For those of you who don't know me, by saying "throw away" or "get rid of" I mean "let go", "donate", "sell", "recycle", "declutter", "sort out". (There are so many ways to say this in English... sorry for any confusions.) I normally donate or sell items which I no longer use, so they can get another chance to make someone else happy. :)

A few tips for getting rid of useless things that used to belong to a deceased relative or friend that you dearly miss: Take some time to reflect on all of the intangible ways that your life has been positively affected by that person. Maybe they taught you how to cook, inspired you to learn an instrument, or supported you during difficult times in your life. These are the things that matter, and simply acknowledging them brings much more value than any physical thing could. People don't live on through their old stuff; they live on through the impact they have on your life. Let go of the physical things and honor them by carrying their positive influence forward.

Only if you let go are your hands free for something new..

Give what you don't need and stop buying new things. Be happy with what you have! ❤🙏

Very good advice, I’m 70 years old & don’t want to leave lots of stuff for my children to have to deal with later, so I now have three boxes that I occasionally put stuff in, Sell, Charity, & throw away. Eventually I will have a clutter free house & a wardrobe that’s not overflowing. It’s true the sentimental items are the hardest.

i love your videos so much. i used to despise the concept of minimalism, i saw it as a corporate, stale, joyless aesthetic. now i see its a way of a life, one that i think encourages cleanliness and being in touch with oneself and nature. these are things i value and since watching your videos and learning what minimalism really is, i've started ferociously cleaning my house, following a routine, and actively trying to pursue a healthy life with this philosophy. not having unnecessary things makes me so happy, i love a simple life, and i never realized how much i was already valuing the real idea of minimalism until now. i love your personality and how clearly you present your ideas. i also love how much compassion you have, it clearly shows in all your videos. also, your english is amazing, all of your hard work pays off! thank you for making these awesome videos so people around the world can be inspired by your positivity, and thank you for holding on to the best aspects of japanese culture while generously sharing it with others!

When my sweet dad died suddenly I was given his favorite books. They link him to me because of our shared passion for reading. I can live without many things, these I cannot.

I give away 3-5 things before buy one. It's easier to let things go if you don't throw them away, but find them new homes. Selling, gifting and donating are great ways to give them to people, who can use them for years.

Thanks for the tip to wrap stuff in white paper. That was new and very helpful, greetings from 🇩🇪

My grandma went through WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII. She never threw anything away because of it. She wasn't a hoarder though, and her stuff was stored away. I understand why she kept things.

Great ...and I give the things to others instead of throwing away ...for example making a "Take away table" on front of your house . This is called recycling ❤and you are allowed to sell it too ...

Hi, Aki, interesting, how respectful you can let go things… I’ve never thought of it, before Marie Kondo taught us, to thank the things which had served us. Love, Monika❣

For me, wrapping old sentimental things in paper, or placing them in a paper bag before throwing away, has been a huge help. I don't know what it is that makes it easier to break with them; I also say something like "thank you for the memories" etc. Thanks for another great video!

I don’t know how you do it, but you send such pleasant and positive vibes through your videos! As well as good advices! Thank you ☺️

I always try to save your new uploaded video for Sunday morning after breakfast. I drink tea and watch your latest video because it is always calming, makes me optimistic and gives me a good mood because on Sundays I declutter. Digitalization for old pictures and sentimental items worked already well for me. In addition, I made a list of people who I really love, gathered all the sentimental items which remind me on them, made pictures of these and chose just one item that is the one I am most attached to. Then it was easier to let the others go. By that I noticed how many people I love and they love me in return. That is why I am a rich person!

I learned to be a fan of decluttering. I guess growing up in financial hardship makes you reframe things. When I was in school, during the summer between school years, my Mom would encourage me to throw away anything I didn't need, so we could sort out what really needed to be bought for the new year and where we could save some money. Every time we moved to a new place we'd hold garage sales to move with fewer things and earn extra money. As a teenager, we couldn't afford rent once, so we moved in with my Grandma for a few months, that meant getting rid of everything except one bed for both of us, indispensable clothes, and cherished pictures (pre-digital era); we then started from scratch. At one point as a young adult, I was living in the family home where my Uncle, Grandma, and Mom had passed away when I decided to move out with roomies, so I got rid of everything that wouldn't fit between a closet and the kitchen; when I finally moved to live by myself I started from scratch again. Now that I'm moving again, I decluttered before packing. But seeing your videos has inspired me to declutter some more once I start unpacking over at my new place. My hardest challenge is that my partner is the complete opposite and loves collecting knick-knacks.

