Japanology Plus - Tidying Up

(theme music)

- [Female Narrator] The world is
embracing a Japanese approach

to tidying up.

(theme music)

- Do they make your heart, skip a beat?

- No. So thanks and goodbye, clothes.

- [Narrator] How about
these upstanding citizens

cleaning up public
areas around town?

It seems Japanese people

just can't resist making
things neat and tidy.

It's more than just
liking things to be clean.

Since ancient times,
cleanliness has been seen

as a moral virtue.

In Japan, it's part of living life well.

This time our topic is tidying up

and how it reflects the
spiritual heritage of Japan.

(theme music)

- Hello, welcome to Japanology Plus.

I'm Peter Barakan.

Today, we have a slightly
unusual theme: tidying up.

The end of December in Japan

is a time which many people
use as an opportunity

to do all of the cleaning

and tidying that they've
put off for the entire year.

My guest on today's show
is Miss Nagisa Tatsumi

an author who is known particularly

for a best-selling book
on that very subject.

Thank you for being with us today.

- I'm glad to be here.

- [Narrator] Nagisa Tatsumi
has written a number of books

about housework and daily living,

especially tidying up and cleaning.

Her book, "The Art of Discarding"

was very popular in Japan

selling 1.3 million copies.

It launched to craze for decluttering.

Now she not only writes,

but she also runs courses
for housework therapists

who assist people wanting to improve

their home management skills.

(singing in foreign)

We went to interview Tatsumi at her home.

- In Japan, books about tidying up,

have been best sellers several times.

And often, you open up a magazine

you'll see a feature
article about it as well.

Why do you think it is
the Japanese people

are so preoccupied

with cleaning up, tidying up?

- I've often wondered that myself.

One possible reason is that
they have so much stuff.

Japan is such a wealthy country

that people accumulate
a lot of belongings

around the house,
and then they struggle

to keep all that stuff
organized and tidy.

So that's one thing.

Another possible reason

is that to tidy up your belongings

you have to think about
what you actually need

and don't need.

You have to take a look at yourself.

That aspect may be
what's making people

interested in tidying up.

I've given many lectures

to groups ranging from
primary school students

to those in their fifties and sixties.

A question that I often ask people

at those lectures is,

if you were moving
into your own place.

which would you rather be:

good at cooking or
good at cleaning up?

I ask them to pick one.

And most people answer,
good at cleaning up.

I get that a lot.

They say it would be
great to cook a nice meal

but I wouldn't want to
eat it in a messy room.

Or after making a nice meal,

if you can't get the
kitchen cleaned up properly

you're left with a mess.

For meals, there are alternatives

to cooking for yourself at home

but cleaning and tidying as a life skill

is something no one
else can do for you.

I think that's how people look at this.

- [Narrator] When did skills of organizing

and tidying becomes
so important in Japan?

Until the late 19th century,

most people had so few belongings

that rooms were tidy by default.

Unlike in the West,

traditional Japanese furniture was small

and easy to move around.

People would put things
out when needed

then put them back again.

The Japanese way of life
changed dramatically

during the economic boom years

after the Second World War.

In those days,

most Japanese aspired to
own Western-style furniture

and appliances, symbols of prosperity.

But once owned,

these belongings took
up precious floor space.

With further economic prosperity

came more and more
household belongings.

Yet people were reluctant

to get rid of stuff, often thinking,

"but this was a gift" or "I could
still find a use for this."

Then starting in the 1980s

came a huge boom in organizing -

how to cleverly turn
space under the stairs

or even under the floor

into useful storage compartments.

Closets in Japan were originally

for folded up futons between use.

Now they were crammed with
all sorts of belongings.

TV shows featured ways to
store stuff in inexpensive trays

or even more cheaply in
repurposed biscuit tins,

quick and easy ways to store

and organize were all the rage.

- Can you guess what we have here?

Actually, it's a rack for T-shirts.

- [Narrator] Through the
eighties and nineties

Housewives tried to master

the art of organizing ever-accumulating
household stuff.

This approach was turned
upside down in the year 2000

when today's guest Nagisa
Tatsumi published her book

'The Art of Discarding.'

The book struck a chord with people

who felt suffocated by
all their belongings.

It argued for fearlessly
throwing things out,

and it rocketed up the best seller list.

Thanks to this book,

many Japanese embraced the idea

of throwing things out

as an approach to keeping
everyday life in order.

- Do you think Japanese
tend to have more things

than people from other
countries, generally speaking?

- Well, think about how
many free samples

you'll be offered as you
walk around town

- Aha.

(chuckles)

- Or say you buy something nice.

It will probably come in a box

and that will be beautifully wrapped.

