Sasaki was a magazine editor in Tokyo, thirty-five, living alone in a room stacked with books, CDs, DVDs, and gear for hobbies he’d quit, comparing himself to everybody and losing. So he spent a year getting rid of about ninety-five percent of it. What’s left is a two-hundred-fifteen-square-foot apartment with a wooden box, a desk, and a futon he rolls up. He’s clear that he’s no expert and no guru, just a guy who tried it, and that keeps the book from preaching. The useful part is the middle: fifty-five tips for letting go, then fifteen more for when you’ve gone further than most people.
Goodbye, Things