Japon Noir

This must be the place the note mentioned: intense crushed spices rubbed into cold smoked meat of some long bodied animals body hung to mature. A short relief from freshness like a last gasp of fresh air under a midnight sky before stepping onto the stairs leading to the tea room round the back of some grocery store at Kyoto market. Sweet candied fruit in jars on shelves way out of reach right next to an old tied up bouquet of jasmine flowers hanging upside down from an invisible ceiling absorbing the smoke of burning ginger cubes and patchouli incense sticks. A tattoed and handsome yakuza at the bottom of the stairs, without a doubt a sword for hire tonight, dressed in a black satin suit, effortlessly alert, guarding the entrance behind him sipping from an unlabelled bottle containing what smells even from a distance like port wine mixed with gasoline. He scans with piercing red eyes and merely nods without approval. Inside the chamber it's too dark to see at first but those could be silhouettes of low wooden chaise lounges surrounded by footstools (expensively upholstered in silk without a doubt) upon which slender women in shiny and tight leather outfits are engaging themselves in shadowy play seemingly undisturbed by the oncoming stranger. Japon Noir to me is the crown jewel and a first generation scent of Tom Ford's Private Blends. It's mysterious, sexy-animalic, dangerous, ruthless, dirty, elegant and does capture (for once) the concept of noir. It's also the mentor of Interlude Man of whom is only spoken of in whispers and old scripts. This is the one worth hunting down from the collection; that one or, perhaps, the slightly more woody Bois Rouge. Absolutely marvellous!

If there was somebody to imagine a dark earthy powdery patchouli, Tom Ford would be the one. It does smell Japanese – subtle, fougere, yet powerful and unapologetic. I see it worn by somebody interested in Japanese martial arts, namely of archery, kyūdō. The bow is traditionally made of bamboo, wood and leather, and that’s what Japon Noir is about. The archer wears a glove on the right hand, and the glove is made of the fine leather, deer skin. There’s cypress wood and bamboo wood. The hands are dusted with rice powder, to forbid the bow from slipping. The training court, dōjō, is made of two buildings separated by a open grassy area. The secondary building houses a sand mound and the targets, made of woven dried seagrass. I wrote all these to have a clearer picture of what you are about to smell in a Tom Ford Japon Noir perfume. It is not yabusame, the art of mounted archery. There is no animalic scent, no horse manure. There is only pure, silk woven story of a Vth century Japanese tradition in a XXth century enactment.

Japon Noir is dark, rich, mesmerising and incredibly powerful. WOW was my first thought when i purchased this fragrance (luckily before it was sadly discontinued) and I knew that I was holding something very special in my hands. This is probably one of the more masculine fragrances in the Private Blend collection but it could still very easily be worn by a woman. It has a split personality sort of mentallity. It can be quite heavy and dominant with the heaviness of the leather and patchouli but it also has a subtle kind of sweetness from the Jasmine and Bergamot which help the fragrance avoid being "simply dark". Instead its versitile and very sensual. I detect some incense in the fragrance which also adds a bit of an Oriental touch, it sort of makes me think of Geisha's and tea-houses where they'd entertain men. Which fits well because this fragrance certainly has a seductive and serious side to it. Just wear it and choose how your destiny. 9/10

I'm glad to finally sample Tom Ford Japon Noir, one of the discontinued entries from the original 2007 Private Blend collection. Japon Noir opens quite animalic, with a bit of leather and something spicy, but dries down to a resinous delight very similar to Plum Japonais, and although plum is not a listed note, the amber is very apparent, albeit enveloped in a sort of smokiness. So, as compares to Plum Japonais, Japon Noir is darker, bolder, and a little more masculine. Still, it's not quite like anything I've tried previously, despite the slightly similarity to PJ in the dry down. Performance is strong, as it projects pretty heavily to start and seems to last continually for a while. I would really only use this in the winter, and probably at night or for formal occasions, given its character and strength. I'll try and track down a 50ml bottle of this one but it seems to be a near-impossible task nowadays. 8 out of 10

This is a statement-making power piece. It doesn’t smell like Tom Ford for Men Extreme (as indicated above), but it has sort of the same “vibe”. Very manly, very powerful. I absolutely love TFfME and wear it relatively often, and Japon Noir could fill the same niche - but it’s darker and a more linear scent. Japon Noir isn’t really mass-appealing (but by no means challenging either), so perhaps that’s why it was discontinued. A real shame though, and same as with TFfME and Plum Japonais, which (in my opinion) are all 10/10 masterpieces. The other two are very hard to come by but not impossible, but Japon Noir is just an elusive unicorn. Will treasure the 10ml decant in my possession :))

I lived in Japan for years. Naturally, I had to acquire this. I expected something more photorealistic for Japan, which would require incense. While smokey, this is more a leathery scent. It does conjure the color black. Yet, I find it to be warm rather than cold, but not comforting like a tonka bean heavy scent is in the winter. In my imagination this captures more the feeling of certain facets of Japan, namely, the neomodernism mixed with deep, beautiful tradition of things like castles and magnificent gardens. This is a scent that is sophisticated and delicate yet strong. It lasts and lasts. It is for a night out drinking Suntory Hibiki at an upscale, hipster whiskey lounge.

