When it first became popular, Kondo\u2019s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was often associated with minimalism, as she instructed de-clutterers to keep only things that \u201cspark joy.\u201d At the same time, her guidance to thank objects for their service was a point of puzzlement: Do material goods and personal surroundings really matter? In Kondo\u2019s new book, she answers with a resounding yes, an affirmation rooted in the foundational values of Japanese culture. Beginning with superficial, highly visible aspects of Japanese popular culture, such as kawaii and otaku fandom, she highlights how attachment to adorable things and cherished objects can help one understand and express their personal identity. She soon moves into more private spheres and practices, reflecting on seeking creative inspiration at hot spring baths, the intentionality of Japanese hospitality, and the consideration poured into preparing food. Ultimately, she arrives at specifically Japanese spiritual matters, exploring carefully constructed Shinto shrine grounds and serenely deliberate gardens to find stillness and harmony with nature. Each reflection includes a historical explication of the concept, complimented by Kondo\u2019s experiences\u2014whether exclaiming over sakura (a flowering cherry tree), making her children\u2019s bentos, or working as a shrine maiden\u2014and how that concept might relate to \u201ctidying up\u201d one\u2019s life. Kondo\u2019s years of living in the U.S. have given her an acute understanding of her identity as a Japanese person, and sharing that cross-cultural perspective is meaningful in itself. For those compelled by Kondo, her book reveals the underpinnings of her organizational philosophy with refreshing thoroughness. Though the book\u2019s intricate entries are not for true newcomers to Japan seeking a surface-level survey, Kondo\u2019s compendium will delight those hoping to appreciate Japanese cultural touchstones that they\u2019ve encountered more deeply.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When it first became popular, Kondo\u2019s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was often associated with minimalism, as she instructed de-clutterers to keep only things that \u201cspark joy.\u201d At the same time, her guidance to thank objects for their service was a point of puzzlement: Do material goods and personal surroundings really matter? In Kondo\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}