Tidying Up with Marie Kondo

I find Marie to be a calming and sweet host and I really don't mind the subtitles. I appreciate that she doesn't shame the families she's working with, and I like that she doesn't force them to throw everything away in 48 hours or something ridiculous. A sweet, simple, and realistic show.

I love that this show focuses on useful tips and strategies where "clients" are shown how to make better use of their own resources and objects without themselves or production team spending thousands of dollars on renovations. Some viewers may have difficulty with cultural differences and language barrier. It seems that this is a show more about the philosophy than about home improvement; however, the show does a great job of highlighting the interconnection between clutter and daily stress of clients. Each episode has specific strategies for difficult categories.

The Japanese are a spiritual people who anthropomorphize inaminate things. They will thank the warmth of sunlight, turn a tea bowl so that the "good" side faces the other person, and they are very attuned to physical and atmospheric elements. So when Marie suggests thanking a piece of clothing that one is discarding, it makes perfect sense.

She is adorable. And as for the language barrier-- English is one of the most difficult languages for an adult to learn. Kids who are taught English in school are really lucky. But English, unlike most other languages, doesn't follow standard and consistent rules. It's very difficult to learn compared to other languages. Japanese might be one of the easiest languages to learn. So don't get down on Kondo for not being fluent in our language.

This show idea is not a new one. The difference with Tidying Up totally lies in Marie Kondo. There is something quite calming and soothing in watching and listening to this lovely little woman. She is so sweetly motivating and so thoughtful of her clients and their particular needs. There is certainly a spiritual element in her approach. She never judges the clients and their mess, even if some of them are quite huge. I like how her show has a variety of clients in different situations as to appeal to everyone. Each show tends to emphasize something unique that her approach addresses. If you are looking to simplify your life, watching this series may give you some helpful hints in getting started.

Very cute presentation of what you can read in Marie Kondo's books. Her method KonMari is explained well on examples. The journey that the participants undertake changes not only their homes, but also themselves. It is lovely show and Marie is just a gem!