Tom Ford should bring this back! This is one of the very few perfumes, which I can imagine to be my signature scent. It is enigmatic, original, different, mysterious - just like me. If it had a colour, it would be red-brown. The scent is harmonic, complex, woody with semi-sweet undertones. It can make an impression with its originality. I see this suitable for formal events, dinners in luxurious restaurant, weddings or Nobel-prize awards haha :) . I am curious why is it discontinued, ingredients for this aren ́t rare, maybe Tom Ford already wants to have Japon Noir only for himself.

This is very, very spicy so if you dont like spicy orientals i'd stay away. It's really lovely though. I get a citrus and ginger blast up front, this then calms a bit to a ginger, cinnamon and jasmine heart with a bit of vetiver. After a few hours i get a powdery amber accord, cinnamon still with a hint of the ginger and a faint bit of leather. This part lasts basically until you wash it off, or at least it does on my skin. The changes in development are quite subtle though. Its a strong scent, so a little goes a long way. Probably best for Winter.

As Japon Noir is a discontinued perfume, I must inform that I spotted a very similar fragrance with Armaf's JUST FOR YOU. It's not listed in Fragrantica but the resemblance is remarkable. I bought it in an Indian distributor and it costed me 21 USD (100 ml) plus shipping. The fragrance reveals an intense woody scent and opens with fresh and spicy notes of green mandarin, pink pepper, nutmeg and birch leaves. The heart is composed of cedarwood, patchouli and vetiver leading to a base of incense and leathery notes.

Wow! This is indeed a beauty. Dark, dense, mysterious and beautiful. Perfectly named On my skin I get pretty much equal power from the leather, patch, jasmine and amber. Very unisex I do get some vetiver as well. It's more noticeable after 20 minutes or so. A relatively simple scent on the face of it. A glorious creature much greater than its parts. I'm trying not to fall in love! There is little development but I'm not complaining. I'm not surprised by the good longevity and sillage, Nice one TF.

Such a beautiful perfume. I’m a huge TF fan girl. I have Japon Noir, Amber Absolute vintage 2007 batch, Moss Breches, Italian Cypress, Bois Rouge and many others . Im selling samples only. All are guaranteed 100% authentic. Message me if u want decants. I’ll send u a list of what I have. I don’t have an endless supply so first come first serve. I have batch codes for these.

This smells like a vampire dressed in a sharp black suit and tie on a rainy night in New York. It has this beautiful leathery patchouli, jasmine provides some sweetness, and there is citrus in the background. Almost has a medicinal smell, and smells odd, yet amazing at the same time. A true gem.

I love this scent and wear it to boot. It encompasses the notes (earthy and woody) that I like. I must amp the floral notes more that the leather. The dry dowm is subtle. Perfect for me. :)

Anyone interested in a decant in US only. Message me. I can do up to 30ml. You can check my Mercari profile. I’m an honest seller and value my great feedbacks.

Smells a lot like eucalyptus. Fresh even with the heavy notes. Very masculine and leathery. Tom Fords another masterpiece

I believe Japon Noir has been discontinued. I am hanging on to my precious bottle.

Powerful and intense. Definitely get noticed in a big city like Tokyo. Love it!

I used it in last winter, but my leather jacket still smells. Longevity king.

Dry woods, a little something vaguely oud-like, and some lavender are what I smell at first, very strong and concentrated. The lavender contributes to a “masculine-fougere”-like feel throughout the evolution of the scent. After the first half hour or so it becomes sweeter, and even woodier than it was at the beginning. Despite “spice bouquet” being listed as one of the notes, I don’t find this particularly spicy. If there’s any spice at all it’s some ground spices that have been sitting around so long that they’re lost a lot of their scent and mostly just smell dry and woody, suspiciously like vetiver. I have no idea what “porto noir” is supposed to be other than some sort of miscegenated language construction that’s listed in the official notes and is supposed to sound impressive. Maybe it’s what smells like Sterno fumes to people on Basenotes. There’s a subtle undercurrent of powdery florals, but it doesn’t really smell like jasmine, it’s just sweetly ambiguous. There’s no obvious leather, either. After about 6 hours, it has dried down to a light vanilla scent. I would say that overall, this is a clean, sweetish, aromatic woody scent, that’s well-made and pleasant to wear.

Managed to snag this gem at auction for a fairly reasonable price (considering perfume sharks are currently demanding upwards of 2000EUR for it). It's truly captivating—intensely potent, exuding sophistication with its dark, commanding presence. Reminiscent of classic woody and masculine fragrances, it's a true standout. I'd be surprised if they don't consider reviving or reformulating it for a modern audience, a trend we've seen with other scents lately. If you're interested in a decant DM me, the batch is A98.