You buy it for the product inside,

but the box is so nice

that you want to keep that, too.

It's the same with free samples.

It's not your usual shampoo,

but you think, "oh,

I can use this when I travel."

(laughs)

And of course, Japanese people

are so accustomed to
offering and receiving gifts.

We love to give things to other people.

And when I give something,

I get something in return.

This cycle tends to leave
you with lots of stuff.

- In your book, you
established several rules

telling people how to get
rid of unneeded stuff.

First one is throw it away
without looking at it.

- Even something that's broken.

It was used by us or our loved ones

or our darling children.

We end up feeling

as if we're throwing away
part of our identity.

If we say we don't need it

and throw it away, people
struggle with that.

Looking at something
makes you more reluctant

to part with it.

But if it's been sitting
in a cardboard box

for two or three years,

and you can't even
remember it's in there,

it's okay to think, "I don't need it."

- Ah. So you just throw
the whole box out

without even opening it up?

- Right.

- Ohh, okay.

Number two, throw it out on the spot.

- When you don't want
to think about something

you put it away somewhere.

Then it will stay
stored away for ages.

You won't want to get it out later

and agonize over it again.

That would be a waste of energy.

The best time to really
evaluate something

is whenever you have it
there in your hands.

So don't put it down.

You should decide on the spot.

That's what I advise people to do

Because people are lazy.

- It all applies to me, too.

(laughs)

What kind of reactions have you had

from people who read your book?

Did they find themselves able

to get rid of things after reading it?

- A lot of people said it gave them

the push they needed,

gave them permission
to throw things away.

Getting rid of something

tends to make people feel guilty

for treating a belonging that way.

And I experienced that myself.

You feel bad,

like you let someone down.

I believe that to deal with this feeling,

we need some kind of ritual,

even in our modern world.

So I tell people struggling
with those feelings

that Japan has cultural practices

for throwing things away properly.

- Hmm.

- One example is memorial
services for old needles.

In Japan, people take needles

that are rusted or bent to a shrine

and stick them in tofu or
something soft like that.

This ritual says to the needles,

"thanks for the good service"
as they are thrown away.

And it's believed that if
you perform this ritual

you'll be blessed with
improved sewing skills.

Japan has lots of rituals like that.

So you're not insulting
something as you throw it away.

You're politely making
a clean break with it.

Japan has a culture of
treating things with care.

People often tell me,

I didn't know that,

but it makes sense.

- Hmm hmm.

- [Narrator] Now, 15
years after Tatsumi's book,

a new 'made in Japan' approach

to tidying up has grabbed
the world's attention.

(applauds)

- I'm Marie Kondo.

I'm Japanese Organizing Consultant.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Kondo's
book has been published

in more than 20
countries and regions

and is available in 17 languages.

In the United States,

her name has even become
synonymous with tidying up.

(upbeat music)

Let's watch her approach
to organizing in action

as she visits a member of a
Japanese pop group at home.

- [Kondo English VO]
Our first step is for you

to select only the things
that you really need.

- Okay.

- [Narrator] Kondo's method is to
gather stuff of the same type

like clothes in one place

and decide what stays.

- When you pick up an item,

feel it and think,

does this make my heart skip a beat?

Do I really want to wear this?

That's what you're asking yourself

as you pick up and look
at each piece of clothing.

You want to choose only the
ones that matter to you.

- Okay. My heart skipped a beat.

- That's precious then.

- My favorite.

- [Narrator] Whether an
item is kept is based solely

on whether it sparks joy in the heart.

If it doesn't, it will be thrown away.

Kondo's rule is be grateful as it goes.

- It doesn't spark joy.

So thanks, and goodbye.

- [Narrator] It takes an hour
for all the client's clothes

to be sorted,

and she ends up with three
bags of discarded garments

- The clothes I kept bring me joy,

and I'll appreciate
wearing them from now on.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Kondo believes
that keeping only things

that spark joy for you in your home

will make your whole
life more joyful, too.

- Tidying up builds your
decision-making ability

and helps you figure out
exactly what brings you joy.

So moving forward, as you buy things

or work at your job,

you will keep in mind what
you really want to do.

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, in China,

another 'made in Japan'
method of organizing

has become so popular

it's a buzzword - danshari.

Danshari is an application
of yoga principles

refusing what you don't need

and discarding what you don't need

allows you to let go of your
attachment to your possessions.

It's physically and mentally refreshing.

(soft upbeat music)

Danshari aims to check the latent desire

to increase possessions by setting limits

on how much to fill up various forms

of storage space.

Drawers and other storage whose
contents are hidden

are limited to 70% capacity.

(soft upbeat music)

Ones whose contents are visible,

like glass-doored cabinets,
are limited to 50%

for the sake of a pleasing appearance.