I love this, and I love your video and the room designs you've chosen. I have rather a minimalistic home and used to invite guests to stay in my extra bedroom that I'd converted into an AirBNB room. I remember one lady came and looked around in my living room -- very minimalistic -- and it made her really uncomfortable. She told me I needed more stuff. She was looking around in there, imagining what she'd add on the walls, on the windows, on the sofa and love seat...filling it with more stuff to make her happier. I also had a lot of comments from European travelers; when they'd come into my home they'd remark about how empty it was, and how different my home was compared to other American homes they'd stayed in. Americans apparently like to stuff our living spaces with lots of stuff. (No thank you!)

Whenever I want to bring positive thoughts into the part of some day, I remember your channel, and you and your videos bring peace to me.. you are amazing :)

When my kids were little, on their half birthdays, they would gift some of their toys and clothes to friends. This allowed them to have space for toys and clothes they would receive on their actual birthday. Personally, after my divorce, it was so nice to move out with only what fit in my car - all of the furniture was staying. It allowed me to truly envision what kind of living space I wanted to create. (And some of the items I did bring with me were some of the first things I gave away bc I was not using them.)

Not sure how you showed up on my feed but I'm glad you did. Your videos are very enlightening.

Thanks for posting your thoughts. I prefer your rule of "Buy one get rid of three" from another video. :D Let me recap for my own understanding: 1- Make it a game of time and counting: 12 items in 5 minutes, like the 25+5 pomo technique 2- Imagine your idea life/room and adjust your current life to match, by removing things that don't match. 3- Sentimental items - Digitize memories, wrap nicely relics 4- If it's one-year dusty, you don't use it. 5- Buy one, get rid of three. I modified this to match an earlier video of yours. Some things like a router or a gift come in, without my asking or wanting. And since I want to downsize, not maintain, 1:3 is better for me. 6- Have a "pending" box with an "expiration" date. 7- If you wish you could sell it, you know you can get rid of it, one way or another. As Aki asked for a few other ideas: - if you have more than one (two similar shirts, two cheese graters...) which one do you prefer to keep? - find a good thrift store -- my town has an art supply thrift store, so I can take office supplies and fabric and yarn, and know someone will snap them up. I have bought things very cheap there, and because I know I can always buy more things like envelopes there, very cheap, I kept a few of each size at home and donated the rest of the box. I have gotten things there and wondered, "Who would give this away? It is so nice!" So I remember those treasures and am glad that I never saw any fabric I gave away. I know somebody else really wanted that color or texture which I didn't care for. - scheduled times for donations and put them on my calendar. Sometimes I think, "Uh-oh, tomorrow I have an appointment! I had better find things to give away!" - get some things yourself from the thrift store, or neighbors-swap. I got new Apple earbuds, and some cutting boards from neighbors I met only through the listserv. And I have given away furniture pieces, and lots of flowers, bulbs, and vegetables to eat when I have more than I can eat. So I feel good when I give things away, like "I have so many nice neighbors who give me things they don't use, and I can be a good neighbor and give things away, too."

Greetings from germany! You are my idol and thanks to you I m very effective in my way of being a minimalist. Keep the great work up!

You first inspried me over a year ago and I think I'm finally almost content with what I (don't) own. The biggest hurdle of my minimalist journey was learning to repair things properly to maximise the longevity of everything I love. My sewing kit is now one of my most prized possessions, alongside my 3d printer and toolbox. I never find myself wishing I owned more stuff and use almost everything I own regularly.

