Savor the Seasons and Your Own Unique Personal Fragrance with an Aroma Craft Experience

A Researcher Entering the Fragrance World from Clinical Pharmacy

Instruction and guidance in this plan is provided by Yoko Kubota, a researcher of “aromachology” – discipline combining aroma and psychology. Kubota began her career as a pharmacist, on the front lines of university clinical pharmacy research. Her quest for ways to care for the body and mind through medicines eventually led her to a focus on fragrance.

Kubota’s research and work in aromatherapy is all driven by her desire to “spread joy through the sense of smell”

“Of the five senses, the body’s sense of smell is said to be the most powerful in terms of crisis management,” says Kubota. “If that’s true, then that gives it the power to protect us not just physically, but mentally as well.” Kubota’s aromacology classes and workshops today grow ever more popular, attracting a wide cross-section of people – across age and gender – who are seeking guidance.

Learn the history of fragrance design and the science of its therapeutic effects in a highly accessible format

Aromatherapy and Japanese Culture

Given her background in clinical pharmacy, Kubota seeks to base her approach to aromatherapy in scientific evidence. She explains the body's mechanisms based on the five phases concept from kampo traditional medicine in Japan. Through her instruction, participants can gain a deeper understanding of the role of scents not only in giving comfort, but in bringing balance to mind and body.

It’s hard to choose among the plethora of essential oils available

Kubota also explains the crucial role that scent plays in the four seasons of Japan and the history and culture associated with them, using it as a framework for understanding how Japan’s people have enjoyed scents and incorporated them into life. These are sensibilities that can add a gentle touch of joyous color to modern life.

Japan’s Four Seasons in Fragrance

When you have gotten the basics of fragrance down, you can move on to crafting seasonal aromas of your own. In this plan, participants create two items: a roll-on perfume, and zuko incense (a traditional Japanese incense powder to purify the hands and body). The roll-on perfume is crafted from your choice of three seasonal essential oils, while the zuko options are curated by Kubota and prominently feature sandalwood in keeping with traditional usage in Buddhist ritual. As you layer the scents, pay close attention to how the overall aroma evolves.

Take your personally blended aroma creation home with you

In crafting your fragrance, you’ll try a variety of scents and blend as you like. “What kind of chemical reactions occur as the scents combine and reach your olfactory receptors?” says Kubota. “You have to experience it to really understand.” Some are surprised at the change from the initial scents to the final product. This is a rare opportunity to experience naturally-derived aromas that simply can’t be found in ready-made commercial mixtures.

Savoring the evolution of the fragrance, put your feelings into each step as you approach its final form

The essential oils available in this experience change every three months, drawing on seasonal themes such as cherry blossom and Japanese spicebush in spring or shell ginger and lily in summer. This central emphasis on seasonality is one of the main features of this plan, and through it you can more profoundly and fully experience Japan during your visit.

Zuko incense (a traditional Japanese incense powder to purify the hands and body)

Otonami Lounge Tokyo: A Next Generation Lounge Venue for Exceptional Experiences

This experience is conducted at the Otonami Lounge Tokyo. Newly opened in the spring of 2025 at the Daimaru Tokyo store just off Tokyo Station, this next-generation lifestyle lounge offers instructional courses and cultural events organized around the principle of “adult learning for lifestyle enrichment.” It also features a large selection of items for purchase that have been skillfully produced by Japan’s artisans and carefully curated for a lineup that can’t be found anywhere else. 

Conveniently located just off Tokyo Station, yet with a tranquility and calm far removed from the hustle and bustle

Brighten the Daily with a Fragrance You Created

“I hope that by spending time here surrounded by beautiful and therapeutic aromas, you will be inspired to cherish and take care of your inner self,” says Kubota. After crafting your fragrance, enjoy some time to chat with Kubota about your thoughts and feelings on the experience and the scent you created. You’re sure to find your heart at ease after this tranquil time immersed in the joys of fragrance.

Enjoy the luxury of a leisurely chat with Kubota while crafting fragrance

The crafted aroma, which you create yourself under Kubota’s guidance, is a one-of-a-kind item full of tried-and-true experience and affection. Place it in a pouch, bag, on your desk, or anywhere close at hand to enrich your day-to-day. Relish the spirit of Japan and its seasonal culture through scent.