam to make a hotoshibori,or placed damp into a refrigerator to make a coldoshiborisuitable for use in summer. Restaurants usually use an electric appliance such as a heating cabinet or refrigerator for this.

Rentedoshibori

As many establishments useoshiboriin large quantities, they often do not prepare them in the store, but instead employ a rental service which launders them, rolls them into the typical cylindrical shape, and delivers them already damp. These rental service companies frequently wrap eachoshiboriindividually in a clear, lightweight plastic seal (polyethylenefilm), which can be easily broken and removed by the customer before using.

Oshiboridispensers

Somebeauty salonsanddental clinicsprefer to use a standaloneoshiboridispenser, where a freshly made towel is prepared at the client's request. In this case, the towels are often made of a non-woven fiber.

Around the world

Small hot towels are often distributed to airlinebusiness classpassengers. Disposable towels seen here prior to preparation.

Oshiboriis usually translated as "hot towel". Most airlines distribute hot towels tofirstand business class passengers prior to the first meal on long haul flights, while some airlines distribute them to passengers inpremium economy classas well. The heated towel used inbarbers’ shops to moisturize the skin or beard and make it easier to shave can also be thought of as a type ofoshibori.Oshibori Towels are becoming more and more prevalent at hospitality businesses in various countries, as people (and hosts) discover this touch of Japanese hospitality is suitable anywhere there are hosts wanting to connect with their visitors and show that they care.

See also

• Wet wipe

Sources

• Much of this article was translated fromthe equivalent article in the Japanese Wikipedia,as retrieved on November 26, 2006.