Akiko Kumai was born in
Matsumoto,
Nagano Prefecture, in 1940. After high school in Nagano, she graduated from
Shinshu University, where she studied education. She was inspired to study
potpourri after reading about it in a Japanese translation of
Chronicles of Avonlea. Through her work as a researcher and writer, she first introduced potpourri to Japan, prompting a boom in the fragrant decoration's popularity in the early 1980s. She was well known for her essay series . She also explored scent in other literary works, such as
The Tale of Genji. The couple collaborated on the book , with photographs by Kei and commentary by Akiko. In 2024, at age 84, Akiko Kumai died in
Tokyo of
coronary artery disease. == References ==