Several countries are considering cataloging smells as part of their national heritage. In 2001, the Ministry of the Environment in Japan selected the country’s 100 most significant fragrances. The fields of lavender in Furano city top the list; the ocean fog of the coastal Kushiro region is fourth. The list also includes handmade soba shops, an old bookstore and rainfall in rice paddy fields. Australia’s Burra Charter, which guides the designation of historic landmarks, includes smell as a crucial feature of heritage. And UNESCO is considering adding the perfume-making practices of Grasse, France—home to the flowers responsible for Chanel No. 5—to its list of intangible cultural heritage.

— Read more at George Washington Stank Here: Emerging Science Charts Our Olfactory Heritage at Newsweek. Most of the article is about the Historic Book Odour Wheel developed by the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, which we already referenced here.