Ginza

Oh no, this is a little underrated. It's not a daring or groundbreaking fragrance, but it just smells so good. And not like Idôle or Idôle Intense at all, at least not on me. Much more exciting than Idôle, but softer and fruitier than the Intense and without the rose that both of them have. Ginza opens with a juicy, vibrant and sweet pomegranate note. It's clearly identifiable as pomegranate and not just some random red fruit, but it's less bitter than what I'm used to from this note. The florals in the heart are dewy and pretty and convey the color pink. I can sense the freesia and magnolia, and when I smell them I imagine a bouquet only made of soft pink varieties of them. So fluffy and smooth. I honestly don't know what exactly hinoki smells like. This has a woody, patchouli-infused drydown that adds a little depth and darkness to the scent, but not much. It's still mainly a floral with pomegranate. The pink bottle with the black insert is not wrong for this, but a smaller black part would be more fitting for what this fragrance is all about. It's a very well-done, somehow more grown-up and chic take on the usual fruity florals and fruitchoulis. Nothing more, nothing less. Surprisingly this performs quite well. After sampling it the last time in a department store, I went to a drugstore to get some shampoo, shower gel etc. I was disappointed everytime I had to remind myself that the lovely scent that wafted through my mask came from the one spray of Ginza on my arm and not from any of the products I sniffed. Later in the evening it's not as wafty anymore, but still noticeable. I also have Ever Bloom Ginza Flower, and while they don't smell alike, it seems to me like Shiseido took inspiration from the Ever Bloom flanker's general scent profile and texture and made a new pillar out of it.

Lovely amazing fruity-floral fragrance uplifting, clean, pleasant and with good performance in terms of longevity and sillage. I am not into floral but I could not resist this one and I am very happy I got the 30ml. As someone said is 'spring in a bottle' The bottle itself is beautiful like an essential japanese work of art. About notes breakdown I cannot detect pink pepper and the dominant fruit listed as pomegranate is not a realistic pomegranate, is more like a red juicy fruit. The Orchid flower is not dark (finally), but luminous. Freesia, jasmin and magnolia is a great springy uplifting trio. Not sure about Hinoki, I am not educated on this note, but it could be the one making the perfume so special. Not chemical drydown or initial alcohol whiff. Overall very well blended and good performance. I received lots of compliments.Recommended. 4/5

Ginza spoils us from the first moment with a premium quality that brings it closer to the niche segment. It is a fruity-floral perfume, with spicy accents. It starts with juicy pomegranate, realistically rendered, to which floral notes are added, creating fresh accords. It is youthful, versatile, elegant, effervescent like a fruity champagne. Yes, it brings very well with Mon Paris, but it seems to me a little more refined and better executed. Although it is not listed, the rose note is obvious and central, it is kept throughout the stages of the perfume's development as an axis of stability. Very good technical performance, special bottle look, with minimalist accents. A must have in your collection! <3

I really love the scent. I see pepper as one of the top notes here but I didn't smell a strong pink pepper at all. If I didn't see it here most probably I would never be able to guess it. It's very lovely and floral. Nothing in exaggeration. Can be used both in spring and summer. It has both a naive and energetic character at the same time. I bought channel tendre 7 years ago and somehow I smell some kind of rotten flower bouquet out of that perfume. When I bought tendre I was literally expecting to find a smell like this by looking at reviews. Now I'm wearing Ginza for 2 hours and I still didn't get a strong woody scent. It's still very floral.

What can i say about this one? Ugh! I love it so much! I can't wait to autumn to arrive to wear this fragrance! In my opinion it is not an autumn perfume, quite the opposite, you can wear it all year round, but for some reason I found this one perfect for the coming season! It's a youthful floral, but in the best sense, it's not as if you fall in a garden full of flowers, no, it's woody, not too intense... it's just too beautiful, I think it is very unique, not many perfumes smell like this one, and that's why I love it! 💓

This perfume positively surprises me. I bought shisheido zen some time back, which I think smells a little like washing up liquid old style. Confusing. However, I’ve got a different feeling for this one. I love the simple bottle, minimalistic and clean. Subtle, flowery but also very stylish. This works perfect for me as a 40 something woman, career minded, mummy and dog mummy😂 it smells like a warm, kind, interesting woman. Sensual.

