Marie Kondo - Letter from Japan
Perhaps what we need to do more of today is to marvel at something that exists close to us, much closer than anything we can admire through a screen.
An aesthetic like wabi-sabiāthe Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection, transience, and the natural aging processācould only have emerged from the sadness that comes with realizing that not a single thing in this world is fixed or eternal.
Itās fascinating that kawaii culture began as an effort to introduce a small bit of delight and uplift into our daily lives. Our connection to our inner selves remains surprisingly tenuous, and it becomes easy to lose sight of what truly brings us joy. Perceiving something as kawaii helps us rediscover ourselves and listen more attentively to our hearts. What we find kawaii is often a reflection of our inner selvesāour choices reflect our unique values and tastes, and we experience a particular joy when we share an appreciation for something adorable with others. Nothing bonds two people together quite like their mutual love for something they find kawaii.
Like the tea ceremony, many classical Japanese arts focus on perfecting a simple daily act.
To put yourself on a path toward perfection connects you with all the masters who came before and those who will follow.
Reach into the back of that top shelf in your kitchen and take out that utsuwa youāve been saving for a special night. That special night is tonight!
The most important deciding factor in the flavor of salt is rain,ā he explained. āThe rain falls on the forest and carries the nutrients from the forest into the river, which then flows into the sea. This gives the seawater a distinctive umami flavor. The more this cycle occurs, the better it is, as it creates what is known as the brackish water zone, providing the ideal conditions for producing salt.
Over fifty percent of the area around Yuya Bay, known as a ānatural harborā since ancient times, is covered with a āprimeval forest. Two rivers, the Awano River and the Kakebuchi River, flow into the bay from within Nagato City. The seawater in the bay combines the nutrients from the mountains with the minerals from the sea, making it possible to create a salt that distills the blessings of both the sea and the mountains.