Your perfume might be... too loud. Here's the secret of Kōdō

European perfumes can be like fireworks – spectacular, intense, hard to ignore. But sometimes it’s worth turning off the senses that scream and listening to those that whisper. Welcome to the world of Kōdō – the Japanese philosophy of scent, where less really is more.

In European culture, perfume is often a form of expression. We choose it like a style – it is supposed to make an impression, define us in space, sometimes even drown out the silence. In Japan, such an approach can be perceived as a faux pas. There, the scent should not fill the room, but merely mark its presence. It should be an aura that is revealed only when someone comes really close – like a secret that we tell only to the chosen ones.

In crowded metropolises like Tokyo or Kyoto, an intense scent is not only tactless. It is a violation of the cultural code , in which respect for others is also manifested in... moderation in scents.

Perfume/photo Lummi.ai

To truly understand this approach, you need to go back to the source – specifically, to Kōdō, or the “Way of Smell.” It’s one of the three classic Japanese arts of life, along with tea making (chadō) and flower arranging (ikebana). But let’s not be fooled – Kōdō is not “Japanese aromatherapy.” It’s a ceremony in which you don’t “smell” the scent, but… “listen.” Literally.

It is a process of deep meditation, in which incense becomes the narrator of invisible stories. It teaches us to stop, to focus on what is fleeting. In a world full of stimuli, it is an experience like breathing in the chaos.

Contemporary Japanese perfumery draws from this tradition in spades. Instead of composing complex, dominant accords, fragrance creators create perfumes like haiku poems – sparse, but full of emotion. They are inspired by nature and what is most ephemeral in it: steam rising after rain, wet wood, the silence of the forest, the smell of laundry drying in the sun.

These are scents that don't scream. On the contrary, they allow themselves to be noticed only when we slow down. And maybe this is what we need most today - not another scent that will make a "wow effect", but one that will teach us mindfulness. And silence.