I use cellulose sponge cloths for my kitchen. They are superabsorbent and very quick to dry, and I like them. They are available from
Tokyu Hands,
¥400 for 3 cloths. The one I bought from London was £1.15 (¥228) for 3, and €1.19 (¥159) for 5 in Germany. They are produced in Germany. The quality of the cloths from Tokyu Hands and
Sainsbury's (supermarket in London) were almost the same, but the ones from Germany are the best, they are
1.5 times thicker than the others! A perfect souvenir from Germany for your Japanese friends (maybe not?). There are also
illustrated cloths but they seem too thin to me.