Fashionably fragrant gift idea: J-Scent, perfumes that capture the aromas of Japan

And we don’t mean the smell of drunk, sweaty salarymen on a crowded train.

Ah, perfume! What a vast array of scents that word includes. From standard florals and musks to more outlandish aromas like tanuki raccoon dog or Attack on Titan characters, there’s a dizzying selection to choose from. Or perhaps it’s just spending too long in the perfume section that’s making you light-headed.

If your lady love is a Japan fan, you can bypass all those testers and head straight for the J-Scent Collection: a series of perfumes that evoke uniquely Japanese aromas. They’ve just released their first three scents, Agarwood, Roasted Green Tea and Wasanbon.

Now, agarwood is a resinous heartwood produced when lign-aloe trees are infected with a particular type of mold. It’s a rare and expensive ingredient that it is commonly used in fine perfumes. It’s also used in traditional Japanese incense, so it’s not surprising to find it in this line.

▼ Agarwood: so you too can smell like moldy wood

Roasted Green Tea and Wasanbon, on the other hand, are not your typical perfume scents.

Roasted Green Tea, or hojicha, in Japanese, is a very popular beverage and is served both hot and cold. It has a warming, earthy scent, especially as the leaves are being roasted. According to the manufacturer, this perfume recalls that and “the feeling of having a chat with an intimate friend.”

Wasanbon is an expensive fine-grained sugar produced in the south of Japan from sugarcane. It is primarily used in making wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets. I can’t say that there is any particular smell associated with it, but the product description says it’s “a friendly scent with the image of delicate wagashi.”

They all sound like nice subtle scents that could make for a thoughtful Valentine’s day gift, though you might want to be careful they get you fired up for the wrong activity.

▼ “Mmm, baby, your perfume makes me want to eat a bunch of sugar and have a cup of tea.”

Or, if your lady isn’t really into perfume, maybe she’d prefer a tattoo inspired by Disney and the yakuza.

Source: At Press
Top image: J-Scent
Insert images: Wikicommons/Hafizmuar, Flickr/takahito

Credit: