In Praise of Japanese Aftershaves

SpencerDub · Feb 20, 2012

Hey folks! As a guy living in Japan who just got his interest sparked in DE shaving a few months ago, it's great to see this thread! Aftershave is actually one of the areas I know the least about, so it's been a pleasure to read through a bit of the discussion.

I recognize that the other Japan thread might be a better place to ask this, but does anyone living in the country have any recommendations on places to look for some of these aftershaves in the Kyoto area? Or are they common enough that I could find them at any little corner drugstore?

The Nid Hog · Feb 20, 2012

SpencerDub said:
Hey folks! As a guy living in Japan who just got his interest sparked in DE shaving a few months ago, it's great to see this thread! Aftershave is actually one of the areas I know the least about, so it's been a pleasure to read through a bit of the discussion.

I recognize that the http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/41473-Shaving-supplies-in-Japan]other Japan thread[/url] might be a better place to ask this, but does anyone living in the country have any recommendations on places to look for some of these aftershaves in the Kyoto area? Or are they common enough that I could find them at any little corner drugstore?

You can find this stuff anywhere. Your neighborhood grocery store should have a few things and you'll find much more in the men's shaving section of a department store or larger drugstore. You can find some good shaving related gear at Matsumoto Kiyoshi, the big cosmetics store. Personally I like looking around in old shopping arcades. Little drug stores or the specialty retailers of Kanebo or Shiseido are a great source. But the short answer is that it's everywhere.

Luc · Feb 20, 2012

SpencerDub said:
Hey folks! As a guy living in Japan who just got his interest sparked in DE shaving a few months ago, it's great to see this thread! Aftershave is actually one of the areas I know the least about, so it's been a pleasure to read through a bit of the discussion.

I recognize that the other Japan thread might be a better place to ask this, but does anyone living in the country have any recommendations on places to look for some of these aftershaves in the Kyoto area? Or are they common enough that I could find them at any little corner drugstore?

Try this page: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Japan_Shaving_Supplies

SpencerDub · Feb 20, 2012

The Nid Hog said:
YPersonally I like looking around in old shopping arcades. Little drug stores or the specialty retailers of Kanebo or Shiseido are a great source. But the short answer is that it's everywhere.

Thanks for the comprehensive and quick response! Sounds like I'll be taking a detour to the Teramachi shopping arcade soon.

Luc said:
Try this page: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Japan_Shaving_Supplies

Thanks for the heads-up! There's not much on Kyoto there, but if I run into anything special in the near future, I'll add it to the page.

thebenjomonster · Feb 20, 2012

Just ordered a bottle of Lucido from Amazon. Should be here this week, I'm hopeful it lives up to all the hype everyone's been spreading. Will give you guys my impressions when it arrives.

vegasvics · Feb 20, 2012

Dropped by Mitsuwa this morning. Picked up the Mandom Hair Liquid to go with my AS and cream. Also grabbed a bottle of Bravas. Was hoping to find MG5, Valcan, or Auslese but no joy. The hunt continues!

rxonmymind · Feb 20, 2012

Seraphim....Thread #9/#165 is GREAT! What one could miss when you don't go through the threads.

rxonmymind · Feb 22, 2012

Just arrived! Can't wait to use it!! First sniff reminds me of cherry...
:tongue_sm

SpencerDub · Feb 23, 2012

rxonmymind said:
Just arrived! Can't wait to use it!! First sniff reminds me of cherry...

Good luck! Just as a note, that Lucido shouldn't have a lasting scent--the characters on the bottle read 無香料, which means "without fragrance".

On another note, I did a bit of searching today. As The Nid Hog mentioned, you truly can find a lot of the aftershaves at just about any drugstore in Japan. Most stores had at least 2 or 3 of the following:

MANDOM
Lucido
Bravas
MG5
Valcan
Auslese

I ended up getting some MANDOM, Lucido, and Bravas for a total just under ¥2,000. I won't get to try 'em out too soon, because I'm currently growing out my beard, as well as the fact that my DE razors are waiting for me back in the States (although I'm still on the prowl for a cheap Feather Popular here). Still, I'm quite glad I ran into this thread, because I would never have thought to look here for aftershaves!

rxonmymind · Feb 23, 2012

^ Without fragrance. You are correct. When I first opened a bottle it reminded me of cough syrup or cherries. Then once I applied it to my skin there was no scent. The others you mention will have to wait unfortunately.

poonjaji · Feb 23, 2012

A month or two ago I picked up some Kanwa on the BST. For years I have gravitated to Trumper's skin food and the Kanwa strikes me as the Japanese equivalent...which I now prefer. I find it performs almost identically (on my skin), though without any fragrance. Considering you can buy a 500gr refill pouch for about the price of a 100ml bottle of skin food, I am a convert.

