6 Japanese concepts you need to know, according to Marie Kondo

"People really like Japanese philosophy. If you ever see a list of "untranslatable words" or "beautiful words from around the world," then you will notice how Japanese ideas are often overrepresented. Whenever I explore a Japanese concept on the Mini Philosophy social media pages - wabi- sabi, mono no aware, ikigai - they outperform almost everything else. Part of this, no doubt, is a kind of exoticism."

"For much of its history, Japan remained ethnically and culturally distinct from both its Asian neighbors and the wider world. Buddhism drifted over from China and Korea, but it fused with Shinto and indigenous animism to become something uniquely Japanese. Western industrialism arrived in the 19th century under the Meiji Restoration, but even then, Japan found a way to absorb foreign ideas without surrendering its identity - to modernize without Westernizing."

"The book explores six quintessentially Japanese ideas - Cherish, Perfect, Consider, Savor, Purify, and Harmonize - that can change not only how we see the world, but how we live within it. Cherish 愛でる(Mederu) "If you look at the cherish topic," Kondo tells me, "in Japan there's this idea called Yaoyorozu no Kami, where there are gods that dwell in almost all objects and all items in your surroundings. They almost have a soul, if you will.""

Japanese philosophical concepts such as wabi-sabi, mono no aware, and ikigai enjoy broad popular appeal and frequent appearance on lists of untranslatable or beautiful words. Historical isolation and cultural fusion allowed Buddhist, Shinto, and animist ideas to create distinctive Japanese sensibilities. Meiji-era modernization absorbed foreign influences while preserving national identity. Six central practices—Cherish, Perfect, Consider, Savor, Purify, Harmonize—offer actionable ways to cultivate stillness, gratitude, and meaning in everyday life. Shinto concept yaoyorozu no kami attributes spirits to objects and encourages reverence for possessions and mindful living amid modern anxiety.

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