Cleaning guru preaches gospel of minimalism
Fumio Sasaki [FUMIO SASAKI]
I’m the type of person who can’t easily throw things away. One piece of evidence is my desk, which is covered with books. There are three stacks of books on my desk. The first group of books is “what I’m reading now,” the second is “what I must read” and the last is “what I’m planning to read someday.”
My bag is also full of things, from a purse thick with receipts and name cards, to ballpoint pens and notebooks, as well as a pouch of lotions and toners.
Then there’s my smartphone, which has thousands of photos and voice files, to the point where it always says it is running out of space when I try to save something new.
But after reading a book recently, I began to question my ways. Whenever I have the urge to buy something, I ask questions like, “Do I really need this?” or “If I lose this, am I willing to pay for it again?”
“We Do Not Need Things” by Fumio Sasaki.
Looking at an increasing number of people who are reducing their number of so-called necessities, I’m relieved to find I’m not the only one who is surrounded by an uncountable number of products.
JoongAng Sunday, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, recently conducted an email interview with Sasaki.
The book was released in Korea in early December, but is still ranked high in the self-improvement sections of major bookstores.
Sasaki says in the beginning of his book that he was far from a so-called minimalist, or someone who lives with the bare necessities.
After graduating from Waseda University, Sasaki was working in publishing. The author says he didn’t even have the courage to discard a sticky note.
He loved to display an antique manual camera, and he also enjoyed various hobbies, purchasing all the things he needed for them.
When asked what made him become a firm believer in a minimalist lifestyle, he responded, “There was not a major reason. My life was standing still when I came across a minimalist, and I became fascinated by his life.”
Sasaki was about to move into a new place around the time he encountered the minimalist, and he became inspired to dump things he didn’t need, from rolls of camera film to CDs and stereos to a 42-inch TV and home theater system, all because his things wouldn’t fit in his new 20-square-meter (215-square-foot) studio.
His life as a minimalist gained momentum as he began to upload documents about his new way of life to his blog. He took a picture of his belongings whenever he threw them away.
“I can’t exactly remember the number of things I have thrown away so far, but I took photos of about 3,000 different items. As far as I know, a single Japanese has between 3,000 and 6,000 things on average.”
It wasn’t easy for him to get rid of some things in particular. He found himself having a hard time getting rid of books, a TV and his porn collection.
The author said he considered the books to be part of him, while he and his girlfriend loved to watch TV together. He had also spent years amassing his porn collection.
“Here is a tip for you. You have to discard things that are related to each other. If you dump your TV, you can then throw out your home theater system, game consoles and other cables and adaptors, too.”
After Sasaki dramatically reduced his belongings, it took only 30 minutes for him to move into his new place. With fewer things around, Sasaki experienced things he had not before.
He woke up in a sun-filled room because his room had fewer objects. Instead of watching TV, he read books and began to write. Cleaning also became a lot easier because he didn’t really have as much stuff to clean.
He also got more room to work out. Sasaki shed about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) after he changed his lifestyle.
“A lot of things we possess are not used for their own functions,” said Sasaki, arguing that most of our stuff is used to display wealth or social status.
Sasaki gives 55 tips on living the minimalist lifestyle in his book, and he goes in-depth with 15 ideas for those who want to throw more stuff away.
I asked him to pick and choose his three most important tips.
“If you ever thought about throwing a certain item away more than five times, then dump it right away. It means that you can discard it. And no one really teaches us how to get rid of unnecessary things. You need to throw things away one after another and then, one day, you will find you have become a minimalist.
“And never, ever think that you will use any particular item someday because someday never comes. Just ask yourself whether you need it now or not.”
Sasaki recommended taking a picture before throwing each item away.
“I took photos of my past photos, letters and books, and it is a kind of ritual for me. The hard drive containing all the photos will someday break, and my memory of those things will then fade away.”
We live in an era where shopping has never been easier, but somewhat paradoxically, more and more people want to live like Sasaki.
He pointed to several reasons why an increasing number of people want to live with fewer things.
The 2011 earthquake in Japan is one of the reasons, Sasaki said, because many Japanese realized their countless belongings may become a threat if they suddenly start falling to the ground.
“Many Japanese realized they would go through more earthquakes as long as they live in Japan. They then realized what they truly need is mobility and fewer possessions. When there was an earthquake in Tokyo in May 2014, I was relieved because I didn’t have any fear of being crushed to death by my things.”
Sasaki said Korea and Japan have many things in common, such as few people who die of starvation but an increasing number who commit suicide every year. Koreans and Japanese also love to compare themselves to each other.
“If you free yourself from your stuff, then you have fewer ways to compare yourself to others and you don’t have to care about what others think of you.”
The author then added some final words for people who wish to live like him.
“The number of necessities you need may vary depending on your situation. If you have families, the number of necessities you need naturally increase. So don’t be obsessive with the number of items you have.
“I have already discarded about 95 percent of my belongings, but I will buy if I need some things. I recently purchased a desk and a chair because I want to focus more on reading. Throw things away first, and then buy again if you think you really need something. Then you will cherish the item even more than before.”
BY MIN KYUNG-WON [so@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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