Follow your nose on web scent map

The website only lacks an actual "smelling function", say the operators

A Japanese website has given the phrase "follow your nose" a whole new meaning with an interactive map that lets users describe smells they have encountered.

Members of the "Nioibu" or Smell Club have posted descriptions of more than 160 odours from around the world, the Associated Press news agency says.

The scents range from "cats with halitosis" in Kamakura, Japan, to "verbena soap" in Paris, AP said.

All that is missing, said a spokeswoman for Nioibu, is a "smelling function".

"That is our next challenge," said Kayo Matsubara, from Kayac Inc, which runs the Japanese-language Nioibu.com website.

Other scents that Nioibu's "smellists" - as members are called - have posted include "steam coming out of a rice cooker" and "used socks in the summer".