I tasted all Ginzas at the store and I prefer Ginza the most, but they don't have the sample of Ginza so the vendor gave me a sample bottle (so cute) of Ginza Murasaki instead which I really like and couldn't get enough of it. However after a few months I still couldn't shake off my desire for Ginza so I ordered one and I absolutely love it. It's really the scent that cheers up my mood, very joyful and sweet.

Few years ago I received sample of this fragrance and forgot about it. After a while I decide to try it. At first I wasn't much pleased, it was ordinary flower fragrance, but after it dries down it is so much more better. It is beautiful, I just could not stop smelling it. It's fresh, elegant, romantic, sensual, perfect for spring/summer. Today I bought big bottle of it, and I'm really happy with it.

it smells really good at first, enchantingly sweet and floral. but after one-two hours, the scent turns into watermelon gum on my skin. it's watermelon gum perfume for me. I really wanted it to be good, and it can be on some people, but i don't want to smell like cheap watermelon gum edit: It's been a few days and I'm warming up to it I think, long lasting and sweet

Quite elegant, sensual and deep. I highly suggest to wear it at night for a special date. A touch of freshness with a strong woody and floral scent. The orchid is quite strong here in a good way. I love it but I might be bias since this has been my mother’s perfume since it’s launch so it’s comforting when I smell it and warm as her hugs!

I'm testing a sample right now First impression - smells really good Yup, it does remind me of Idôle (my dearest) I love patchouli, this one is a rich scent, I can detect all of the notes listed It overpowered my JPG La Belle(Le Parfum) I believe you can wear this any season Edit: I couldn't resist it, bought a 90ml 😍😍😍😩

I love this one! It is very girly but there is something different about it. I am not sure why people dislike this perfume but I think it is very original. It is light and fresh and I can wear it every day. Pomegranate is not strong and floral notes are combined perfectly. Quite uplifting.

This was a gift my mom has received from a very close friend of hers and I am absolutely stunned by it. This is a soft, elegant and luxury scent without being pretentious. It smells like spring in a bottle. It may be strong at first spray but later on it is so delicate and femenine. 🌿🌸

I'm on my second bottle of Ginza and it really is such a beautiful perfume. It's one of those fragrances that reminds me of being on holiday. The longevity is really quite good and lasts maybe 4-5 hours on me. Will forever be on my shelf.

Y'all this fragrance is soooo good! It's so chic, elegant and classy. It works for all seasons, day and night. Would definetly reccomend to people who like floral and clean scented perfumes. Very underrated but one of my favs!

Sooo good. It's a simple and fresh yet very comforting feminine scent for warmish days. Gorgeous bottle and notes. Mom loved it. I could see any age group pulling this off.

A wonderfully feminine fragrance that’s fun in a classy way. It lasts well throughout the day, and I genuinely enjoyed it. Definitely a perfume I would repurchase.

The best summer🌅☀️ perfume but in the most sophisticated way possible😍😍😍 So unique - the pink pepper, hinoki and orchid are so special🧡🧡

Very shampoo-y fresh out of the shower hair smell. I did not find it synthetic or generic. Seems like a very good compliment getter.

Lovely clean floral scent! Little bit soapy, but it makes the perfume cosy. The more I sniff it, the more enchanted with it I get.

A very classy perfume! For my taste, this is a 100% match. The fruity-woody smell makes me feel super fresh all the time.

Amazing floral scent...so beautiful! One spritz on each arm is more than enough for most of the day!

