On the 4th, a post titled 'Japan has already reached this level...' appeared on China's social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED), drawing a significant reaction.

The poster, marveling, wrote: 'While (in China) we are troubled by many smelly people domestically, Japan has already reached a level where it is concerned about the 'nuances of good scents',' and uploaded a photo of a poster they saw in Japan. The poster read: 'Please be aware! Some people are bothered by that scent,' explaining that some individuals may experience poor health or feel unwell due to scents from fabric softeners and other products, and calling on people to be considerate of those around them when using scented products.

The poster added, '(Seeing this) reminded me of an SNS post I saw a few days ago, which said, "After coming to Japan, I bought a very nice-smelling detergent, but after smelling it, I started to feel dizzy." But at least it doesn't smell bad, right?!' and concluded, 'Setting aside other matters, for those who are fastidious about cleanliness, Japan is undeniably the best choice (as a destination to visit).'

In response, other users commented: 'That's a good thing. It's proof that society is developing,' 'Me too. A certain scent makes me nauseous,' 'I think this poster is really good. For people sensitive to smells, it really makes them feel sick and gives them a headache,' and 'When I went out in Japan, places with many foreigners smelled very strongly (of scents). Migraine sufferers would be sent straight to the next world.' There were also opinions like: 'Why are fabric softeners being singled out? Perfumes are more of a problem, aren't they?' and 'I understand with perfume scents, but headaches and nausea from fabric softener scents? I think it's time to go to the hospital.'

Users residing in Japan pointed out: 'This (the claim that there are no longer bad smells in Japan) is a lie. Japanese trains actually smell very bad,' and 'Trains during Japan's rush hour commute are so smelly they're unbearable.' However, other opinions were submitted, such as: 'People who say Japanese trains smell bad probably can't stand the smell inside domestic trains. In my hometown, we eat a lot of garlic, and the buses smell like a mix of garlic and oil every day,' and 'I often hold my breath when I ride the subway (in China) domestically, because various smells waft around.'

Furthermore, comments were received asking, 'Here's a question: Which is more unbearable, the smell of body odor or sweat, or the smell of fabric softener?' Replies like 'Body odor and sweat are more disgusting! Many people like the scent of fabric softener' and 'I'd rather drink fabric softener directly than be forced to smell body odor' garnered sympathy. Meanwhile, replies explaining 'I think some people are allergic to the chemical components in fabric softeners' and 'Fabric softeners can cause headaches, sore throats, and runny noses due to allergies' were also received.

There were also not a few comments stating: 'Both a pungent perfume scent and the smell of someone who hasn't bathed for a week are equally unpleasant if you're in an elevator with them,' 'It's best to have neither good nor bad smells. A woman at my workplace wears strong perfume, and my head really starts to ache when I enter the restroom right after her,' and 'Both good smells and bad smells become unpleasant if they go too far. There's no preference for one over the other.' (Translation and editing by Kitada)