A must-visit healing spot when driving through Imabari City: The Towel Museum

On the morning of the fourth day of our 10-day, 9-night self-driving trip in Shikoku, we started the day at the Mine Topia Besshi, where we rode a small train and tried a rock crusher experience. Afterward, we continued toward Matsuyama in Shikoku. On the way, we passed through Imabari City, which is famous for producing high-quality Imabari towels. So, we made a stop at a healing spot along the way: the Towel Museum.

The parking lot here is spacious, with many vehicles coming and going. We were lucky to find a parking spot not far from the entrance of the Towel Museum. Parking and general admission are free, but special exhibition areas or the paid art gallery require a separate ticket. Our family decided to explore inside. As soon as we entered the 1F lobby, we were greeted by three adorable giraffes made of yarn, with bright colors and stripes.

In addition, the lobby features Moomin characters, another highlight of the museum, along with small round displays made of various yarns. One of the key features of this place is that all the towels are made in Japan, so you can shop with confidence, knowing the quality is excellent.

Taking the escalator upstairs, you can browse various towel displays and purchase your favorites on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The 4th floor is particularly special, with dedicated counters selling Hello Kitty towels and other yarn-crafted items. There’s even a Hello Kitty wall art piece made entirely of yarn, which is incredible. Nearby, there are two medium-sized giraffes and a small donkey made of different woven materials, all incredibly cute. I wished I could take one home, but they are for display only and cannot be touched.

Looking closer at the Hello Kitty yarn wall, it becomes clear that it’s been designed as a stunning piece of artwork, built with great creativity. Next to it is an exhibition area that requires an additional fee, but we decided to skip it and headed to the outdoor sky garden instead.

The outdoor garden is vast. Since it was summer, most visitors stayed indoors to enjoy the air conditioning. However, our family took the opportunity to explore the garden. We immediately noticed many small Moomin statues scattered around the outdoor area. By the time we arrived, it was already around 2:00 PM, and the sky garden had started spraying mist to water the plants.

The garden features tall trees and well-maintained greenery, with beautifully manicured lawns resembling a European estate.

From the outdoor garden, you can look down at the cars parked outside the Towel Museum. After walking around the garden, we returned indoors to check out some woven towel products available for purchase.

To our surprise, we had missed the teddy bear section earlier—a whole row of teddy bears in various colors. Teddy bear enthusiasts might be tempted to buy them all!

This place truly offers a delightful selection of cute yarn-crafted items that are both healing and irresistible, especially the two medium-sized giraffes and the little donkey. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do a major shopping spree this time, but we hope to come back again someday!