Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism Hardcover – Illustrated, April 11, 2017

Thank you Fumio for such an enlightening and profound read. I just graduated and have been feeling a sense of urgency for a while to get a good job now I have a good job and to climb corporate ladder, to build intellectual and emotional intelligence, to navigate modern dating, to stay fit and eat healthy and a barrage of other non stop aggressions. Thanks to minimalism and the ideas of this book coupled with spiritual training and meditation I can finally breathe and live in the moment. Things really do block our insights into the space of happiness. You are a great author and excellent teacher. I thank you so much Fumio

A good book to introduce the idea of minimalism in your life, even if you are not considering the lifestyle fully. It makes you think about the value, or lack thereof, of everything around you. Meaningful words.

I've read so many of these books lately. Having inherited boxes of stuff from my parents, I had hoped, based on a friend's recommendation, that this one would inspire me more than it did. Let's not kid ourselves, if you have a lot of stuff, it will take a long time to offload it all and that is a process that requires focus, discipline, rigor, time and support. That is, unless you are someone who is capable of easily letting go (but if you are, you probably don't have a lot of stuff anyway). If you have not read many of these kinds of books, then this one might be great for you. It gives an idea of what can open up for us when we are not spending all of our time and energy shepherding papers and things.It's important that people understand the differences between organizing books and books on reducing your stuff as well as this book which is about minimalism. Organizing books generally offer a little bit of advice on letting go, but mostly how to better store all your stuff. Books on letting go of your stuff, generally advise that you go through things a room at a time and have 3 boxes or bags handy: keep, donate, trash. Minimalism requires discarding with very little keeping. There are lots of reasons to consider minimalism and if that's for you, then try this book out. It is a quick read with handy tips throughout and at the end.

Oh my did I love this book! I learned about it from watching “The minimal moms” YouTube videos. This is a very easy read that you won’t be able to put down. There are so many amazing tips, ideas and advice that make cleaning out every space of your house so much easier. It covers everything we tell ourselves in deciding to keep it, throw it or donate it. I’m giving a copy to all my family for Christmas because I know so many people that can use this advice. The book makes these projects seem manageable and not overwhelming when you apply his thought process. He is absolutely right on how you feel afterwards decluttering all your things. Run..don’t walk to buy this book!

Such a good book. Even if you employ 50% of the advice your life will change. I have gifted this book many times.

I may have misunderstood what it means to be a minimalist, and why a person would want to be a minimalist.Unlike the author, the "things" in my life were never acquired in order to impress others or as a form of having achieved some social status. I have certainly collected things, but I have collected things out of an appreciation of beauty and exceptional craftsmanship. Granted, I do often feel as if I have too many things, as nice as they all are, and I am in the process of reducing the things in my home and in my life, but not as an exercise in self correction. I'd just like to enjoy fewer things.The term maximalist is unceremoniously introduced early in the book. There's no explanation for what it means, but I assume it means anyone who has something more than the bare essentials, and I do mean bare. The minimalist and the maximalist seem to be at odds with each other and to have very different desires, but desire is desire no matter, and I wonder what the real difference is between the two choices.I'd like to introduce a third possible choice; living with a relaxed mind. If the things in your life bring you enjoyment and do not represent a chronic struggle for fulfillment or status, or overwhelm you with clutter, perhaps you're happy and fulfilled and your mind is at ease. Having little or nothing and being attached to that little or nothing is not too terribly different from having a lot of things and being attached to those things and what they represent.I may have misunderstood the ultimate goal of minimalism. I thought it had to do with less clutter and less searching for fulfillment in "things", and I may have been partially right, but there seems to be another layer that I hadn't anticipated, a layer that believes that things are bad and that people who have things, like furniture and artwork, are gluttons, and the minimalist is living the better choice, the purer choice.One attachment for another attachment. The clutter of minimalism is still clutter.

I’ve been slowly declutterring for a while, but the habit of buying continues. This book has given me a lot of good advice and insight on my purchasing habits and how I can move beyond consumerism.