Member357 · Feb 23, 2012

I'm a big fan of Kanwa too. I tried to buy a refill a couple of days ago from Rakuten and they were out of stock! Very annoying as I can't buy direct from Feather!

thebenjomonster · Feb 24, 2012

The Lucido arrived today, and I'm very pleased. Besides the great feel it gives my skin, it's totally scentless after the application. You do get a small whiff of Eucalyptus medicine-smell, but it fades immediately and leaves you with a great cooling sensation. A+ aftershave, should be a great one to use if I'm wearing a stronger fragrance.

KneeChee · Feb 24, 2012

I like my Bravas, my only Japanese AS at the moment.

It is one of my lighter scented AS'; one that I find perfect if I am about to go out to dinner and will be sitting closely with a group of people. Not too strong and not any where near offensive.

vegasvics · Feb 25, 2012

L to R: Bravas, Eroica, Auslese ASB, Tactics, MG5, Valcan

xillion · Feb 25, 2012

Aweome collection Vic. :thumbup1:

Can you describe the scent of your Valcan II and Eroica Valiant?
I've only smelled original Valcan and Eroica.

rxonmymind · Feb 25, 2012

Vic that is outstanding. Is the Man domain cream the same scent as their A/S?

Member357 · Feb 25, 2012

SpencerDub said:
Good luck! Just as a note, that Lucido shouldn't have a lasting scent--the characters on the bottle read 無香料, which means "without fragrance".

On another note, I did a bit of searching today. As The Nid Hog mentioned, you truly can find a lot of the aftershaves at just about any drugstore in Japan. Most stores had at least 2 or 3 of the following:

MANDOM

Lucido

Bravas

MG5

Valcan

Auslese

I ended up getting some MANDOM, Lucido, and Bravas for a total just under ¥2,000. I won't get to try 'em out too soon, because I'm currently growing out my beard, as well as the fact that my DE razors are waiting for me back in the States (although I'm still on the prowl for a cheap Feather Popular here). Still, I'm quite glad I ran into this thread, because I would never have thought to look here for aftershaves!

I rarely see the Feather popular in drug stores, but I see it, along with HUGE selections of afDIY/Homestore type places. Up here we have Musashi and Kahma Home centres, and they both have big selections of ***, as well as the Popular (for around 700 yen) and the Feather DE blades.

SpencerDub · Feb 26, 2012

Bluebriz said:
I rarely see the Feather popular in drug stores, but I see it, along with HUGE selections of afDIY/Homestore type places. Up here we have Musashi and Kahma Home centres, and they both have big selections of ***, as well as the Popular (for around 700 yen) and the Feather DE blades.

Good to hear. The only place I've seen a Popular so far was at a blade store in Sapporo. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find a similarly-stocked store here in Kyoto. I'll keep my eye out, though, and may check out a home improvement store or two.

vegasvics · Feb 26, 2012

rxonmymind said:
Vic that is outstanding. Is the Man domain cream the same scent as their A/S?

The Mandom cream doesn't smell like the AS. It's not scent free, but rather smells like what you might expect a skin cream to smell like (e.g., Ponds, etc). When applied post-shave it reminds me of RazoRock aftershave wax and provides a very smooth protective layer. I follow it up with splash of the Mandom AS.

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In Praise of Japanese Aftershaves

SpencerDub

The Nid Hog

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".

SpencerDub

thebenjomonster

vegasvics

rxonmymind

rxonmymind

SpencerDub

rxonmymind

poonjaji

Member357

thebenjomonster

KneeChee

vegasvics

xillion

rxonmymind

Member357

SpencerDub

vegasvics

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