North Candles Autumn Collection Review: Cozy Pumpkin Spice & Fall Scents in Japan

Rose
Sep 28
4 min read

Updated: Oct 6

Scented candles are the perfect way to bring cozy autumn vibes into your home this season, even in Japan. If you've spent any time on social media and are a pumpkin spice girly, you have probably seen an ad for the candle brand, North Candles. Based in Hokkaido, the small business specializes in 100% soy wax candles that are hand-poured and have the most delicious-sounding scents. Their autumn collection, featuring scents like Pumpkin Spice, Apple Cinnamon, and Cinnamon Roll, is heavily promoted on social media every year and has a growing fanbase.

North Candles Japanese scented soy candles, autumn collection, small candle tins, pumpkin spice, cinnamon roll, autumn morning scents

Prices: For a small business that makes each candle by hand, their prices are very reasonable. A small candle from the Autumn collection is ¥2,190, a large candle ¥3,590 and extra large (available in select scents) is ¥4,490. Estimated Burn Time: Each candle size has an estimated burn time.

Small candles: about 15 hours
Large candles: about 35 hours
Extra-large candles (only available in select scents) about 55 hours

Shipping: Shipping is very fast (less than a week), and their communication is fantastic. The candles are safely packed and branded paper is used to decorate the interior. Also included are instructions on how to burn your candles, to ensure a long life and even burn. Shipping is free on orders over ¥10,000, or calculated based on your location for orders under that amount. Payment Options: Credit Card, PayPal, Convenience Store Payment, App Payment (PayPay, Line Pay, Mercari Pay)

North Candles Autumn Collection Reviews

Cinnamon Roll

Scent:

The website description of this candle is very accurate. When lit, you will smell a sugary sweet vanilla scent with a fainter cinnamon undertone. It's a lovely, cozy combo. When you estinguosh your candle, a stronger

Scent Strength:

When burned for about an hour in a smaller room, the scent filled the air and was pleasant to enjoy. After extinguishing, the pleasant scent lingered for about an hour. In a larger room with more airflow, the scent was much harder to detect unless standing within a few feet of the candle. After extinguishing, the scent dissipated quickly.

Rating: 8/10

The scent is absolutely divine, but it isn't especially strong. It was most enjoyed while relaxing in a small room, cozied up with a book within a few feet of the candle.

Pumpkin Spice

Scent:

This candle leans cinnamon-and-spice forward, with a subtle sweetness underneath that feels almost candy-like. The sweetness isn’t sugary or vanilla-based, but more of a rounded, soft note that smooths out the sharper spices. According to the brand’s description, coconut is part of the blend, but during both burning and after extinguishing, I couldn’t detect any distinct coconut. It’s possible that the balance of aromas transforms the coconut into that candy-like impression instead of a recognizable coconut scent.

Scent Strength:

In a small, closed room, the fragrance quickly filled the space and lingered noticeably even after the flame was extinguished. The cinnamon and spice elements were the strongest, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, while the sweet undertones faded more quickly. In a larger, open room the spice notes were detectable mainly when sitting near the candle, but once extinguished, the scent carried and left a gentle trace in the air.

Rating: 8/10

The blend of spice and sweetness comes together much like the flavor of a classic pumpkin spice latte. The cinnamon and spice notes take the lead, while the softer sweet tones round out the edges, creating a balanced and comforting autumn fragrance.

Salted Caramel

Scent:

This fragrance was absolutely delicious. It smelled exactly like how you’d imagine a fresh piece of salted caramel tastes: rich vanilla caramel with just a touch of salt to keep it from being overly sweet.

Scent Strength:

The aroma was strong enough to fill a large, open room and lingered even after the candle was extinguished. It’s a sweet scent, but balanced enough that it never became overwhelming. In a small, closed room the scent is magnified, but it never felt like too much.

Rating: 9/10

The combination of strength and overall pleasantness makes this one of the standout candles from the collection. If you enjoy sweeter fragrances, the Salted Caramel candle is definitely worth trying.

Grandma's Kitchen

Scent:

This candle is a subtle balance between sweet and spicy, with clove as the dominant note. The sweetness is present but not as strong as other candle scents, so much so that it kind of gets lost behind the stronger clove scent. The brand lists maple as the sweet fragrance, though it reads more like a gentle vanilla aroma.

Scent Strength:

The fragrance is quite subtle. In a small room, you can detect faint hints of clove and sweetness while burning, but the scent quickly fades after extinguishing.

Rating: 6/10

This isn’t a bad candle, but it’s far more understated than others in the collection. The sweetness and spice are mild, with only occasional clove notes standing out. Candles like Cinnamon Roll and Pumpkin Spice offer a stronger, more balanced sweet-and-spice presence.

Autumn Morning

Scent:

I personally love deep, earthy scents like sandalwood and patchouli, and this blend is the coziest of all the autumn candles. It combines wood tones, warm spice, and a hint of sweetness (think fallen leaves, crisp autumn forests, with subtle touches of cinnamon and vanilla).

Scent Strength:

The fragrance filled a small room nicely without ever feeling overpowering, even after being extinguished.

Rating: 9/10

If your autumn memories are tied to the outdoors, this candle captures that cozy, forest-like atmosphere perfectly, bringing the essence of fall right into your home.