Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism

by Fumio Sasaki

'Meet the new king of decluttering' - The Times
'Take your spring cleaning to the next level with Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki' - Parade

'There's happiness in having less. If you are anything like how I used to be - miserable, constantly comparing yourself with others, or just believing your life sucks - I think you should try saying goodbye to some of your things'

Fumio Sasaki is a writer in his thirties who lives in a tiny studio in Tokyo with three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and not much else. A few years ago, he realised that owning so much stuff was weighing him down - so he started to get rid of it.

In this hit Japanese bestseller, Sasaki explores the philosophy behind minimalism and offers a set of straightforward rules - discard it if you haven't used it in a year; be a borrower; find your uniform; keep photos of the things you love - that can help all of us lead simpler, happier, more fulfilled lives.

• ISBN10: 0393609049
• ISBN13: 9780393609042
• Publish Date: 11 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Raven]

There is absolutely no reason this book couldn't have been a blog post.

[lex6819]

This is my new bible. I'm getting rid of my stuff much faster now, and not brining as many new things into my home. I have already freed up one entire room to a new purpose, and my kitchen is beginning to look almost Instagram-worthy in its simplicity. I love this book.

[mercurial]

My first minimalism read after Marie Kondo's 2 books on organization. This is not just a guidebook for practical organization tips but one that walks through the author's thoughts and journey to reducing clutter. For those who prefer a to-do list, the second half of the book will be more useful. In audio book format, I enjoyed the first half of the book as an experience close to guided meditation.

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: What I like about Goodbye, Things is the focus on mindset on top of the physical reduction of possessions. Sasaki talks a lot about the impact minimalism has had on his life and how things have changed for him over time, presenting a sort of before and after to the reader. Some parts are quite repetitive, though. Three times he explains that after becoming a minimalist, it only took him half-an-hour to pack up and move to a new home:

"This spring, I moved into a new apartment. I didn’t do any packing beforehand and yet it only took thirty minutes to take everything out of my home, including the time it took to remove the light fixtures and unplug the washing machine." (p.162)

"After going minimalist, I moved for the first time in a decade. It was from Nakameguro to an area called Fudomae, not too far away, and the packing (without a single cardboard box, mind you), the move itself, and unpacking all took but an hour and a half. I kid you not." (p.176)

"Finally moved for the first time in a decade (it took thirty minutes but it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes next time)" (p.194)

On several other occasions, he repeats how he downsized to a smaller apartment, and how simple it was. He also dwells a lot on the simplicity of Apple products. So yeah, Goodbye, Things could've been two-thirds as long.

Nonetheless, the inclusion of practical steps towards minimalism, makes Goodbye, Things a more than worthwhile read. I also enjoyed the discussions on how we we attach our self-worth to possessions and look to objects to shape our identities. Plus, I liked how Sasaki made it clear that he values experiences, and why, which is sure to lead any reader to healthy introspection.