I love original Ginza and quite like the collection as a whole - it's very feminine, floral-fruity, elegant and wearable. Not too juvenile or too mature. I understand why some may call it basic, but it's basic in a good sense. I'd rather call it versatile; a capsule wardrobe for perfumes. The original Ginza being the most versatile, elegant and basic of all three. It is a well blended and balanced floral scent, with a fruity blast in the beginning. Actually it is the same pattern for all Ginzas. After a while it sits on skin as a mix of everything mentioned below, except patchouli and woods. On me it is not prominent on patchouli and not prominent on any of the florals listed. As I said, just well blended to be a lovely mixture of them all. Also, on me it never gets soapy or headache inducing, which happens for Murasaki and Intense. In this compartment it sits just in the beginning, being the least nauseating. (Murasaki is next and then Intense is the most suffocating of them all). The general quality of Shiseido scents - I have Zen and original Ginza + samples of Murasaki and Intense fragrances - is good. They may turn a bit soapy or sweet but never too synthetic and are well blended. If you're looking for a comparison between the Ginza collection: 1) Original Ginza is the most floral, inoffensive, subtle and versatile, and a safe blind buy to majority of people. It can be worn by all ages, in all seasons, day and night. It never gets ugly in the drydown and is not prominent on anything in particular. Some may say it lacks personality because of that, but it also makes it a beautiful perfume for any occasion. I imagine it as a perfect first floral scent for a young woman, who just discovers the world beyond gourmands. If you look at the Japanese inspirations, this is a young, beautiful wife during her wedding day. 2) Ginza Murasaki is the most juvenile of these three, rather pink than violet. The colours of bottles really say everything about this collection. It starts with a lovely fruity blast and then sits on skin as a fresh, carefree floral. This one is a young, romantic girl walking in Akihabara - not too crazy but still surrounded by neon lights, lollipops and video games. 3) Ginza Intense is the most sweet and sensual of them. It hits you with black currant and turns into a fruity rose scent. It's a lover met in the red and purple neon street after midnight. Not a femme fatale scent by any means, but intoxicating enough to evoke a hint of sexual attraction. If this is your ballpark, I'd however recommend La Nuit Tresor as far more sexier and not as mature as Si Passione - two perfumes that have similar vibe to Ginza Intense; you can read more about it on the Intense page. For me, the original Ginza is just what I need in my collection and potentially something every woman may want to have. I pass on Murasaki and Intense as fragrances I find OK but I can live without them. Taking some of the below reviews into considerations, it's perhaps worth sampling Ginza to check it against your skin chemistry. If you already own Ginza and are wondering whether to blind buy Murasaki/Intense, I strongly recommend sampling as you may find out they are less elegant or something that you just don't need.

This perfume is very strong, and one spray is enough for me. When I spray this on me from an arm's length away, I get a lovely combination of airy/watery florals together with interesting grounding woods, with a touch of spiciness. Sometimes the woodiness and spiciness comes out to the forefront of my awareness when I am driving for example, and it is really nice. I also have the Murasaki flanker, but that does not have the spiciness of the pink pepper achord, and it does not have that unique woodiness of the hinoki wood, which makes this perfume so special. I especially love the drydown I notice on my clothes, days after having sprayed the perfume -- on clothes and on hair the drydown is a light watery floral, like a light and beautiful watercolor painting made of colorful transparent washes. The floral combination here is really pretty, more like an abstract floral composition -- I can't seem to recognize any specific flower. I sometimes find florals in perfumes to be heavy or to remind me of "old lady" perfume, but this is not like that. The florals here are watery, airy, and abstract. There is also a sweet fruity note of pomegranate, but it is also abstract and does not remind me of real pomegranate, which as far as I remember is deeper and more bitter and with a touch of astringency - here the pomegranate is more like a sweet juicy note. However, this perfume also has it's downsides. I think it is designed to be light, but if sprayed too heavily it becomes suffocating for me, and it starts feeling synthetic and harsh, and the florals can feel rotten and heavy, especially if sprayed too heavily on skin, and the base notes can become a generic perfumy musk which I don't like. Sometimes the drydown on my skin can feel slightly rotten and heavy, if I spray too heavily. Also I wouldn't consider this a cosy perfume -- while pretty, it is too harsh to go to bed with. It is more like a pretty bra that makes me look good but which I want to take off at the end of the day. This perfume takes me on a journey, changing according to how strongly I spray it, and changing with time, with the florals and the woods coming in and out of focus. It can be load and clear and very feminine. I remember when I first got my bottle I thought the perfume was such a happy and womanly scent. Also my boyfriend seems to like it. Another thing I like about this perfume is the bottle -- it is such a lovely and practical bottle! It feels really nice in the hand and fits nicely in a purse.

What a pretty fragrance! I had to try it after I kept catching whiffs of a lovely fragrance while in conversation (outdoors on a chilly evening, and standing around 5 feet apart) with a student. People around us were coming and going, so I knew the fragrance had to be hers. She said she’d tested loads of fragrances during a long layover in an airport, and she fell in love with this one. I can see why! From that conversation I already knew that this frag has impressive—but far from overwhelming—projection. And as the whiffs were still present 2.5 hours after a 3 hour lecture, longevity with that projection was at least 5.5 hours. It is definitely sweet, especially in the initial spray, but the sweetness (is it just from the pomegranate??) is very well-balanced with the woody and floral notes in the drydown. I understand the comparisons to Idôle, though I personally find this one less sweet and a little better blended. If Idôle is one step less sweet than La Vie Est Belle, then Ginza is one step less sweet than Idôle. I find both Idôle and LVEB too overwhelmingly, heavily sweet for me (even Diesel’s Fuel for Life tips the scales toward too sweet), but Ginza is not. It’s on the right side of my sweetometer. If I kept going along that scale, Mon Guerlain would be another step less sweet than Ginza, then Dior’s Joy Intense. (This might be overkill, but I’m just trying to establish relative sweetness. ‘:-D) Ginza makes me think of that beautiful blend of fragrances you get when you’re among the crowd at the theatre or the ballet. It’s the scent of a sophisticated youth or a youthful sophisticate. I decided to start with a larger sample rather than going straight for a full bottle, but I do think that this is a pretty safe blind buy. Even though the price for a full bottle is moderate (neither inexpensive nor unaffordably expensive at £70 for 50mL at the time of writing), Ginza is also very good value for money; very little of this goes a long way. It is appropriate for day or evening, thrives in the cold and in the warmth, and it is inoffensive and quite crowd-pleasing. A pretty good investment that I will soon be making!

Warm, exotic, fresh woody floral scent. Very little of the pink pepper comes through to my nose on initial spray, maybe I detect it during the dry down, but it is very subtle. Instead I get a very 'fantasy' floral blend.. difficult to detect one of the middle floral notes from the other. Does not smell synthetic just very, very well blended floral. The dry down is clean and remains rather warm. Someone mentioned this one is an easy one to overspray and I would agree. It is a DENSE perfume despite the performance being a bit linear... you will overpower yourself if you go more than 3 or 4 sprays and it can quickly turn into a noxious sandalwood & fruitchuili mess. A tad boring and safe for some.. but to me this thing LASTS a loooong time. It actually does not smell like much else in my collection to be honest as the floral notes are just so incredibly well blended and the pomegranate, while not very prominent, settles into more of a tart, slightly sweet, juicy note. The patchouli is similarly subtle but I get it after an hour on skin, the sandalwood emerges much sooner however, at like 15-20 minutes. Even though I keep repeating that this is a "warm" scent, it is absolutely wearable year-round. The floral notes seem to shapeshift throughout the year and depending on weather/warmth/environment, you can pick up more of the jasmine versus the freesia but only slightly.