Gifts: When giving someone a gift I like to say to them, that they are free to gift the gift to a next person, if they don`t really like/use it. I like the thought of giving a gift to someone that could be a nice gift for them to give it as a gift to a next person. :) Dear Samurai Matcha, really like your videos and I watching/listening to them while cooking in my kitchen. Kind regrads and best wishes from northern Switzerland (where you have already been to. ☀)

“Buy one and let it go one” is the best practice for me to! Hugs from Italy and tks for this channel!❤

Uuh, I love the "Would you sell it?"-method! Didn't know that one yet and it's going to help me with being undecided about certain things. Thank you again for the tips!

Not many of us find it fun to clean up and get rid of things. I hope more see how fun it really is! I like the idea of enjoying gifts in the moment. When I try to encourage others to declutter, gifts are hard for people.

Nice video Samurai! One method I use for things that I feel guilty about letting go is something I learnt from "The Minimalists": if this thing just spontaneously dissapears, would I feel sad or relieved? If relieved, then it is time to let go

I've often ended up with a lot of items that I have a sentimental attachment to, such as books that I received as a child. A good way to send them off if you're not using them is to give it away with purpose to someone else who could use it, such as a charity and bring the same joy that you received to another little lad or lass.

Great advice! I tend to clean up playing my favorite music so I,'m in a great mood getting rid of stuff I'm attached to. I also take a photo of the momentos that I'm getting rid of and keep it digitally. I don't always keep the photos too long either, unless its' something to add to a photobook as a bit of family history.

Decluttering is an ongoing process for me. My house is uncluttered and people often comment on how peaceful my home is. Yet I know that there is so much more I could give away. For example, I do yoga every morning on the rug in my meditation/guest room. I very much doubt if I will actually take a yoga class again...yet I still have not given that yoga mat away. There are some things that are really nice and even useful, yet I just don't like them or enjoy looking at them or using them. Although I don't think about items having energy very often, but recently I started to give away these items that I am calling" bad energy" for me. Maybe the person hated making the item or was in a negative mood...or something like that. Sometimes, I find that there are things that I really liked at one time and now my tastes have changed. And so it goes...just when I think I am keeping everything that I have...I find myself with another bag of at least a few item to pass along. My town has a place where you donate your things and can also take anything that someone donated ...for free. One day, I brought some things to this place and had the good fortune of seeing people being excited about what I had brought. Things did not even make it to the donation area. Thank you for this video because every once in a while I need a reminder to take another look around at what to give away...maybe my yoga mat:)

I try to avoid storing things in drawers/cabinets/closets as much as reasonably possible. This has multiple benefits; everything is easier to find, it's a reminder of what I already have, and it helps me decide what I really want to keep. If I'm not willing to display it in my living space, is it really worth keeping? There are exceptions of course, but it's a nice little guideline to follow.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us. I'm very glad that I happened on your channel. Such a wonderful vibe and great information. 🎉

Gracias por compartir, esto ha ayudado a mi vida a ser más organizada y tener espacio. Saludos!

I love the idea of wrapping stuff like a gift before you get rid of it, going to try that for sure 👍

Thank you for the tips!! I really loved the game of letting go 12 things in 5 minutes!!! I had lots of fun with that one! ^^

I'm moving, have stacks of pending & sentimental items. Whenever I can't decide between 2, I ask myself which is more important, valuable or useful. Then I'm OK with purging the other.

hi, samurai matcha! I found your channel recently and now I watch every video of yours. you're really inspiring and your tips are really helpful. thank you for the things you do

A joy to watch:this is a Pandora's box of fun tips.

Thank you for the video!

私も定期的に掃除をして必要のないものは手放しています。幸いイギリスにはチャリティショップがあり、自分の必要でないものも寄付によって誰かに買われて必要な人に使われるので良いシステムです。

So many great tips, thank you!

❤❤❤ you have become like a guru to us😊😊😊

I am starting to make a serious dent in letting go a lot of my stuff. I have moved seven times with the military and still had unopened boxes from two or three moves ago.

The would I sell it question is so helpful. Brilliant ❤

Love this one!

Thanks Aki! 💛💛💛

Great vidéo Thank you !!

