Tidying Up with Marie Kondo

By Elizabeth Gibson for The J-Pop Exchange

The internet’s newest obsession is cleaning out their closets, thanks to none other than the KonMari Method.

What’s the KonMari Method, you ask? Well, if you have been living under a rock these past few weeks, or if your New Year’s resolution was to watch less Netflix, then that means you may have missed out on the binge-worthy new Netflix original called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

Marie Kondo is a Japanese author who released a book in 2011 called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It quickly became a bestseller and inspired many people to choose joy and organize their homes. Eight years later, and now the show and a petite Japanese woman are making people laugh, making people cry, and inspiring thousands to clean their home. One of the most interesting parts of the show is that 90 percent of the time she speaks Japanese and talks to the families by way of a translator at her side. But the language barrier doesn’t seem to make any difference.

Her method to tidying up messes, the KonMari Method, is to start with clothes, then books, papers, komono (or kitchen, bathroom, and miscellaneous items) and finally sentimental items, Kondo advises. Sentimental items are often left last so the person organizing doesn’t get caught up in their emotional personables and the memories that accompany them.

Many other organizing shows portray people getting rid of things they no longer use and items that are no longer of value. But in Tidying Up, Marie tells people to hold each item in their hands and see if it sparks joy for them. If it does, they keep it. If it doesn’t, they are to thank the item for all it has done for them and then either toss it or donate it. It’s a reality show with some low-level drama, and, refreshingly, the homeowners do the heavy lifting when it comes to tidying up their homes. And even though the whole premise is simply, well, cleaning house, the ending of each episode is always satisfying.

My mom and I both watched the show. And both of us now have boxes and giant trash bags full of clothes to donate to thrift shops. Even just after the first episode, I immediately took every item of clothing I owned, put them all into a big mountain of a pile on my couch, and went through them one by one. I held each item -- including jeans from a dozen years ago that no longer fit, silly graphic t-shirts I’ve never worn, and dresses unfortunately too short for my 5’9” frame -- into my hands. About one third of them did not spark joy, so into the donation bin they went. What I was left with, I folded neatly, hung up correctly, and put them back into my closet -- which looks 1000 percent nicer, by the way. Now all I need to do is apply the same method to my bathroom, my kitchen, and the living room.

The show is mildly addicting yet incredibly inspiring. Even if you don’t immediately jump to your bedroom, fold every t-shirt you own with love, and stack them vertically in your dresser drawers, the heart-warming show is sure to spark some joy.

All eight episodes of Tidying Up are now streaming on Netflix.

More by Elizabeth Gibson:

Japan Produces Anime for the Olympics

Netflix Making Live-Action Remake of Anime Series Cowboy Bebop