That was an interesting discovery.Ĭertainly from reading your book, goodbye, things, I got the impression that it really changed the way you saw yourself in the world and that this feeling was almost spiritual at times.
I feel that one of the reasons I had so much was because I didn’t have a clear set of values, or a clear sense of identity about who I was but by letting go of these things little by little, I think I started to get more clarity about what’s important to me, about what I value. Even when I look back, I just marvel at it. I didn’t go so far as to read over every book, but it was quite difficult for me, yes. It was very hard, I would take photos of them before I let them go, even when I sold books to used bookstores I would take the cover photos one by one. Did this make it difficult for you to part with your belongings? That’s when I discovered minimalism and started to yearn for more freedom.Ī minimalist who loves things, that’s a bit of a paradox. I was starting to feel very tied down, with nowhere to go and lots of stuff surrounding me. Out of the circumstances (I had to stay in the apartment for about 11 years or so) I didn’t have the means to move out. Let me start by saying that I still love material things, I still love objects, I tend to collect them and accumulate them so when I discovered minimalism, I lived in a very small apartment and I owned lots of things.
When did minimalism first feature in your life? Our thanks goes to Rieko Yamanaka for her incisive interpretation. This conversation took place over three time zones, in two languages. By writing it, he has inspired thousands of people to “have less, be free”. His first book, goodbye, things, reads like a clearing in the forest of stuff that tends to block our vision of what truly matters. In giving away 95% of his belongings, he became the person he is today: relaxed, joyful, with a centred wisdom. The homes of Japan’s new minimalists are free of unnecessary clutter, but not of personality. Natural light, empty spaces, compact design.
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