r/Incense

My Japanese incense haul finally arrived, and I have to admit, my first impressions have been rather disappointing.

Before placing my order with Wa no Kaori Incense, I spent quite some time reading through this subreddit, looking at recommendations and trying to put together a decent selection from different Japanese manufacturers. I really wanted to give Japanese incense a proper try.

I've been exploring Indian and Tibetan incense for a while, and I also have real agarwood/oud and other natural aromatic materials at home.

Recently, while visiting Málaga in Spain, I went to a large specialist incense shop and spent almost two hours talking to the staff, learning about different materials and fragrances. I ended up buying quite a lot: bakhoor, oud, sandalwood, various natural resins and other incense materials.

That experience was fascinating. I really enjoy the warmth, depth and complexity of natural aromatic materials, especially when you can actually recognize their individual characteristics.

When I returned home to Germany, I was especially excited about my Japanese incense order, which I had been looking forward to trying.

Unfortunately, my first impressions haven't been what I expected.

To be clear, I've only tried a few products from this new haul so far, including Shoyeido Nokiba (Moss Garden) and Kyukyodo Shirohato (White Dove). I've also tried Nippon Kodo Aloeswood separately. Most of the products in the photo are still untested, so this isn't a verdict on the entire haul.

But what I've experienced so far, together with some Japanese incense I've tried in the past, has left me puzzled.

A lot of it reminds me of old-fashioned men's deodorant, shaving foam, cheap aftershave or shower gel. Very sharp, cold, soapy and strangely one-dimensional. Some Shoyeido incense I've tried before, like White Cloud, reminded me more of instant soup stock than incense.

Even some products described as natural, herbal or woody don't really smell natural to me.

It's not that I dislike strong fragrances. Some of my Indian floral incense is extremely intense but still smells beautifully natural. And I'm familiar with the smell of real agarwood and sandalwood, which I find much more interesting and complex.

Here's what I ordered:

• Shoyeido Kunro Kaho (Flower Garden)
• Shoyeido Horin Shirakawa (White River)
• Shoyeido Horin Horikawa (River Path)
• Shoyeido Nokiba (Moss Garden)
• Kida Jinseido Kyara Kunkoh
• Nippon Kodo Ka-fuh Aqua
• Nippon Kodo Kayuragi Assortment (Agarwood, Cherry Blossom, Sandalwood)
• Kousaido Sanshukoh no Zu Hakubai (White Plum)
• Kousaido Murasakino no Yugasumi (Evening Haze of Murasakino)
• Kunjudo Japanese Gardens Pond
• Baieido Tokusen Kobunboku
• Kyukyodo Shirohato (White Dove)
• Gyokushodo Jinko Yomei
• Gyokushodo Kaori no Sho Assortment (6 Types)

I realize that most of these are relatively affordable products and probably don't represent the highest end of Japanese incense? I'm certainly not expecting premium kyara quality at these prices. Or i don't know yet.

And I'm not saying Japanese incense is bad. I'm genuinely trying to understand whether I've mostly picked beginner-friendly, heavily perfumed products, whether I'm simply not connecting with this particular fragrance aesthetic, or whether I should be exploring a completely different side of Japanese incense.

I'm particularly interested in traditional incense where the natural materials are allowed to shine.

And for those who initially felt the same way: did you eventually find Japanese incense that changed your mind?

I'd genuinely appreciate your experiences and recommendations. I still have most of this haul to explore, and I'd love to discover something that changes my first impression.

...you spend US $141 per stick for a box of 60. At least they're long sticks, lol.

I'm new to the world of high quality and Japanese incense and I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I use both sticks and resin for ritual purposes and after a couple years of trying different brands I settled on the one pictured. I actually really like the scent compared to other brands out there and they burn quite clean, but I'm hoping to find something of higher quality. I've been told not only do the sticks produce less smoke because they don't have bamboo, but the Japanese charcoal also produces much less smoke compared to the normal (hookah) charcoals when used with resins.

Originally I planned to find and give my business to an independent seller or store that hand rolls them using all natural ingredients, but I've seen everyone talking about Japanese incense so I thought I'd give it a try. I use traditional scents like Frankincense and Myrrh, Sandalwood, Dragons Blood, White Sage and Palo Santo etc. I'm open to trying different brands and I've checked out the links provided in the "quick links" tab, but if anyone uses these scents and can help me out with a specific seller or website they can vouch for I'd appreciate it.

