Why do restaurants hand me a wet towel before the meal?
On sitting down, you are given a rolled damp towel (oshibori), hot in winter and chilled in summer, to wipe your hands before eating.
It is a hospitality standard for cleaning your hands before eating, tied to strong norms about cleanliness and to foods eaten by hand like sushi.
Why — five layers
Cleanliness before contact with food is a deep-rooted value; wiping hands marks a small purification boundary between outside and the meal.
Since many dishes (sushi, onigiri, snacks with izakaya drinks) are eaten by hand, clean fingers are practically expected.
A whole rental-oshibori industry launders and delivers cloth towels to shops, which is why real cloth (not just paper) is so common.
International view
Hot towels appear in some airlines and upscale restaurants worldwide, but as an everyday, every-restaurant default the oshibori is distinctively Japanese.
But not always
It is for hands only. Wiping your face or neck is common among tired older men but is technically frowned upon, and never use it as a napkin on the table.
What to do
Wipe your hands, then refold or leave it neatly by your place. Don't use it for your face in a nicer restaurant, and don't clean the table with it.
Sources
- restaurant hospitality norms
- rental oshibori industry overview