Tokyo by Kenzo, 2007

There is a lot of solitude under the Tokyo skyscrapers. Tokyo is a strange fragrance which i don't dislike despite being far from my usual olfactory taste. I use to appreciate the correct usage of tea note in the fragrances and this scent smells to me as an oriental (in its conception), bit moody and dark tea fragrance, watery and spicy. Closing my eyes with the whiff of this scent under my nose i figure my last holidays in tokyo and kyoto, i figure the smell, the taste, the flavour of meals and drinks from the far east. Tea, ginger, mate and spices are the soul of the scent and inhaling its fresh, sparkling lightness i don't know why but i tend to think to japanese light drinks and soya foods. The spicy, woody, hesperidic opening, very light and airy, is flooded by a water of tea and ginger in order to create, even thanks to orange addition, a sort of spicy, fruity, aromatic sort of tea based cocktail drink. The color of cocktail is dark brown. The woods seem to be dry and light. I don't perceive the strong, resinous texture of the wood. The base is woody and spicy and keeps on the masculine fresh sort of brown trait. The masculine trail is rised by pepper, ginger, cedar and other spices. There is not a lot of progression from the heart to the base. The heart is the featuring part of the scent after the first blast of citruses and spices. Unfortunately longevity and sillage are weak. There is a lot of solitude in this fragrance.

Tokyo opens with a spicy / woody / citrus accord that seems stronger to me than most of the recent issues at least it presents a little something different from the other designer offerings Ive been testing. I enjoy the woods they are a bit aromatic and have a masculine feel to them. I believe that the rather unique and masculine opening aura comes from the fresh opening ginger note, the bases gaïac wood - cedar, and the peppery feel of the pink pepper: I can smell elements of all three levels at once and I find it refreshing and enjoyable. After a very long introduction I get the mate / green tea accord and it is identifiable but not very prominent in the structure of the mid accord: I still am getting a lot of the opening spices and the gaïac base, but now its over a solid green platform. Unfortunately the middle notes do not last very long. The basenotes are a real letdown: They come through very weak and thin. The aromatic aspect of gaïac wood and cedar is still there but not their olfactory substance. I agree with Matthewfoo that this has definite similarities to Burberry products. I liked the first levels of Tokyo but the drydown just didnt hold up to the standards set in the opening. Soft sillage at first, weakening to a very long lasting cedar skin scent.