Tenugui are a type of traditional Japanese towel. They're smooth and thin so they're different from western terrycloth towels. They also are often used these days as decoration since many of them have beautiful Japanese patterns on them. At our office, we hang our tenugui towels on the wall or use them as decorative table runners. These inexpensive towels are fun to collect and you can find them all over Japan in gift shops and specialty stores.