Experience the depth of good old-fashioned fragrance at Kyoto's unique aroma experience spots!

Have you ever felt the elegant aroma when you got off at the Hachijo exit of Kyoto Station?
When I return from a trip and smell this fragrance at Kyoto Station, I feel as if I have returned home.
In fact, this aroma comes from a store called "Shoeido Kun Kun," which opened in 2014 on the first floor of Asty Road on the Hachijo Exit side of Kyoto Station.

In addition to incense for religious use, this store sells fragrant wood and kneaded incense for use at tea ceremonies, incense sticks for tatami rooms, and scent bags. Limited edition products available only at Kaoru Koukou are also gaining popularity.

This time, we would like to introduce "Kunjukan," a facility operated by Shoeido where visitors can learn and enjoy fragrance.

Who is Shoeido?

Shoeido was founded around 1705 and specializes in the manufacture and sale of incense.
Shoeido began its full-fledged involvement in incense making when Moritsune III served as the chief water commissioner of the Imperial Palace, and since then, for 12 generations, the company has been dedicated to incense making.

Since its establishment, the store has been located in Karasuma-nijo, south of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and continues to offer fragrances for various occasions, including incense for religious use, fragrant wood used in the tea ceremony, kneaded incense, luxury incense for the tatami room, simple incense, and scent bags.

On July 11, 2018, Shoeido opened its newly remodeled "Shohakukan" as a base for disseminating information on Japanese incense culture in a broader and deeper sense.
What kind of place is it?

Koh-labo "Fragrance Walk

The "Fragrance Walk" on the first floor offers fun ways to encounter a variety of scents.

(1) Manufacturing process miniature

Entering the entrance and proceeding to the right, visitors will see a miniature model reproducing the manufacturing process. It explains how incense was made in the Edo period (1603-1867), and although some opportunities have been introduced now, the process has remained almost the same as it was then.

The process is divided into seven steps: "weighing," "kneading," "ball fastening," "tray cutting," "raw dipping," "drying," and "raising the board.
Please observe carefully the detailed representation of the actual work scene, such as the green powder on the craftsman's hands...â

(2) STUDY Corner

Tablets are installed here, where visitors can learn about the history, types, and uses of incense.
By easily gaining knowledge of incense in an easy-to-understand format, it may be easier to find the fragrance of your choice.

(iii) Enjoy the aroma

Here is a corner where you can use silicone bottles to test the fragrance.
When you hold the bottle, the fragrance comes out in a whiff.
The author gripped it too hard, and the aroma popped out vigorously and made me gape a little (laughs), so please try gripping it a little bit.

(4) Pillars of fragrance

There are five poles at the back of the room. After visually inspecting the raw materials in the clear case, you can bring your nose close to the white trumpet and push the pump to check the aroma of the incense ingredients.

Frankincense" is a resin secreted from trees of the genus Boswellia in the family Acanthaceae of the order Mucorales.
In ancient Egypt, it was used as a sacred incense to offer to the gods, and it is also used in Christian ceremonies.

The aroma was sweet, warm, and also had spicy nuances.

5) Kaori BOX

I had often seen this place on Instagram and other places! On this day, there were two groups of girls waiting for their turn to be photographed.
Three white boxesHang from the ceiling and put your head in each of the three white boxes to experience a different fragrance.

The photo below is from a display in the museum. This is what it looks like when you put your head in! There is also a stand available for self-taken photos.

When you put your head inside the box, you will find this description of the fragrance on the inside wall.

The fragrance of this box is agarwood, a type of aromatic wood.
The aroma was like the scent of incense sticks with a slightly sweet nuance, and the sweetness was clean and dignified.
It was somewhat refreshing and relaxing♪

There are also some surprising fragrance goods!

Behind the reception desk, there was this long, long incense.

The length of the lamp is about 140 cm! It is said to continue burning for seven hours.
Is it long enough to aim for a Guinness record? (Laughter)

And what a smell bag gacha, "Kun Gacha," even.
There are four different scents in the package: "Elegant," "Miyako," "Kuusemikou," and "Niu no Hana," and if you get the right one, you will receive a stick of incense.
For 500 yen a time, you may be able to meet the fragrance of your destiny.

It is about a 3-minute walk from Marutamachi Station on the Subway Karasuma Line and about a 5-minute walk from Karasuma-Oike Station, and admission is free.
Why don't you experience the depth of genuine incense at this theme park of fragrance?

Facility Name:training school
Address: East side of Nijo Kamigaru, Karasuma-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-212-5590

HP: http://www.kunjyukan.jp/

Akanemaru visits Kaoru Shukan at the beginning of this video, so check it out if you want to know more about the atmosphere!