Danshari

In the last couple of years, the idea of 'Danshari' is popular in Japan. What is Danshari? In short, it's the concept of a simple and comfortable life, the basic idea coming from Yoga. This words consist of three kanji characters, 'Dan' means to cut out unnecessary stuff, 'Sha' means to throw away junk in your house, and 'Ri' means to step away from your obsessions. Danshari suggests we get rid of mental as well as physical junk.

I think it's a new idea, because Japanese have the sense that it's wasteful to throw away things. Japan was a poor country and still depends largely on importation. I've grown up in such an environment, I had always taken that for granted. But this idea reversed the thinking of "wasteful". If you keep things for 'just in case', and you never use them, that's what is really a wasteful practice! It's not easy to throw away stuff, but I must, and I started to dispose of my personal belongings, which makes me feel lighter spiritually.