The smell is BEAUTIFUL!!! really beautiful for those who like sweet floral scents. The only problem is the performance and longevity, it's SO POOR, it doesnt last more than two hours (like you won't smell anything on yourself even when you literally put your nose on your wrest). maybe it's just me, but I tell you - BE SURE TO TEST IT BEFORE BUYING IT!!!! If it does last on your skin better than for me, than the smell is really amazing, really fresh and fruity-sweet and I wish the longevity was better so I could make this my signature scent for the summer days, its just perfect for springsummer. (I actually love sweet smells and this isnt that sweet, its not a gourmand but i still love this so much) No matter what people write on comments - test it before buying it! put it in your wrest in the store than go walk for a few hours and than check if you can smell it, and if there's someone with you ask than to smell you (at least two hours because you don't want to spend your money on a perfume that lasts only two hours).

Like! This was a blind buy but I did a lot of research beforehand. I wanted to try Ginza for years. With Ginza original, immediately receive Mon Paris vibes, but with a little pomegranate and slightly aquatic florals instead of the Mon Paris berry-rose combo. It also reminds me of You're the One (B+BW) but less woody, no rose, and more fruit. As of late, I have been turning away from gourmands and embracing freshie/shampoo fragrances that are only slightly sweet (e.g. VS Bombshell). Ginza was a risk due to its listed woody notes. However, it sweetens and softens in a lovely way as it dries. There is a very faint white musk vibe in the drydown, like a tiny whisper of Myth by Ellis Brooklyn. Ginza's patchouli is strong (IMO) but in a clean, woody way similar to Ouai's North Bondi. I have been getting away from many fragrances with strong patchouli, but this one is nice. One spray is all you need. Maybe two max, for those with a higher tolerance.

0 - 4 hours: the sandalwood is soft and light. delicate white florals and rose. beautiful beautiful beautiful. I don't get much pomegranate but there are some fruity undertones. 5-9 hours: hints of spice but less fruit. almost... powdery?? florals are still strong, getting more soapy. some woods. 10 - 16 hours: STRONG SOAPY white florals that stays on clothes like crazy. unfortunately gave me a headache at this point. perfect for a light, rainy spring morning. foggy glass and clear breeze. stunning if you like soapy white florals but not a safe blind buy.

I like the sheer, minimalist aesthetic of the bottle, and it fits the juice inside. It is not loud or noisy, but rather comfortable, elegant and discreet. It is a safe office smell, without being boring. But don't expect it to be groundbreaking either. I would describe it as a well balanced floral with a hint of fruity, luckily the jasmine is not too strong and cloying. I wish I could get more mint, that note is a bit weak to my taste. It sits close to the skin like an aura, but lasts a good couple of hours.

To me, Ginza smells like the embodiment of late spring. The floral notes are enrobed by a deliciously sweet pomegranate that is still going strong after 12 hours. This lovely combination of fruity and floral notes makes me looking forward to warmer summer days and sunsets by the water. Honestly, I am surprised to see that cherry blossom is not listed as a note because I thought to have detected it as well. Maybe it is the color of the perfume and the Japanese theme that plays tricks on my nose...

At least on my skin, smells like Lancôme!!! Exactly smell!!! 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I like but I don’t know when I tested I felt in love with the freshness that gave me. So I didn’t think twice and brought... after the payment i thought “wait... I liked because it’s exactly like my Lancôme”! But was too late....😅🫠 Anyway... for me it’s fresh, sweet and fruit. Of course there’s a few difference between Lancôme and this one... but doesn’t worth!!!! Don’t do like me! Heheh

Ginza came in unexpectedly today. The wish list was up to date but it beat me on time. Shiseido has created an ethereal fruit, indefinite because the pomegranate is a little different to the taste to me. The woody notes are late in coming, displacing my expectation of a very woody fragrance, the dagger had let me assume, the dagger here is just a breath, a gust. Petal that barely moves. A lonely grain. Ginza is to be listened to, indulging its silence.