Danshari emphasizes
focusing on the present

and actively throwing
away anything surplus.

Here, Mikiko Tamura
is applying danshari

as she tidies the house of her parents,

now that they have both died.

Her mother accumulated
a large number of dishes

but they don't fit
Tamura's own lifestyle.

So she throws them away.

She also steels herself

to get rid of the many albums
of photos her father took.

Only the things that Tamura
herself cares about will stay.

- [Tamura English VO]
My mother's maternity journal,

from when she had me!

- [Narrator] The maternity
journal, treasured for decades,

is a strong link to her parents.

In the end, everything she keeps

fits into a calligraphy box
that belonged to her father.

In goes the maternity journal

and a few photos culled
from her father's albums.

Tamura feels that these
carefully selected mementos

are all she needs as she
moves on with her life.

- Is it really life changing?

- Our belongings,

when we consider whether
we need them or not

reveal our outlook on life in a way.

I use a beer example so often

that people get sick of it.

(laughs)

You can drink a beer
in a cheap glass

or in a stylish beer mug.

Some people will say
it's all the same beer

the cheap glass is fine.

Your values shape
even these choices,

each little item, a
pencil, a table, a towel,

each small thing that
we take a look at

as we tidy up is one more
occasion to consider

'what's important to me?'

'What's my life's purpose?'

'What makes me happy?'

We repeat and accumulate
all these tiny decisions.

And as we do so we clear
away a lot of cobwebs.

Many people say that is
life-changing for them.

In Japan now there's a lot of talk

about the so-called minimalist lifestyles.

People who say,
"I don't need to own stuff,

I want to live with
a minimum of stuff."

These people describe
themselves as minimalists.

When I ask them, why did
you become a minimalist,

I get answers like, "I was
at a dead end in my career

and I didn't know what to do."

"I did an internet keyword search

and typed in 'career problems solution,'

and I got results about
minimalism, tidying up,

and throwing stuff away."

"And after I tidied up and
threw away stuff I didn't need,

for some reason, my
career got back on track."

What those accounts tell me

is that belongings give people a window

onto themselves, onto the
culture they're part of.

It gives people insight.

When their lives aren't going well,

they can step back like that

and evaluate the things they own.

- Hi, I'm Matt Alt.

Now, after organizing your house,

the next step is to give
it a thorough cleaning.

And that's what I've come
here to learn today.

How to give a house a
top to bottom cleaning

in the Japanese way.

To that end, I am meeting
Ms. Keiko Takahashi.

- Hello.

- Keiko Takahashi runs a
house cleaning organization

that teaches people the
right way to clean homes.

Thanks for having me.

(speaking in foreign language)

- Thank you for coming.

- [Narrator] First up is carpet cleaning.

She recommends eco-friendly
baking soda.

- Just sprinkle baking soda over it.

- Okay.

And what is the function of this?

- It breaks up dirt and grime

and it also absorbs odors.

- Sounds good.

- Now it's time to vacuum.

- Okay.

- And make sure you're thorough.

Dust mites live in carpet fibers.

So you want to vacuum each spot

from several different angles.

If you just do the
cleaning in one direction

you won't get them all.

(vacuuming)

- You know, I'm already starting
to break a sweat.

Part of it's the weight of this,

but also the system of
going back and forth.

This is really good exercise.

Well, I guess it's time
to bust out the mops then.

- In Japan, instead of mops,

we use dust cloths like these.

They're old towels folded and sewn.

Let's wipe down the floor with these.

First of all,

you need to squeeze it out.

Hold it at an angle

so it won't drip outside
the bucket, pointing down.

Now imagine it's a sword.

You grip it firmly.

- I have seen it, yes.

- And strike.

Using that grip, you
end up like this

at this angle.

- No, you're like a
housekeeping samurai.

(laughs)

- That's me.

(laughs)

Wipe in a straight line
following the edges.

Then, pull the cloth straight down.

(soft upbeat music)

- I noticed you can use the lines

of the flooring to kind
of guide you a little bit.

You can tell you're
really getting into the nooks

and crannies here.

Since you're so close to the floor,

you can't miss any of the dirt.

- Now, we're in the kitchen.

We're going to get the grime

that normal cleaning doesn't reach.

- Ah, yes.

- Caked on grease.

- I can see that.

I can see the dirt on there, yes.

- We're going to get all that off

with foaming baking soda cleanser.

- Okay.

- The homemade cleaning solution

starts with baking soda
mixed with liquid soap.

Now, we mix this in.

- What is this?

- Citric acid.

Add water.

- Ooh, its foaming!

- See it expand.

It's alive.

- It looks like shaving
cream or something.

