Book Review: Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye, Things
Are you a maximalist? A minimalist? A bit of both?
Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism hit me square in the resolutions this month, at a time of year when most of us are thinking about ways to make our lives better, truer, and more meaningful.
Yet I wasn’t looking for a book on clutter-busting or even thoughtful reflections on consumerism. In the first case, I’ve already been doing quite a bit of slimming down of my possessions, and I have at least one space in my house — the office from which I am writing now — that is abundantly, crazily, magically maximalist. I have no intention of changing it.
As to reflections on consumerism, I’m always eager for them, but not from the “minimalists” I’ve encountered in the US, who have generally been tech-bros that skim a little Bashō here, a little Aristotle there, in the service of their brand. When I took a peek at Sasaki’s bio — he’s a book editor, living quietly in Kyoto — I was reassured.
When I took a peek at Sasaki’s bio — he’s a book editor, living quietly in…
