"And as it is the nature of Japanese to always have concern for other people's comfort, people opted not to wear scent and to 'bother' the passengers around them."

There is also a lingering sense among older, more conservative Japanese that wearing a scent is "flashy" and inappropriate in formal settings, such as the workplace.

This generation of Japanese is retiring, however, and being replaced by younger workers keen to express their individuality through the perfume they wear.

— Read more in Japan's youth break tradition by embracing perfume at DW.