I think I'm missing about 8 packets here but i really didn't like some and others were so forgettable that I just threw the packet away after using them.

So a few months back, I did a haul of sample packets to explore more incense but especially aloeswoods, and I. Certainly found a favorite.

Honorable mentions:

Yamadamatsu premium collection (middle, second from the right) This whole set is divine and it's hard to pick a favorite. I plan to pick up a small pack of each when I return to japan. The yamadamatsu shop is on my must visit list lol.

Minorien Kunpo set (Bottom right) this set is beautiful and would make a gorgeous gift for anyone who likes traditional japanese aesthetics. The incense is wrapped in really pretty paper, comes with a nice dish and the backing textured board looks and sort of feels like tatami mat. Smells wonderful.

Baieido Tokusen set (top left wooden box) This is a bit pricey worth every penny. The box and presentation is beautiful and each incense smells very distinct from each other unlike a lot of these samplers. I adore these and will buy full sized boxes of each when these have gone and probably refill this wooden box.

Yamadamatsu Hojo series (bottom, 3rd from the right) This would be my actual favorite if it weren't for the price. Red is my favorite and I just want to bathe my entire house in it, but it smells almost identical to my favorite if you're not listening too closely to it, and green and white smelled so similar to 2 from the premium collection that I couldn't justify the price. 100% worth getting a sample to try them but there are more affordable alternatives that smell very similar.

My favourite

Yamadamatsu Yuen

As soon as I lit each of these, i was instantly in love. I cannot tell the difference between the aloeswood (black one) and Hojo Red if I'm not lostening to closely. The other 2 sandalwoods in the collection are my favourites too. One has a gorgeous smoked bbq wood kind of scent and the other is so dry and spicy without being spicy, I adore all 3 and plan to get full sized boxes. Ald they're pretty cheap relatively speaking. If I could only burn 1 incense for the rest of my life, it would be Yuen aloeswood (black).

Have you tried any of these and which did you like/dislike the most?

A few days ago, we did paozhi on a batch of Chinese frankincense.Frankincense naturally has a bright, highly diffusive aroma. In a blended incense formula, it can easily move to the front and become very noticeable in the opening.

So this processing has two main purposes.

The first is to make the aroma a little more restrained. After processing, it does not rush forward as quickly and can sit more naturally within the whole formula, appearing more in the middle or later stages.

The second is to change its physical state. Frankincense contains a lot of resin and oil, so when it is ground directly, it can become sticky, clump together, and be difficult to turn into a fine, even powder. After processing, it becomes more brittle, easier to grind, and easier to mix evenly with the other aromatic materials.

The method itself is simple. Heat the frankincense slowly over low heat without adding water or anything else, and keep stirring. Once the oils begin to come out and the surface starts to look glossy, spray in a small amount of white rice vinegar, continue stirring briefly, and then remove it from the pan.

After it cools and dries completely, the frankincense becomes noticeably more brittle. You can hear a clear snap when breaking it by hand, and at that point it is much easier to grind into a fine powder.

Agarwood is not a separate species of tree.
It forms inside certain trees, mainly Aquilaria and Gyrinops, when the tree responds to injury or stress by producing aromatic resin.
Over time, this resin accumulates within the wood, gradually changing its color, density, and aroma.
The dark, fragrant material we call agarwood is the result of this natural transformation.
Tree → Resin → Agarwood
The same tree can contain both ordinary light-colored wood and highly resinous, fragrant agarwood.
And that is part of what makes agarwood so fascinating.
Save this post if you're beginning to explore the world of agarwood and incense.

From Nippon Kodo.

From left to right:

Mainichikoh- sandalwood and cherry blossom. This one has very low smoke, can barely even see the smoke. The scent is very subtle. As expected it has a mixture of floral and woody.

Mainichikoh- sandalwood. Pure sandalwood incense. Quite pleasant.

Itten assortment - longer sticks, with four scents, aloeswood, sandalwood, Lily, and chrysanthemum. I haven't had a chance to try these yet, but I'm looking forward to it and will update later once I do.

