The memorable aromas of Japan~

Several years ago I embarked on a translation project of a Japanese publication called “kaori fuukei 100 sen” which mentions 100 locations across Japan which have particularly noteworthy fragrances for ‘scent tourism’.
You can read the introduction here
I never did get around to finishing that translation and knowing myself, I never will. Little by little I can chip away at its most important parts though (place’s I can visit with relative ease)

In the Kansai region:

Shiga:
There is a Buddhist temple called Enryakuji in the city of Otsu on the western border of Shiga Prefecture on Mount Hiei. The scent of the giant cedar trees and incense burned at the temples entrance waft throughout the air. It’s something you can experience all year round.

The kilns of southern Shiga in the town of Shigaraki which fire ‘Shigaraki pottery’. It’s also an aroma you can experience all year round, particularily noteworthy to those who wish to reminisce on the earlier periods of history.

Kyoto:
Between and around the 2 temples of ‘Nishi Honganji’ and ‘Higashi Honganji’ the streets are lined with Buddhist shops selling incense and other religious goods. The historic buildings amongst the new metropolitan style are a beautiful combination.

You can’t miss seeing Gion. If you walk from Hanami Koji to Shimbashi Dori you should see Geisha and Maiko pretty frequently, at any time of the year really. The make up and perfume the geisha’s wear, especially the oil which white-washes their faces is a particularly memorable fragrance you can’t really find elsewhere in the world.

While in Kyoto it would be a missed opportunity to not visit Fushimi. If you visit in the winter the scent the hundreds of sake breweries creating their new batches will perfume the whole town.

The fragrance of tea at Uji’s Byodoin Omotesando. You can walk a pretty narrow street peppered with tea shops selling Uji’s prized green teas. The fragrance of matcha being ground, hojicha being roasted, and of course tea’s being brewed are some of the things you can experience here. This street was really memorable when I visited, I spent a half day here walking around trying to buy Tencha with my especially poor Japanese at the time.

Nara:
If you visit Nara city between August 6th and 15th you can witness the ‘Nara Tokae Lantern Festival’ at Nara Park in the evening. The scent of thousands of candles fills the air.

Ink making is something that Nara is quite famous for, this is something you can experience at any time of the year. There are stores which sell this ‘artisanal ink’ and workshops you can take. The fragrance of the soot, resins, perfumes used in the ink making are apparently quite a unique fragrance.

Osaka:
Kawachi Ichinomiya Hiraoka Shrine in East-Osaka city (Higashi-Osaka city)
The fragrance of Plums, Kusunoki, cedar trees and flowers. The time of the year is specific to what you want to experience, but if you visit between Jan-March you can smell the plum blossoms.
It is an old shrine, and there are many old trees such as cherry blossoms and Japanese cypress on the property.
A large stump of juniper remains near the shrine.
You can enjoy the scent of various trees.

Tsuruhashi Station is apparently surrounded by streetfood aromas and Yakiniku (grilled meat) shops and restaurants. kimchi is apparently a big fragrance in the area. Any time of the year.

Hozenji is a temple in the middle of an area you would never expect it. That’s the case for me — I go to this area several times per trip to Japan but I’ve never even heard about this place.
The draw to this place is the combination of seeing a temple juxtaposed against the chaos of Namba. The fragrance of incense combined with teppanyaki, okonomiyaki, and other street foods. I found the following few words on japan.travel:

“Hozenji Temple is a short walk from Dotonbori Bridge. From the bridge, walk into the covered shopping arcade heading toward Namba, turn left at the intersection bordered by the Bookoff bookstore and ABC Mart shoe store. Walk one block to arrive at Hozenji Temple.”

Wakayama:
The Peach Blossoms of Momoyama town in Wakayama. Along the banks of the Kino river, it’s said that 100,000 peach trees blossom into a fog of pink. The town is wrapped in the sweet scent every Spring.

Surrounding Koyasan’s Okunoin Cemetary is a giant forest of cedar from which cedar incense has been historically made. There is said to be about 400,000 moss covered tombstones in the area. The aroma of the cedar forest, Japanese culture, and the scent of history permeate the air. It is something you can experience all year round.

Hyogo:
The Millennium Wisteria trees of Dasai Shrine in Shiso town. There is a tight window to experience this between late April and early May. These trees are said to have been planted in the year 960. There are enough wisteria trees to cover the entire shrine grounds in pink blossoms during the season.

Nadagogo sake making in Kobe’s Nishinomiya city. Nadagogo is the largest sake producing area in Japan. This fragrance is something you can only experience in during its production season in Autumn and Winter… it seems that you can smell sake in the air everywhere between Osaka and Kobe (an area referred to as Hanshikan) which encompasses the town of Nishinomiya city

阪神間約12km の範囲に酒造メーカーが
集合しており、仕込み期には新酒のかおり
がただよっています。寛永年間に西宮で醸
造が始まり、酒文化の歴史を後世に伝える
ための資料館・記念館等を開設しています。

Incense sticks of Ichinomiya. It’s something you can do all year round. This area apparently provides Japan with 70% of its incense? It’s also quite hard to translate…

嘉永年間から続く線香づくりは、全国の約
70%のシェアを占めており、町内には線
香事業所が16社、下請け業者が多数並び、
お香のかおりが生活のかおりとして漂って
います。