The first time I was introduced to JDM air fresheners was many moons ago (2003 jeez) in a city called Stanton. Stanton got America's first Super Autobacs and it was a JDM Car Boy's dream. Nearly 20 years ago, the idea of having a large-scale central place to shop for Volk wheels, car audio, HKS exhausts, and a helluvalotta tires was inconceivable. They also had a kickass second floor with JDM Option videos, magazines, HyperRev catalogues, just like this did in Japan. Unfortunately it closed a mere 6 years later, but it was a magical run.
The first thing you'd see when you walked in was two aisles of JDM Air fresheners. At first sight, they're kind of confusing. You look at them and would think they're some sort of fancy technology that clips to the back of a Gundam model and shoots rockets. But it's just an air freshener.
JDM Air Freshener Basics
The CS-X3 is a common air freshener you'll see tucked under a Bride seat. You'll notice it has sweet JDM language on it and says "Air Spencer" instead of "Air Dispenser" - enjoy the giggles. This one is available from RallySportDirect - Link here.
Half of the fun of these things is the names of the smells. This one is squash. What does squash smell like? I'm not really sure but it doesn't smell like the squash that you'd get at the supermarket. It's kinda Axe body-spray-ey and kinda sweet? Plan on the names of the smells not helping you at all. The first one I ever bought was called "Platinum Squash," which doesn't necessarily translate into an actual smell, but it's good fun anyway.
Treefrog JDM Air Fresheners
Another big brand of JDM air freshener is Treefrog. Treefrog is a bit more commonly available and has a wide range of smells. You can grab a treefrog in this tray format pictured above or in little round cans.
Here's a hot tip: If you buy the tray format, you'll slide it out of that box and find that it has a foil cover that you peel back. Only peel back an inch or two, because it'll help the smell last longer and it won't punch you in the face with JDM smell every time you open the door to your car.
Here's a random store I found that has them that isn't amazon.
Wakaba / Beginner Driver JDM Air Fresheners
And lastsly you have this guy, the Wakaba symbol JDM air freshener. This symbol means "new driver" in Japan and is a way for other drivers on the road to know not to ram that driver with their cool JDM cars. I've seen these as suction-cup window hangers, stickers, and of course air fresheners.
These guys sell the wakaba jdm air freshener.
Hey so since you're into JDM stuff
You might just enjoy the card game me and my buddy George made, it's called Hoopties. It's like apples to apples but with cars and mods. So far, we've had great feedback and have been told it's pretty hilarious. We agree. You can get it here:
