A Guide for the Olfactory Tourist in Japan

     For those of us foreigners interested in Japanese incense the relationship (or obsession) must by necessity occur at a distance: purchasing boxes online with little sense of what might be inside, burning incense alone to avoid the quizzical looks of others or learning how to assemble an incense bowl from youtube videos and blurry diagrams. So for those fortunate enough to visit, a trip to Japan can be a revelation. The current strength of the dollar and growing prevalence of tax-free shops can lead to significant savings over purchase in the US. But with the obscurity and small size of many Japanese incense companies it can be difficult for the English speaker to find sites to visit or hands-on resources to learn more about the art. I was lucky enough to spend a month in Japan in 2019 and made it a priority to search out resources for buying and learning about Japanese incense. This is a short guide to the shops, classes and museums I found. While others may exist these are arguably some of the best - and most accessible - in the country.

Shoyeido, perhaps Japan’s most well known incense company, has stores all around the country, many of them tax free (https://www.shoyeido.co.jp/english/stores/index.html). Of the three stores in Tokyo the Shoyeido Aoyama branch (Pinevillage, 5-47-13, Jingu-mae, Tokyo 150-0001) offers English language assistance as well as occasional in-store lessons on how to prepare a koh bowl (¥1000 per person, max four, appointments can be made same day though it is probably best to reserve in advance). Like many other shops on this list the clerks are happy to allow you to sample sticks before you buy, simply point to a box and they will gladly light a small piece for you.

Kyoto, one major historical center of Japanese incense culture, sports numerous small incense shops and sites worth visiting. One of these, Tenkhodou, has a branch in the Arashiyama neighborhood (https://tenkhodou.com, 47 Katsurahisakata-cho, Nishigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto,) offering an array of fine stick-type incense, kneaded incense, aloeswood chips and sachets.

The Yamadamatsu head store (http://www.yamadamatsu.co.jp/en/, shimodachiuri-agaru, muromachi-dori kamigyo-ku - not far from the old imperial palace) is an elegant retail space surrounded by antique koh-doh implements and sizable pieces of raw jin-koh (aloeswood). The store offers two workshops (http://www.yamadamatsu.co.jp/en/exp/index.html) which should be reserved in advance. These are conducted solely in Japanese though a good quality English language pamphlet is available and reservations can be made in English via e-mail. The mon-koh workshop (¥1500 per person, max ten people) lasts about an hour and takes the form of an informal Genji-koh session in which participants attempt to distinguish five separate koh chips from one another. The experience is very accommodating and far more about the appreciation of fine incense then any sort of competition.

Kyoto’s monthly Flea markets are some of the great events in the city. Hundreds of stalls pop-up for the day (though it is always best to get there early) selling excellent street food, handmade crafts and antiques. Tenjin-san Flea Market at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (Bakurocho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 602-8386) is held each month on the 25th. Among the chawan, statues and occasional taxidermied sea turtles can be found brass censers starting at ¥2000 and antique celadon censers starting around ¥10000. Stands selling incense can occasionally be found mostly with lower grade sticks though at reasonable prices.

For those looking for the finest products Kyoto has a branch of Kyukyodo a few blocks north of Nishiki market (520 Shimohonnojimaecho, Anekoji Agaru, Teramachi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8091, Kyoto Prefecture). Kyukyodo sells high end calligraphy products and washi alongside a variety of jin-koh chips, koh-do bowls, implements and other accoutrement. Prices range from the tens of thousands to many millions of yen. Products are artfully displayed so - even though some bowls cost more than an average travel budget - it is worth stepping inside just to gaze at these rare works of craftsmanship.

A whole other kind of olfactory and artistic appreciation can be found in the Kiseru, Japan’s contribution to the world of tobacco. The Kiseru is a long, narrow pipe with a vanishingly small bowl made of brass and bamboo which is used to smoke finely shredded tobacco called kizami. The Kiseru was used widely around Japan until the introduction of cigarettes in the late 19th century. The size and shape of the Kiseru as well as the kizami itself are all designed to minimize the effects of nicotine, shifting the focus of the smoking experience to the delicate and refined aroma of the tobacco itself. Once an indispensable accessory for the Samurai, Dandy, Kabuki actor and Geisha alike the Kiseru itself has been elevated to the status of art object and can be appreciated apart from any tobacco consumption. Only a handful of Kiseru artisans are still active today and the only store still selling the pipes, Tanigawa Seijiro Shoten, can be found in Kyoto (443 Tachibanacho (Gokomachidori), Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8044). The storekeeper (also the craftsman of all the Kiseru sold in the shop) is a wellspring of knowledge about the history and cultural significance of the Kiseru, plus, if you purchase a pipe, he will be glad to show you how to smoke it, with hands-on practice. While the shop itself does not sell kizami it can be found at Kuriyama Daizenshu a short walk away (400 yen, 600-8001 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku, Shinchō), the store keeper will be happy to draw out a map.

In the Onsen town of Beppu is the Oita Fragrance Museum (48-1 Kitaishigaki, Beppu, Ōita Prefecture 874-8501, http://oita-kaori.jp/ ¥1000 entrance fee). At three floors one could spend an hour or so here lounging among the historical incense containers and hundreds of ornate perfume bottles. Some of the text has English translations. Evenly split between the worlds of incense and perfume, the historical and contemporary, a wide range of topics are covered to a suitable depth. Highlights of the museum include historical Koh-doh implements, antique perfume stills and samples of raw perfume ingredients - including large chunks of ambergris, castoreum and musk - which can be sampled in isolation. The museum also holds a Make your own Perfume Class (¥2200 for a 30 mL vial, occasionally offered in English) where you can mix a range of ingredients yourself under the watchful eye of an expert.

Finally Buddhist temples around the country will occasionally compound their own incense which can only be purchased on site. This can be a little hit or miss but temples and sites where I found site-specific incense for sale include: Zojo-ji (４丁目-7-35 Shibakōen, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 105-0011), the Kyoto Imperial Palace gift shop (3 Kyōtogyoen, Kamigyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 602-0881) and Senko-ji (15-1 Higashitsuchidōchō, Onomichi-shi, Hiroshima-ken 722-0033).