Seiun - chrysanthemum. My wife's favorite. This one is a reorder. Another low smoke incense. It has a light floral scent. My wife and I bought our first box of this one from a Japanese temple in our anniversary trip to Hawaii.

Morning star - lotus. Strong sweet floral scent on this one.

My wife prefers the floral scents, I prefer woody ones. Between the two of us, pleasant smells fill the house

I accidentally clogged up the plumbing trap in my bf’s kitchen and this disgusting smell arose from the aftermath. I always carry emergency bakhoor on my person incase I need to heat up my car’s cigarette lighter and cover up any dubious odors.

I tried looking for his bakhoor burner but he seemingly doesn’t have one. Desperate times, desperate measures.

Liquid ingredients: SE USA Wildflower honey, Homemade rose/chamomile water, Bakhoor Malaki oil, Energy oil (which I believe is bergamot and jasmine oils), and a splash of merlot

Dry ingredients: Sandalwood powder, amber oud bakhoor, frankincense and myrrh, cloves, cinnamon, and hibiscus rosa powder

Im going to be mixing these together, rolling them into incense pellets, and aging them for about a year, flipping daily. The recipe is inspired by Egyptian Temple Incense, also known as Kapet or Kyphi, which uses red wine, honey, medjool dates, and frankincense and myrrh as their base ingredients and add extra to that, and age it all together for up to a year or more so everything has time to meld and mix

The Subtle Elegance of Japanese Balance

The Lotus from Nippon Kodo’s Koh-Do line comes in a bluish stick that marks an obvious step up from the brand's entry-level Morning Star range. Don’t try to make sense of it right after burning a heavy incense or when your nose is already fatigued, or you’ll miss half the concert. Moving from a dense masala straight to this might leave your brain feeling like something went wrong. In fact, if you buy this box alongside something ridiculously potent at the shop, the clerk might legitimately question your sanity.

The Japanese house lists a profile of lily of the valley, cyclamen, sandalwood, and musk. That is indeed what you get, but the real magic lies in the sandalwood—its quality is surprisingly exquisite for this price point. The florals bring a soothing, clean, and aquatic character—fresh yet semi-sweet—and then there’s the musk: one musk to rule them all and bind them to your senses.

It’s so crisp and pristine that if your mystic neighbor pops down expecting to grab a few beers, one whiff at the doorway will have him turning on his heel—he’ll assume you’re about to throw on some soft pop ballads and serve him tea with biscuits.

What makes this stick stand out isn't just the blend, but its evolving character. It’s far from a one-note aroma. Notes weave in and out: one minute you catch dry timber; the next, a breeze of fresh air sweetened by musk; then you’ll smell the aquatic florals before that fresh tone melts back into the sandalwood, turning velvety and smooth.

This incense isn't trying to summon mystical cows or spark visions of half the Hindu pantheon. It won't bring you wealth or luck, but at least your partner won't hate you.

Burn time usually clocks in around 33 minutes, stretching to 40 in higher humidity. That’s 33 minutes of pure bliss for your nostrils as the atmosphere shifts. Even in a small, unventilated room, the way the scent turns, rolls, and unfolds is impressive. You could easily burn two in a row without hitting any olfactory fatigue.

I can't say if science has validated the existence of chakras, but if a heavy session of thick resins has clogged yours, this acts as a spiritual aspirin. It is, in a way, the cholesterol pill of the incense world.

Meanwhile, your dog can finally leave his asthma inhaler on the nightstand; odds are he'll regain his sense of taste and think his human has finally come to their senses.

If you’re having someone over that you're way too into, don't hesitate to light this Lotus. Look no further: it’s romantic, cozy, and hits that perfect sweet spot without going overboard. There’s a solid chance they’ll stick around to smell it the next morning, and your Japanese incense maker will have officially saved the night. When all is said and done: Lotus is the incense your mom always wished you’d burn.

If this is Nippon Kodo’s mid-range offering, I can barely imagine what their top-tier stuff smells like...

Buenos días!

So I found it at a free “garage sale” close too my house and i could not find anything about it it’s a Canton vase stamped on the bottom. But i decided too just drill a hole and make it a incense holder cuz chat gpt told me its worth 20$,but if you can find anything about the company or where its from would be nice

Wild Chaar

Koh Kong | Cambodia

Beautiful display piece 🧩😍