Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying

I once had a habit of cutting out maps of Kyoto and Kamakura whenever I came across them in magazines, but when I visited those cities, I always forgot to take the clippings. In the end, I tossed them all!

The focus was not on ease of use, but on ease of cleaning.

You don’t have to make yourself like someone else’s things. It’s enough just to be able to accept them.

The process is really like a word association game. As you go along, you’ll soon find that similar things naturally end up side by side. In reality, seemingly separate categories overlap each other slightly, existing in a gradation of interconnection.

As you work away, your house will become visibly cleaner, and before you know it, you will be feeling calm and relieved.

It resembled a haunted house more than a dressing table. You would think that people who own a dressing table want it to look beautiful, yet in many cases my clients have turned them into a parking lot for their cosmetics.

You must select a comfortable storage place for each item you have decided to keep, one where each can shine to its full potential. The things you have chosen support your life. You must create a space where they can feel at home.

I can say with confidence that there’s no task more enjoyable than storing. You’re creating a home for the things you love while exploring their interconnections.

because they want to do it ‘right’, they are constantly afraid of failing.