For my 60th birthday I traveled to Japan to climb Mt Fuji, a dream I’ve had since I was 11 and had a Japanese pen pal. I’m a lifelong admirer of all things Japanese—the beautiful fabrics, the minimal lifestyle, the unbelievable variety of scissors. I was super excited to see first-hand what life in Japan was really like and to learn any organizing tips I could.
Japan is a tiny country but Tokyo, its capital, is the largest city in the world. With 34 million people, it was crowded for sure, but I never felt it was overly chaotic (with the exception of Shibuya on a Friday night). Many things factor into the orderly serenity you can find in central Tokyo.
Punctuality, Politeness, Dependability: The public transportation infrastructure is fantastic. The subway and other trains are incredibly clean and run often and on time. People do not talk loudly (or much at all) on the trains and never talk on their cell phones in public. You can’t believe the level of calm this creates. The trains are cheap, easy and even fun to use. I walked an enormous amount, but since the city is 800 square miles, I also rode the subway many times each day. Being able to depend on a cheap, reliable and convenient form of transportation makes organizing an itinerary so much easier.
Method over Madness: Not only are the Japanese punctual, polite and dependable, they are also extremely methodical and tend to do things right the first time. The service in stores, restaurants and everywhere else is incredible. Purchases are wrapped with great care, preventing breakage and other issues. They don’t seem to ever rush, and although some things move a little more slowly (lines at the duty-free tax counter at department stores for example), the results are few to no mistakes.
Cleanliness is next to Buddha-ness: The subway and train stations are clean and a pleasure to be in. In fact, there was very little litter in Japan. I believe this is largely due to the fact that people do not eat or drink anything on the subway or in the street, not even a cup of coffee. The ubiquitous American water bottle was rare to see in Japan although temperatures were sweltering. Without food wrappers and drink containers to dispose of, litter becomes less of an issue.
In fact, there are virtually no public trash cans in Tokyo. If you have trash, you are expected to carry it around until you get home. I think this also discourages people from unconscious consumption of goods and foods. If you can’t get rid of something or its wrapper, you think twice about whether you need to pick it up in the first place.
Privacy and Minimalism: Homes in Japan are mostly tiny and privacy is paramount. Small homes require organization and minimalism and that takes daily attention. Think about bonsai. It’s tiny but requires daily manicuring to keep it in order. It’s the same with a small space.
Less is More Fun: Entertaining is not typically done in the home. People meet out in restaurants or on the street to hang out or have a meal. When you don’t have people over, you don’t need as much stuff. The terrific film Perfect Days is a great example of how a worker in Tokyo lives. The bedroom is the living room is the dining room. You own only what you use yourself, not 12 of everything.
Prevent a Mess with Shoelessness: As with other Asian cultures, the Japanese take off their shoes indoors. By taking off your shoes you avoid dragging in all the dirt and muck from the outside and that makes housekeeping easier. If you want to emulate this tradition, just be sure to have convenient indoor slippers to slide on and sturdier Crocs or something similar for quick outdoor chores. If you have to lace up shoes every time you need to do a quick task outside, like grab the mail or take out the recycling, the shoeless house habit is not going to happen.
Safety is Relaxing: My last point is about safety. Japan is famous for how law-abiding, respectful and non-violent its citizens are and how generally safe the country is. Home organization is largely about creating a safe haven to come home to, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if one’s whole country was a safe haven, almost like an extended living room with millions of distant relatives wandering through it? That’s what Japan felt like to me.