Not what I imagined! I had this pegged as a floral, but it's so fruity in the opening. Very pleasant, innocent and juicy fruitiness. No tartness but no over the top sweetness either. The florals are very well blended, so I cannot detect anything other than whiffs of magnolia, it's sweet and creamy. I would call it a safe blind buy, I think it can be appreciated by many.

Sampled it at the store when I was wearing Beautiful Magnolia by EL and I could instantly tell the two are VERY similar. Ginza is a tad sweeter thanks to the fruity notes, otherwise they are almost impossible to tell apart, especially in the opening. I like them both, nothing complicated or overpowering, fresh white flowers, easy everyday wear.

Floral,clean and a bit fresh and powdery. It is not groundbreaking but it is beautiful and very well done. Perfect for an elegant and romantic woman. My husband liked it too and could smell it at an arm ́s lenght distance. It is worth a try if you ́re looking for a classic and feminine scent for all seasons. Final note: 9/10

A playful floral fruity frag indeed which turns slightly clean after a while on my skin, bubble gummy sweet, quite yummy like, not that musky clean scent..sounds weird but it works😂😂great for summer, not mindblowing or complex, just an easy reach and a non offensive type of scent.

I don't love this one but I don't have any negative feelings towards it either. It's a little bit too sweet for me, kind of smells like fruity shampoo, I don't smell any woodiness on my skin. Definitely could be pretty in spring, but it's not for me.

I used it last summer; pleasant, bright, but didn't leave me any strong memory. The lasting is very long though, I found a dress in my wardrobe with the perfume still on literally after 1 year!!

It also reminds me of Carolina Herrera's 212 sexy fragrance, but this one is have something mystically spiciness a bit (not too much than red one that I love) and therefore become more modern.

i like it but its not a love. its vibrant and uplifting, sparkling with energy. i feel it has lychee in it even if its not listed and its the only note that bothers me.

Smells like la vie est belle Lancôme at the beginning but LVEB is more sweet, while Ginza is more spicy. I didn’t feel comfortable while wearing it.

This was a 'semi blind' buy: I briefly tested it in the shop and quickly fell for a bright pomegranate opening. Unfortunately, pretty pomegranate fades away rather quickly and leaves us with a typical pink designer fragrance, reminding me of Olympea Blossom and Si Passione at the same time. It is not bad, it is a nice perfume which I am going to wear, but just nothing outstanding. Performance is good.

All Shiseido fragrances are similar to me, even those that do not have common notes. They have some roundness, they are all very soft and a little soapy. This one is the same, it's nice, I can smell pomegranate and flowers, but it's very simple. It lacks a strong base that would highlight all the notes. For now, this is a fruity floral liquid soap.

Very clean, you can smell the orchid quite well. However, it is quite underwhelming... almost like a hand cream. It's a bit generic as well, but that's not an issue if you are looking for everyday perfumes. It definitely does not smell bad or unpleasant, perhaps it is just way too ordinary for me.

Déjà vu! Fruity, floral, girly, shampooy, boring summer scent. Not offensive and passe partout, but nothing to go crazy about. Safe blind buy for floral scent lovers. It reminds me a little tiny bit of L'impératrice by DG. Longevity is 12h, amazing for summer scent, and projection pretty weak.

I've also smelled Murasaki, Night and Intense. Intense is quite different and very girly, floral and sweet. The rest are similar between them (I can smell the orchid and pink pepper more), but if I had to choose one of them, I would choose the Ginza EDP version.

This smells identical to all crowd pleasing perfumes, almost the same as Idôle. I expected more.

Fruity floral with plenty of sweetness, yet well blended and elegant in execution. A little more pucker from the pomegranate or zing from the pepper would make this more interesting. I could see this being a lovely signature scent for high school or college age girl, but for me it's a little young

It has Mon Paris vibes in the opening. The dry down smells a little dark. It must be the orchid. It's a rather serious fragrance. Mature and young at the same time. Not for me, cause I really don't like the smell of orchid.