Some thoughts on Goodbye, Things:Mr. Sasaki writes about minimalism in maximalist manner. A good editor could have cut this book down to the length of a magazine article, added a few of the book's photographs, and nothing much would have been lost. In fact, the book could have almost been condensed to the "55 tips to help you say goodbye to your things" on the last few pages of the book. That would have been true minimalism. But then, Mr. Sasaki wouldn't have had a book to sell.Mr. Sasaki writes...

Fumio Sasaki takes minimalism to an entirely new level. I could not live in such a fundamental environment. I need beauty and plant life; my home is my sanctuary, not just a place to sleep. This lifestyle works for him and others, I am sure, but just not for me. I much prefer William Morris's quote "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

I've read this book in Norwegian. The English version is not available just yet, so I chose to read in Norwegian. It can be divided in two parts: useful and not useful. Tips are okay and interesting and rewarding to follow. As a minimalist myself, I have already tried a lot of things listed in the book. An author, however, goes to extreme version of minimalistic approach to life, trying to persuade us to come with him. Someone might find it okay, someone might be taken aback. To be honest, the w...

Am now a minimalist.

Sasaki’s photographs in the beginning of this book jolt one awake to what he means by minimalism. Some people are so radical that it makes the rest of us look like hoarders. But by the end of this very simply-written and superbly-argued short book, most of the arguments we have for cluttering our space and complicating our lives are defeated. One must recognize at some point that whatever dreams are mixed up in purchases we have made, the potential of the ideas quickly fade when not acted on imm...

**I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.**Nothing better than throwing out everything you own to make space for nothing. All you need is a bed that doubles as a couch, one set of dishes to cook and eat off of and one towel to dry said dishes and yourself off with. What an easy-peasy, simplified life.ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! ONE TOWEL FOR EVERYTHING?!?!?!That was the moment I realized a minimalist lifestyle was not for me. I know the author says to each their own an...

I’m not interested in becoming this extreme of a minimalist, nor did this book hold my attention, though I did finish it. This is super extreme...as in you only need one fork and nothing on the walls, as in you don’t need chairs if you “host” your friends at a local restaurant and use the local cafe as your living room. I found the sweeping generalization that you cannot lead a life of gratitude whilst owning a lot of things to be a little offputting, not to mention, very subjective.Overall, I d...

Sasaki's "new Japanese minimalism" relies on a) living in a 24-hour metropolis so you can go out to buy something at 2am at an all-night store if you urgently need something b) a culture that offers rentable suitcases and c) steady, reliable full-time work with sufficient disposable income so you can afford to rent a suitcase, or buy anything you can't rent, which you will give away or sell (at a large loss) whenever you are done with it. Also being a 35-year-old single man helps. But in amongst...

“The things you own end up owning you.”-—TYLER DURDEN, FIGHT CLUBI strongly recommend this book to all!For anyone who struggles hard to let go of their materialistic possessions or their maximalist self, the author says- the more things you have, the more you accumulate. You’ll never be satisfied when trapped in this cycle; it will only make you want more and more. It’s like a monster that becomes hungrier and hungrier as it eats. Wetiko is a Native American word, literally translated as “man-ea...

If you find the Konmari approach to tidying and reducing possessions a little too strict or kooky, then Goodbye, Things might be a good alternative (and a decent introduction to minimalism). I'm not a minimalist, but I'm increasingly finding that shedding my unneccesary possessions is making me happier and more satisfied.I liked that this book focuses quite a bit on the psychological and emotional benefits of reducing what you own. It's a very personal testament to how minimalism can improve one...

I've read a couple of books on minimalist lifestyle, and this is one of the best in my opinion. I especially like that all the photos included with the book are at the start, helps to make the book appealing. You can see from them not only single persons, but also a couple, a family and a traveling person's backpack contents (though only scarf can be counted as clothes in it, which leaves me wondering about the rest of the clothes that could be there).This includes the author's own pictures and

So you thought Marie Kondo was funny when she told us to get rid of the garbage in our homes and to only keep the stuff that gave us "sparks of joy"? Well, Fumio Sasaki goes deeper - he says it's awesome that there are things that give us those "sparks of joy" and he tells us to get rid of them all!!! Fumio is a minimalist and I dare say an extremist too - he got rid of 95% of the stuff he used to own, including hundreds of books, CDs, DVDs, expensive multimedia devices and fancy clothes and man...

“Minimalism is built around the idea that there’s nothing that you’re lacking.” ― Fumio Sasaki, Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese MinimalismI wasn't a fan of the writing. Perhaps, I went in expecting more of a Zen minimalism asthetic. Perhaps, I am just comparing it to other design/living books that seemed to resonate better (S, M, L, XL, A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder, Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, etc.). By the end of the book, it all just see...

I received an advanced copy from Goodreads, and was, to be honest, skeptical at first. Hasn't Marie Kondo already turned the minimalism trend around? Sasaki's book is his own, however. He is a humble and honest guide throughout the book. Sasaki offers insights on minimalism through his own mind and life. I really enjoyed reading the book. It felt very cleansing, like taking a shower at the end of a long day.I took notes throughout the book, for personal reference. Here is a slice:* Our minds are...

I hate-read this book for fun. I don't aspire to minimalism, but I would like to get rid of a lot of the stuff in my life. I got a bit out of reading the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and was expecting more along those lines. This book however made Marie Kondo seem like a very reasonable person, and her idea of what to have in your home cozy and comfortable by comparison. The minimalism advocated for in this book is stark and lifeless. A photo of the ideal room was literally an empty room.

I would have rated this book as excellent if it had been able to convince a hoarder to embrace the tenets of minimalism. I would have rated it as acceptable if it had merely told me what I know about minimalism and not really cemented it. But I was actively looking for books about the subject and actively interested in it and it managed to turn me off of the very movement it espouses.I got the audiobook version, and my first issue was with the choice of narrator. He has a rough, distinctly Ameri...

The strengths of this book are in the psychological and philosophical insights and the general, sometimes practical principles of minimalist living. The author is a young single professional in Tokyo, and his chosen style of minimalism is basically monastic. But he doesn't preach that style or suggest it's for everyone. So his story isn't an inspirational how-to for most western readers. There is no joy sparking (though he has opinions about that), there are no packing parties, nor encouragement...

Oh, Fumio, Fumio,I absolutely loathe your bookio.When I look at your roomio It makes me quite gloomio.Your simple creed May be anti-greedbut there's not a woman alive who'd want to share your empty hive.The poet Browning wrote that less is moreI disagree - less is a bore.Seriously, who but a monk would choose to live in such an empty apartment? Ifyour possessions are supposed to make people admire you, what is this minimalpose except a tricky way to accomplish the same thing?And Fumio, what is i...

"For a minimalist, the objective isn't to reduce, it's to eliminate distractions so they can focus on the things that are truly important."17. Organizing is not minimizing.24. Let go of the idea of getting your money’s worth.31. Think of stores as your personal warehouses.43. What if you started from scratch?34. If you lost it, would you buy it again?19. Leave your unused space empty.45. Discard anything that creates visual noise.+. Question the conventional way you’re supposed to use things.+.

More memoir than self-help, actually, as so much of what he says does *not* apply universally. And all his 'research' is just reported, there are no notes, bibliography, etc.Given that, he's got some great insights here. And each reader will find different bits of value to him or her. And it's short and gracefully written/ translated, so get it from your library if you're interested; give it a go.I liked the photos in the beginning of five different 'cases'--different people's examples. Incomple...