- First, we want to put on
enough to cover the grease.

- Well, this one is pretty dirty,

so I'm going to be putting a lot on.

(upbeat jazz music)

It's hard to believe this soft stuff

has the power to take off
all of this caked on grime.

- You can spread it with your finger.

- It's safe to touch?

- Totally safe.

It's the same baking
soda used in cooking.

- Ah, that's true.

How long do we have to wait?

- Only five or 10 minutes.

(bell rings)

There you are, it soaked up the grease.

- Oh, yeah.

It's all brown now.

Now we need to scrub.

- It's like steel wool.

(speaking in foreign language)

- That's right.

- Scrub with this.

- Just like this?

- Yes, scrub nice and hard.

- Oh, wow, yeah.

It's taking it right off.

Oh, this is...wow!

This is easy.

This is the best part.

You get to see your work.

- Nice and clean now.

- Oh, wow.

Look at that.

- To Matt's amazement,

the homemade cleaning solution

does a great job of
taking off the grease.

- So there you have it.

Next time you come to Japan,

why don't you roll up those sleeves

and learn some house cleaning,

deep cleaning tips for yourself.

Until then, see you next time.

(theme music)

- [Narrator] Now, let's
look at some Japanese

cleaning customs.

At Japanese primary schools,

the tradition is for students

to clean up the school themselves.

(singing in foreign language)

They clean the classrooms,
halls, and other common spaces.

At some schools, they
clean the toilets as well.

It's common in Japan
for people to clean up

the streets they live on
or use in everyday life.

That's why you'll also find volunteers

keeping things clean and tidy

in some of the city's most popular

and fashionable districts.

Civic-minded individuals like these

are behind Japan's clean cities.

This group's motto is,
'when the streets look nice,

people feel nice.'

In some circumstances,

cleaning is an act of spiritual training.

Eiheiji is a famous Zen temple.

Each morning, Buddhist
trainees clean the temple.

They polish 500 meters of
corridors in just 15 minutes.

Here, cleaning is considered a
form of meditation in motion,

a path to Buddha.

Cleaning in Japan is not
just making things clean.

It's a way to purify the soul.

- I think perhaps, well,
certainly in London where I'm from

people would clean up,

say they have a garden.

They would clean up
their own garden.

They clean up for themselves.

I don't think people have
a concept of cleaning up

for other people or
for people in general.

Whereas, the Japanese do
seem to have that mindset.

- In Japan, keeping public places clean

is something people take
responsibility for themselves.

They don't leave it
up to somebody else.

That's very Japanese.

For Japanese people, cleaning only

the bit of road in front of your house

is seen as a lack of public spirit.

You clean a meter or two

into the space in front
of your neighbors as well,

just to show that you're
a respectable citizen.

It's being neighborly.

If you only care for
your own property,

people will take offense.

They'll say you're not neighborly

or civic-minded.

That's definitely one aspect of it.

In primary and middle school,

we have the example of students

cleaning up the school themselves.

Of course, some schools do
employ caretakers and cleaners,

but people don't think
very positively about that.

The idea is that keeping
your own school clean

fosters respect for the school

and also for your friends
and fellow students.

It also fosters a desire
to study properly

and use your head.

Those are seen as the benefits

of having the students
clean the school.

- Also, for example, in summer
they have big rock festivals.

You know, you go out to these places

and everybody's very,
very well-behaved.

All the empty plates and cups

and all of this stuff is all
put into the rubbish bins.

And when it's all over,
everything's clean.

And I've heard remarks from people

that it's completely different
from other countries.

- Japanese people don't
think, "I had my fun.

That's all that matters."

They want to leave
the venue clean

to show appreciation for the
people running the event.

A sense of gratitude.

And there is a deep-rooted sense

that what goes around comes around.

So you should be considerate.

- [Narrator] Each December, Shinto shrines

perform a ritual cleaning
called Susu-harai.

Any dust or dirt that has
built up is cleaned away

so that the shrine is
ready to receive the deity

of the new year.

In Japan, it is believed
that good spirits gather

in pure, clean environments,

so at work and at home, too,

people clean the place thoroughly

at the end of the year.

Ultimately, the Japanese preoccupation

with keeping everything clean and tidy,

reflects a wish to live life happily

and to be a better person.

- It's interesting.

When I came here today,

I was wondering how different

the Japanese approach to tidying up

could be from other countries.

It's something that everybody does

and it has to be pretty similar.

But I've actually found
myself learning something.

I mean, doing a bit
of Japanology today,

and I didn't really expect to.

So that's been very,
very interesting for me.

And it now remains to be seen

how many of my books I can
actually say thank you to,

say goodbye to as well.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you very much.

(upbeat music)