ShoyeidoRiver Path Incense, 20 Sticks - Horikawa

I am highly sensitive to synthetic fragrances and can only use all natural scents. This company makes excellent quality, natural, NOT-DIPPED incense. They have an excellent reputation hand are a long established maker of fine incense. I've been using them for almost 20 years.SCENT (pre and post-burn) & SENSITIVITY(none) = EXCELLENT: The scent on these is a divine (subjective) and complex blend of earthy wood notes and hints of sweeter, round notes and delicious vanilla. I have a number of sampler packs that I had stashed away in a box for (I kid you not) over 15 years. Because Shoyeido uses woods they age well and those sticks smell super yummy - just as good as my new box. The aroma also lingers beautifully. When people enter a space I have used them in they always comment on how good it smells but never have issues with particles in the air or residual smoke. Even my asthmatic hubby can tolerate these comfortably (I never burn when he is home but other incense triggers him even after the fact. This one is fine for him. If he reacted I would stop. He has had ZERO issues with these).BURN TIME = GOOD/COMPARABLE: Some people complain about the small size. Lower quality incenses are often bigger and full of fillers and/or a stick around which the incense is packed. These have neither. They look tiny BUT they have a very similar burn time to most full length incense sticks on the market (at least the ones I've tried). Because the scent lingers in a wonderful way the scent-profile is also extended. Many incenses leave a space smelling chemically or smokey post-burn. These do not. They leave an aroma that is pleasant, lingers and evolves (like fine wine or good tea) as it slowly dissipates over time.CARE & HANDLING: Because these lack the filler-stick they are more brittle than the incense sticks many are familiar with. It is important to handle these with care. You will likely break one at some point. This is fine and you can still use it. I use the tiny holder enclosed in the box when burning full-size sticks, setting it in a little tray of sand. You can put it on any heat resistant surface but know that, as it is open on the bottom, it WILL transfer heat and can burn a surface. a small cup of sand, a sturdy stone, a sea shell, etc. are all good outer holders for the little burner. I use sand, however, because I can extend the life of my little stick by letting it born down and then popping the tiny nub out of the holder. I set it into the fine sand and relight it to get a smidge more out of my incense. This process is made easier by a pair of brass, fine-point, tweezers that I keep with my incense. You can store your incense sticks in their box or, as I do, transfer them to a traditional bamboo holder with is beautiful, functional and more sturdy than the box. Whatever you use to store them it is best to do so away from heat and light in order to preserve them (although they are super long-lived all on their own).BOX CONTENTS: The box comes with a very small ceramic square with a hole in it. This is for holding the incense while it burns since there is no filler-stick to put into a wooden holder or more common angles holder. I think this is a nice touch from Shoyeido. Of course, if you order from them again, you end up with another burner but at least they are tiny and not terribly wasteful. I'm trying to think of alternate uses for the duplicates (earrings? pendant? curtain weights?). There are, of course, the incense sticks wrapped with a single strip of paper to hold them in a bunch, and a paper with information about the company. The box closure-flap is just like any other flimsy cardboard/paper flap and won't last long with repeated opening and shutting. Nothing novel or special there. That is, so far, the only downside I can come up with.COST = WORTH EVERY PENNY: The cost is high IF you are comparing it to run-of-the-mill, grocery store, fake, filler-full, dipped and otherwise inferior incense - which this incense is not. It's like comparing a goopy ball point pen to a fine fountain pen or a sweat-mill, fast-fashion garment to something tailored out of fine linen, just for you. Do you NEED the better quality item, perhaps not. You can use the poorer and cheaper one but it will never measure up to the benefits that well made item provides. Because I have to be careful about what I'm exposed to or I risk a massive headache, nausea or other issues I have spent a lifetime of selective-scent-seeking. Twenty-one years married to a man with asthma and becoming a mother of two highly sensitive kids (one with sensory challenges and the other with allergies to what feels like everything) I am careful about what I bring into my home and expose myself and my family to. To me the cost is well worth it.I love this incense company and, in particular, this scent. I will absolutely continue ordering Shoyeido's River Path incense as long as they continue to make it and the day they stop will be a sad day for us all. I highly recommend this company and this incense scent. Enjoy!

Really a lovely scent. I bought it on a whim. Doesn’t leave a malingering smoky scent like others that I’ve tried. A perfect brief flash for any room.

We discovered these in a hotel in Tokyo, they were burning this in the lobby and it was the best incense scent I have ever smelled, and I'm an incense connoisseur - I burn plenty incense at my home altar. Costs a bit more than the cheap stick smells, but the scent lasts and its top quality. They're not cheap, but they are addictive. Makes a great gift too - comes with a tiny little holder and you can put it on a small dish to catch the ashes - but there's not as much ash or smoke as most stick incense.

Receiver loved it

I am in the midst of a death battle with fruit flies in my kitchen, and read somewhere that incense can help the nasty critters perish quickly. Living in the country and storing a lot of vegetables leads to fruit flies and I had tried everything short of spraying insecticide to kill 'em.Having never been an incense person due to asthma, allergies, and toxicity issues (yay me!) it was important to find incense that was all-natural. If you strip away the "bubble girl" health issues, I was also excited to be getting something that would make my kitchen smell great (beyond my cooking of course!).After exhaustive research I settled on this River Path incense by Shoyeido. Wow. It burns for 20 - 25 minutes and leaves an incredible scent for hours in my kitchen. It also has 0% negative impact on my breathing, but 100% positive impact on my mood.The incense box contains a tiny holder for burning a stick. The box instructions are in Japanese, so make sure you look for the arrow on one of the box ends. If you open that end the holder is inside. I simply place the holder on a standard size saucer. The stick is small enough that no ashes drop over the lip of the saucer.The jury is out on the impact to the fruit fly population. I think they, too, like it enough to keep their tiny wings beating. I did however buy Nandita Mantra Meditation Incense at the same time and burned it in another room... it affected my breathing and is awful compared to the River Path so I may try that in the kitchen (for extermination purposes) instead. Die, fruit flies, die!I would highly recommend River Path to anyone who has breathing issues. Everyone is different, but it may be worth a shot. This incense is incredible and is worth every penny to me. I'm hooked!

I love this incense or I would be returning it. It's my own fault I didn't see the size and $13 for 20 3" sticks is outrageous!