In Praise of Japanese Aftershaves

[hmansion]

Great buys Steve. I love Tactics aftershave.

Does the cologne have a green ring on the neck?

I need to pick up some up.

Thanks, Chris!

I never thought about it and had to go check - yes, the Tactics cologne has a green ring and the aftershave has a blue ring - good eye! I haven't worn either other than to sample, but I think I pick up a more pronounced green-grass note with the cologne versus a lean towards the powder note with the aftershave. Also, the cologne comes with the same neck-reducing shaker insert as the aftershave, not the atomizer you usually find on cologne bottles. If you love the aftershave, you will certainly love the cologne! I got the big 240ml bottle

 

[fightingillini22]

Really loving the reviews! I leave for Tokyo tomorrow morning for work, and can't wait! If there were one or two Japanese aftershaves I should seek out while over on the islands, which would they be?

 

[xillion]

Good to hear Steve. I'll be buying some Tactics cologne soon. If you like Shiseido then the discontinued Basara/Basala aftershave and cologne is worth looking for.
It has a wonderful Chypre fragrance. I posted some images of the bottles here.

Also check out this older thread for some obscure Japanese aftershaves:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/152298-Obscure-Japanese-AS

 

[hmansion]

Really loving the reviews! I leave for Tokyo tomorrow morning for work, and can't wait! If there were one or two Japanese aftershaves I should seek out while over on the islands, which would they be?

If I could only choose one, Tactics, for its uniqueness and complexity.
If I could have two, I'd add Bravas, for its refined citrusy-lime zing.
(These both have a cologne counterpart that is also excellent.)

But it will be hard to leave behind a bottle of MANDOM if you see it in your quest - "All the world loves a lover. All the world loves MANDOM!"

Would love to visit Tokyo one day. The chef knives, incense, sake, sushi...I could spend many fortunes there!

 

[hmansion]

Good to hear Steve. I'll be buying some Tactics cologne soon. If you like Shiseido then the discontinued Basara/Basala aftershave and cologne is worth looking for.
It has a wonderful Chypre fragrance. I posted some images of the bottles here.

Also check out this older thread for some obscure Japanese aftershaves:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/152298-Obscure-Japanese-AS

Shiseido is such an excellent house and they put out many interesting, high-quality products. They're never inexpensive, but usually worth it. I really like their Zen cologne...

I actually have a bottle of Basala EdT, which I got around the time Shiseido stopped production of the Basala line. You were very lucky to find some at your Mitsuwa. I'm sure you've seen the eBay prices - $50-$60 for 50ml of aftershave would be an expensive addiction to support - ouch! I do think it's an amazing spicy, exotic scent perfect for cold weather. Of course, we seldom get cold weather here so fortunately my bottle of EdT should last a while!

Thanks for the link to other Japanese aftershaves! And I've gotta say, I am so envious of folks who have a Mitsuwa market nearby! For being the number one tourist destination in the world, you'd think Orlando would have something like that. My parents used to live in San Diego, but it was before I would have thought to seek out a Mitsuwa...

 

[Folace]

Aside question: are the Mandom hair tonic and hair liquid (guess it’s a gel or pomade) worth the try? I mean, will my hair smell like Mandom? [emoji7]

 

[hmansion]

Aside question: are the Mandom hair tonic and hair liquid (guess it’s a gel or pomade) worth the try? I mean, will my hair smell like Mandom? [emoji7]

What an awesome level of MANDOM-ness one would achieve if it is so!

(I don't have the products so can't help with your question...)

 

[Folace]

What an awesome level of MANDOM-ness one would achieve if it is so!

(I don't have the products so can't help with your question...)

And the correct answer is here! Jeez, I guess B&B has already answered to most questions ever. Just a matter to search deep and well into the forum archives.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Great stuff! You've made some great buys. If you get a chance, you might want to pick up a bottle of of Valcan too. Another excellent Japanese aftershave. I'll have to give my Tactics a go tomorrow.

 

[Luc]

Seeing the most recent reformulations (MG5 and Bravas) is Mandom still made in Japan?

