To discard or not to discard? When confronting one’s clutter, the question might be easier to answer rephrased: Do you use it? Decluttering, long a test of human nature, has now become an industry. (Chin Hung-hao)

In recent years a Japanese home organizing movement based on “subtraction” has made big inroads in Taiwan. In Japan one can find certified organization specialists and full-fledged organizing curriculums, as well as a never-ending stream of books and television shows on the subject. In Taiwan, meanwhile, the Japanese book Danshari, which provides a systematic and theoretical basis for decluttering, has proved hugely popular, and the word that serves as its title has entered the popular lexicon.

Japan often sets trends for Taiwan. Will the self-help organizational philosophy transform Taiwan as well? And should we Taiwanese, who are by nature shopaholics with a deep attachment to our possessions, adopt this severe method of domestic self-restraint?

Now 56, Mi­tsuko Azu­chi, who speaks fluent Chinese, came to Taiwan for her job 10 years ago. Here she met and married a Taiwanese man. They have had a blessed and beautiful life together, except for one “little problem” that rankled her from the first day that she moved in with him: “I never would have expected it from someone so capable and gentle-natured, but he simply had acquired too much junk, so that no matter how much I cleaned the place, it was always a mess.”

What’s more, every time that she asked her husband to help straighten up and get rid of some of the clutter, he would always use the excuse of being too busy, or would say, “I’m too attached to that!” or “What a shame it would be to throw that away!” or “That might be useful in the future.” He was never willing to part with much of anything.

About three years ago, his overflowing clutter had begun to feel oppressive, and Azuchi exploded, delivering an ultimatum: “It’s me or your stuff. What’s your choice?” Shortly thereafter, she happened to visit her family in Japan, where she took a popular “domestic decluttering” course. The philosophy resonated deeply with her, and she went on to obtain certification as an “organizational consultant” before she returned to Taiwan to hang out her shingle as a professional organizer. She has delivered several lectures on the subject and paid six or seven home visits to clients.

She describes the chaos typical of a Taiwanese home: shoe racks jam-packed at the entrance, hallways piled high with all manner of junk, dining tables nearly completely covered, wardrobes providing no room for clothes to breathe…. Open a closet and you’ll find a stash of rarely used or difficult-to-remove and completely forgotten objects. “Most people mistakenly believe that shoving objects into cabinets so that they’re out of sight counts as organizing,” she explains. “But with that approach you’ll just end up accumulating more and more stuff and forgetting what you have. Regularly used objects will get misplaced, only adding to the chaos.”

Her advice is to get rid of unnecessary objects, leaving only what best suits you or is currently necessary. “Miraculously, as your living space takes on a new look, your life will also take a turn for the better!”