From tuning forks to phallic quartz crystals, decluttering guru Marie Kondo wants to sell you good vibrations

Marie Kondo’s tidiness schtick arguably derives from the need to reconcile the spare and tasteful nature of Japanese chic with the country’s more recent fetish for material goods.

The festive season is upon us, and Marie Kondo, the Japanese consultant who shot to fame with her Netflix show, ‘Tidying Up', has a few gifting ideas that promise to be more than token that will end up residing at the back of a drawer. The products, available on her website, konmari.com, range from the utilitarian to the obscure – earthsaver ridged soap, a flower bouquet tote, a brush to clean computers, a tuning fork, and rose quartz crystal.

‘Tidying Up’ might have won Kondo world renown, but some of the products hawked on her website are contrary to the minimalist creed she espouses. Five years ago, Kondo published ‘Life-Changing Magic,’ a book on the benefits of decluttering. The overnight bestseller became the gospel for a generation weaned on the pleasures of materialism. However, some of the articles peddled on her website seem doomed to gather dust; tuning forks aren’t immune to desuetude.


Also Read: How to take a tech-break the Marie Kondo way: Put your phone in a box every night

Kondo’s philosophy does not seek to change the status quo in a world where professional success is tied to one’s personal possessions. In fact, her credo lies in segregating the paraphernalia that people are surrounded with, and passing the death sentence on objects that are deemed not useful or bereft of inherent value. “There is room to welcome meaningful objects, people and experiences into your life,” she says in an episode of her show.

What does one do after one’s home has been divested of trifling appurtenances? Substituting the objects sacrificed at the altar of KonMari with a $35 computer brush or a phallic quartz crystal seems hypocritical at best. A section of Kondo’s disciples - those won over by the philosophy of decluttering -have scoffed at her new venture, railing against what they perceive as sheer opportunism. But Kondo is within her rights to monetise her newfound celebrity.

The online store has received a lukewarm response, but there are elements of Japanese culture and its obsession with orderliness that are evident in the wares on offer. Despite being one of the most populous cities in the world, the streets of Tokyo are amongst the cleanest. Trains run on time. Urban architecture fuses the modern with the traditional.

“The quality that we call beauty must always grow from the realities of life,” said the Japanese writer Jun'ichiro Tanizaki in his book on aesthetics, ‘In Praise of Shadows.’ But the reality of Japanese culture is rooted in its post-war obsession with monozukuri (building things) - a major contributor to the clutter in the country’s households. Kondo’s tidiness schtick arguably derives from the need to reconcile the spare and tasteful nature of Japanese chic with the country’s more recent fetish for material goods.

Japan is home to some of the most competitive companies in the world, be it makers of watches, cars, semiconductors, or dairy products like Wagyu beef. A natural consequence of this fascination with crafting beautiful products is that most homes and offices in Japan are cluttered with objects - both necessary and superfluous. A habit of giving gifts and collecting things does not help decongest homes and serve the country’s collective resolution to not bump into furniture at every turn.

Homes with children are particularly vulnerable. Kondo, a mother of two, has been cautious about screening her private life from the media glare. However, suggestive hints indicate that her domestic milieu isn’t far removed from the typical Japanese home. She has previously spoken of a $15-glass vase in which she keeps flowers on her desk. She has also confessed to stocking up on 15 different varieties of tea in a bespoke container worth $200.

Cleaning up after oneself has always been a chore. It is human nature to accrue possessions and, for whatever reason, cling on to them even after they have served their purpose. Kondo’s idea of beauty involves breaking with the past, junking worthless relics, and surrounding oneself with finely-crafted objects that are a treat to the senses.

Decluttering is not new. But it has never been this fashionable.