The Smell of Leather

I never really liked the smell of leather. I remember we once had a car with leather seats and I didn't like it at all. The smell was off, the texture was off, the sound was off - it squeaked and hurt my ears. As such, I prefer to keep my distance from anything leather. Leather shoes are the only thing I would consider buying and that's only because it's needed for formal wear or school.

As I grew older I didn't have as strong a negative feeling towards leather as I did as a child. I bought a really nice pair of leather shoes for my wedding, for example and I decided to buy a watch with a really nice leather strap as opposed to a metal bracelet which I had always leaned towards.

During our recently concluded trip to Japan, however, that changed. I had been telling Nikki that I needed a new wallet for quite some time now. My old wallet was falling apart and I was looking for a replacement. I figured it was time for me to invest in a nice wallet that would last a bit longer than the ones I normally buy for myself. Japan did have a lot of leather goods stores and I tried perusing their items but nothing really called out to me. I personally wanted a dark brown colored wallet similar to my old one since I liked how it looked.

I figured shopping for a wallet in Japan was a dud but the search for my wallet would still continue. Little did I know that Nikki, together with Pia, found a nice wallet in a leather goods store in the Sapporo airport. They didn't know what kinds of compartments I was looking for but they decided to buy it for me anyway.

The wallet was black and leather, It could hold 6 cards compared to my older one which could hold more. It had one main compartment instead of the two I was used to. If we were checking boxes on a checklist, it ticked none of them. It was thick and it also had a very strong leather smell - another unchecked box.

If I saw this particular wallet in a store, I would never go for it. Why would I adjust to the limitations of my wallet when I can find one that will fit my needs? But this particular wallet was special. It somehow won me over. It was unassuming. Its simplicity drew me in. And most of all, it was bought by wife with the assistance of my sweet little Pia. I smelled the leathery smell and instantly fell in love. Probably some wiring in my brain associated the smell of leather to my daughter for some odd reason.

The smell is strong too! It could be resting in my pocket and I can just smell it and every single time, it evokes happiness in me. I'm embarrassed to admit but there are times I just grab it and take in one big sniff of the leather just for some happy hormones. I've even caught myself telling people to appreciate the smell of my wallet. I just realized it might not hit them the same way it does me but I didn't care.

As to the functionality of the wallet, I decided to bring along less cards with me and that basically solved everything! The wallet is still very stiff as new wallets are but I just need to break it in and it should feel much better.

That's all to say that I'm enjoying this new wallet very much and it's all really because of the story behind it rather than the actual thing.