Parfum Satori smelling-strip Experience 3: WASANBON

The next thing I tried wasanbon. I can't translate this, so I'll just call it wasanbon.
This is another Japanese sweet that is little known around the world. Japanese sweets are not very popular overseas, and they have the impression that they are a little intimidating (especially Japanese sweets). Has anyone overseas tried Japanese sweets? If so, it's probably a pretty niche demographic.

What is Wasanbon? (The photo shows rakugan. It is slightly different from wasanbon, but it has a similar taste.)
Wasanbon is a high-quality sugar produced in Shikoku (Kagawa Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture), and is made from sugarcane called "bamboo sugar". It was created in the Edo period, and is characterized by its fine grains, good melting in the mouth, and elegant sweetness. It is loved as an essential ingredient in Japanese sweets. (At that time, it was probably a luxury item that only samurai and aristocrats could eat. Common people probably didn't eat it.)
Rakugan, made by solidifying wasanbon*, is a very ephemeral sweet, and I rarely eat it. It is very moist and crumbles like a sand castle when you put it in your mouth. It also contains minerals, so it makes you salivate. It also replenishes minerals, so it has the effect of suppressing blood sugar levels. It's a different story if you eat a lot, but... The ingredients used in the rakugan sold at J-Scent and wasanbon are slightly different. (To be honest, they feel almost the same)
*I forgot to correct that, but just to be sure, rakugan and wasanbon are subtly different. They look almost the same. The difference between rakugan and wasanbon lies in the ingredients. Rakugan uses rice flour and wheat flour derived from grains, but wasanbon does not. Wasanbon is mainly made using wasanbon sugar and is molded and sold. But they look the same... it's confusing.

Returning to the topic of aroma, it does have a faint aroma similar to sake. This is why the molasses produced during the sugar refining process of wasanbon sugar is used as an ingredient in rum. According to Wikipedia, "It is called molasses overseas and is also used as an ingredient in rum. In Japan, rum is made from the molasses produced during the refining of wasanbon sugar," and it certainly does taste like alcohol. As I wrote earlier, Japanese people don't usually eat wasanbon sugar unless they receive it as a souvenir. I've never received it myself lol.

"The top note is sweet and sour lemon, followed by a scent reminiscent of crisp Japanese sweets.
It has an exquisite sweetness with plenty of the scent of high-quality iris."

Top notes: lemon, muscat
Middle notes: mimosa absolute, lily of the valley, almond, sugar, honey
Base notes: vanilla, iris (sweet iris), guaiac wood

Hmm, it's a scent that's hard to describe. It's very fine and powdery. Like powdered sugar.
It has a snow-like transparency and a "coldness" that melts with body temperature. If you like iris, this is an irresistible scent. It also has a faint koji-like scent. It's not a gourmand-like persistent scent, but a very refreshing scent. I like gourmand scents, but I feel this is a little too refined to be called gourmand. It smells like a haze. I can't call it gourmand unless I add more vanilla.
It's certainly not a floral scent... but the lemon and muscat are samples so I'm not sure. It doesn't smell like perfume at all. It really smells like food. It's a bit like the last note of Guerlain's L'Heure Bleu.
The lily of the valley, almond, sugar, and honey don't feel like independent scents, but exist for iris. If iris is a white bride, the other scents are just walking around holding onto the hem of her dress. I guess they use a lot of iris, but it's completely different from how other perfume makers use iris. It doesn't contain any musk to increase the lasting power, and it's a refreshing scent, so it may not last long. This is no exception, and the scent is modest.
However, I think people who like the refreshing scent of powdered sugar will like it. People who like L'instant
Magic and Flower by Kenzo will be soothed by this gentle scent. It has less vanilla scent than those two, and feels slightly sweet.
So it's not milky or marshmallowy. In my impression, the vanilla scent is modest. It has a slight sweetness, and the sweetness of iris and sugar is the main focus. When you put it in your mouth, the cool, melted sugar melts with your body temperature, leaving a sweetness on your tongue. It has a faint scent.
This is konpeito. Even though it's a different candy, for some reason it reminds me of konpeito.

Thank you to those who read carefully and those who skipped ahead. That concludes my experience of Parfum Satori's scent. - "It's time to enjoy something sweet. What is your favorite candy?"

Spirited Away: This image is used with permission from Studio Ghibli.

Open it when you want to feel nostalgic for just 5 minutes.