How does the Bravas made in Vietnam compares to the Japanese version?

If Mandom is no longer made in Japan, how does it compares now? I read various comments on the scent and I'm honestly lost from what I read. It sounds like Mandom did a 180 on the scent!

 

[hmansion]

Seeing the most recent reformulations (MG5 and Bravas) is Mandom still made in Japan?

How does the Bravas made in Vietnam compares to the Japanese version?

If Mandom is no longer made in Japan, how does it compares now? I read various comments on the scent and I'm honestly lost from what I read. It sounds like Mandom did a 180 on the scent!

Just checked my bottle of Mandom and it's made in Japan. I know someone here mentioned that their bottle of Bravas was made in Vietnam, but all 4 of my bottles of Bravas were made in Japan.

 

[hmansion]

Great stuff! You've made some great buys. If you get a chance, you might want to pick up a bottle of of Valcan too. Another excellent Japanese aftershave. I'll have to give my Tactics a go tomorrow.

I'm going to throw in a bottle of Valcan on my next Global Rakuten order!

The more I use Tactics (aftershave & cologne), the more impressed I am with it. Such a sophisticated, grassy/vine-green scent. We usually describe scents by comparing to others (ex Floid Blue vs Aqua Velva Ice Blue/Musk, La Toja vs Musgo Real, Fine American Blend vs Barbasol, etc.) but Tactics really is a singular scent in my limited experience.

 

[Folace]

Just checked my bottle of Mandom and it's made in Japan. I know someone here mentioned that their bottle of Bravas was made in Vietnam, but all 4 of my bottles of Bravas were made in Japan.

Same here, the 4 bottles of Mandom I received a few days ago are made in Japan.

 

[Hinano_Paul]

Found these today

 

[ManBearPig]

Bravas and Lucido have been my go to aftershaves for the last few months... Great catch! You are going to love them

 

[hmansion]

I was thrilled to discover a 1000ml bottle of Shiseido Bravas on Rakuten Global and it just arrived in the mail today! With shipping, the cost was just under $60. The cheapest I've found the 140ml bottles (eBay) has been about $25. You would need to buy 7 of the smaller bottles ($175!) to equal this liter bottle, so it's an amazing savings for the diehard Bravas fan! And really, the 400ml bottles of Proraso and Floid are similarly priced, so this is a great deal for anyone who occasionally buys splashes in bulk and would like to try another high-quality aftershave! My only minor complaint - the bottle is plastic. Of course, the weight of glass would probably have made the shipping cost prohibitive. I plan on just refilling the smaller, glass bottle whose plastic shaker insert is easily removed for the task...




UPDATE 2/25/2015 - We've had company at the house so I haven't had a chance to experiment with my new liter bottle of Bravas until this morning. I am very sad to report it smells largely of alcohol and has none of the lime-citrus aroma that is so wonderful with "good" bottles of Bravas. In fact, it basically smells like window cleaner. I haven't used it post-shave yet and hope that it at least has some performance value as an aftershave, albeit a lackluster smelling one. Definitely a thumbs-down on this one and please ignore my earlier exuberance - you'll want to steer clear of this item...

 

[Luc]

Is the bottle Bravas that you got Steve made in Vietnam or Japan?

 

[hmansion]

Hmmm - there is no indication anywhere on the bottle as to where it's made, unless it's written in Japanese. My smaller bottles all say "Made in Japan". If you want to see the back label, I can post a pic later of the Japanese text.

 

[Luc]

Unfortunately, I do not read any Japanese. However, from the picture that you posted of the two Bravas bottles, one of them seems to be lighter in colour, is it the case with the bigger format? As you probably already tried both, did you notice any differences?

MG5 is different, I can confirm that (Vietnam vs Japan).

 

[Member357]

I see those giant bottles from time to time when I go to the local DIY/Hardware store. Unfortunately I have a very sensitive wife, and my aftershaves have been largely unused (other than Lucido) since she was first pregnant 2 and a half years ago.

I hope you enjoy your Bravas though hmansion!