Kaolia Academy
The culture, history and science of fragrance, and the craft of perfumery.
Deepen your knowledge, refine your senses, and learn to express fragrance in your own words.
Kaolia Academy is a place to study fragrance from many perspectives.
Every day we encounter countless scents. Yet we seldom stop to ask where a fragrance comes from, what culture and history it carries, or why it lingers in the mind.
To know fragrance is not simply to memorise the names of fragrance materials.
It is to perceive a fragrance, to understand how it differs from others, and to express it in your own words. Step by step, this practice deepens our understanding of fragrance and enriches our sensibility.
A systematic foundation in fragrance: the vocabulary of scent, the science of smell, the classification of fragrance materials, the training of a perfumer and the language used to describe what we smell.
Propos is French for a talk. From how to smell, through the changes in the perfume industry, to the history of olfactory families, each lecture in the series takes up a single theme.
Series II is in preparation and is not yet open for enrolment.
Sun 8 Nov 2026, 14:00–16:00 (JST)
An accessible introduction to incense woods, without the etiquette and literary conventions of kōdō: a short explanation, three incense woods appreciated with electric censers, and a scent-matching game modelled on kumikō. Doors open at 13:50.
Open for registrationDetails and registration ↗
Registration page in Japanese
Wed 18 Nov 2026, 21:00–22:30 (JST)
An online lecture by perfumer Takashi Suzuki that follows modern perfumery from the late nineteenth century through the shapes, materials, decoration and design of perfume bottles, and their links with fashion and art. Recording available until 23:59 on 20 December 2026 (JST).
Open for registrationDetails and registration ↗
Registration page in JapanesePlanned for 2027
PlannedDate to be confirmed
Organised by Kaolia
The second in the series on the essential materials of each olfactory family, devoted to jasmine and green notes. Dates to be announced.
Sat 20 Jun 2026, 13:00–15:00 (JST)
An in-person workshop that adds five or six materials to the twelve studied online and composes a fragrance from rose and musk, with guidance from two instructors in a small group.
Page in JapaneseTue 16 Jun 2026, 21:00 (JST)
The first in a series on the essential materials of each olfactory family: an online lecture, with twelve rose and musk materials sent in advance, on their character and their role in compounds.
Page in JapaneseSat 16 May 2026, 13:00–15:00 (JST)
An accessible introduction to incense woods, without the etiquette and literary conventions of kōdō: a short explanation of incense woods and kōdō, three incense woods appreciated with electric censers, and a scent-matching game modelled on kumikō.
Page in JapaneseSat 21 Feb 2026
Learn the vocabulary used in the fragrance industry and practise putting scent into words: floral, woody and musk materials on smelling strips, pair work with the method devised by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, and the description of well-known perfumes.
Page in JapaneseSat 17 Jan 2026
An introduction to mon-kō, the Japanese practice of "listening" to incense. The basics of incense woods and kōdō, three incense woods appreciated with electric censers, and a short scent-recall quiz.
Page in JapaneseGiving fragrance a language.
At Kaolia Academy, we believe that one of the skills missing from modern life is the ability to put fragrance into words.
Being able to describe fragrance not only makes communication easier; it also deepens our understanding of scent and allows us to appreciate it more fully.
At Kaolia Academy, we call this ability fragrance literacy. Helping students develop this skill is one of the central aims of our academy.
Eight fields that surround fragrance
01Perfumery
The composition of fragrance, from the individual material to the finished perfume.
02Fragrance Materials
Natural and synthetic materials: their origins, production and character.
03Olfaction
How the sense of smell works, and how we perceive odour.
04Chemistry
The chemical properties of fragrance materials and what they mean in practice.
05Botany
The plants from which aromatic materials are obtained.
06History
How perfume and its uses have changed over time.
07Culture
Fragrance within cultural life, including the Japanese art of incense.
08Art & Literature
Scent as it appears in artistic expression and in the written word.
Three perspectives on fragrance
Perfumer · Researcher in olfactory culture
A former perfumer at Takasago International Corporation and co-representative of Kaolia Academy. After graduating in French literature from Waseda University, Suzuki joined Takasago in 1985 and trained as a perfumer under Pierre Bourdon in Paris from 1986 to 1990. He went on to work as a senior perfumer, principally in Japan and the United States. Alongside his work as a perfumer, he pursues research into olfactory culture — perfume, fragrance materials and the Japanese art of incense — as an external research associate at Doshisha University. He has lectured twice in French in Grasse.
Read Takashi Suzuki's profile →
Perfumer · Instructor in perfumery
At Takasago International Corporation, Tezuka worked in manufacturing and in the provision of technical information, and as a department manager oversaw production operations. As a perfumer, his work has been used in products in Japan and abroad. Guided by a commitment to careful, considered fragrance-making, he now teaches perfumery at the Japan Flavor & Fragrance Institute and at Tokyo Biotechnology College. He was twice selected in the POLA Perfume Competition, receiving an Award of Excellence at the sixth edition.
Representative Director, Botanique Co., Ltd.
A graduate of Rikkyo University, Takei held managerial positions at Japanese and European financial institutions before studying yoga and Ayurveda in India. She then studied the chemistry and pharmacology of aromatic materials, together with blending techniques centred on fragrance, including perfume creation and the scenting of spaces. She designs scent for commercial facilities and produces fragrance products.
Choose a course
The Academy offers video courses in two forms: a Knowledge Course that builds the fundamentals systematically, and PROPOS, a series of thematic lectures that can be taken individually. Courses are currently taught in Japanese.
View the courses ↑Review the curriculum
View the full curriculum →Enquiries and registration
For questions about the courses or about registration, please contact us.