Wow wonderful ideas...... thanks

Thank you! You are so inspiring! ☘️🌹

Thank you, Aki.

You are such an inspiration!

I love the practice of wrapping up the item first then toss it.

I liked your idea about questioning yourself “Can you sell it? ”- if yes- throw it away.

love it!

Excellent video, thank you!

The 1 year rule REALLY helped me downsize a ton of clutter!

Love this five minute exercise! Gonna do it with the kids.

Ciao.Cambiando casa ho lasciato i mobili e adesso vivo in una un po' più grande ma disadorna ed essenziale,Mi sembra di respirare !!!!Grazie ai tuoi consigli Samurai!!!

Thank you Aki! I'm actually an artist and I'm trying to start up a couple businesses this year... I'm having to do the opposite of this to prepare. I need to get alot of things to make my crafts 😅 I also REALLY care about trying to find or make custom/useful gifts for people, things that aren't boring or cliche and will just sit around their house. I want it to mean alot to them and be useful! So I try to put myself in their shoes first 😊 And I also agree about throwing stuff away, it makes me feel so wasteful!! I usually try to regift or bring old stuff to thrift stores 💕

Love your videos, thank you so much Aki! They really inspire me and I love learning about Japanese culture and habits💗🌟

Thank you for your tips. I will try

I love this, you are so cheerful 😀. I’m sending the video to my boyfriend who keeps a lot of sentimental items. Thank you ☺️

Thank you 😊 very useful advice 👍🏻

I started watching your channel about a month ago. you are such a pleasent person to listen to, and I have adopted little daily habits from your videos

Thanks for these wonderful ways to let go. 💐🎉 💗🦋💗🦋💗🦋💗🦋

Thank you for this amazing video! 👏 💎⭐️

oh wow! This is amazing!! You need a book!!

Thank you very much! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

とても参考になりました！ありがとうございます。

Worth watching. ❤

I love the first challenge!😁 Your videos are so fun and positive. TY!

I'm inspired again :) I got a gift from a friend a while ago, and it's definitely the colours I like and kind of my personality, but it's not an actual item I'd use. Watching this video helped me give myself permission to let go of it (but I haven't yet... I am considering using it in a sewing project). I do keep some items longer than 1 year even if not used, for example my skates: I might not skate for a few years, but I'll be glad to have them next time I decide to go skating.

Excellent !

おはようございますあきSometimes I wish I could get rid of more but I have a house, a dog and a garden. Because of this I have different tools and gardening items plus my doggos things. I still keep them to a minimum but I have a goal to get a tiny house one day and be able to downsize even more. ありがとうございます🌱💚

Your video was posted at just the right time, I found out I won't be back in my home state in time for an anime convention and am pretty bummed about it but your vids always cheer me up ❤

Such great tips! I especially love picturing your ideal room. Ethink that is goong to be very helpful. Thank you! 😊

I love hearing your voice, very joyful and inspirational! Thank you!❤️

Thank you brother have a nice day 🤙

great video! i am a naturalist and also minimalist ... today i also learnt some new methods ...

Funny, that last week I was digging up 5 boxes of music CDs that I listened to about 20 years ago. I think I can throw away most of it. Back then it was a treasure for me. Today I don't like most of this music anymore. I think I changed but all this junk around me doesn't. Thanks for this inspiring video. I think I need to see more of this to finally get rid of the old stuff. And yes, it still hurts to let go of things. Maybe because I miss my youth and the memories that stick to those things. Thank you for your support.

🙏 Thanks very much. Very helpful. 🙏

ありがとうございます❤

Thank you so much for your wonderful videos sir. I am from India. 😊

A method I have for getting rid of sentimental things is taking a good look at them before parting from them, so I know they'll live in my memory. I also remind myself, as you explained, that having something stored is no different from not having it. And I make sure to give things away to people in need; that way when I feel the pang of guilt trip I can say to myself, "No, it's making someone else happy, you did the right thing." As my Mom used to say to me as a kid to train me out of object attachment, "Things are things. They don't matter, they're replaceable. What really matters is people, relationships, living beings, life, health."

Thank you. I really like your videos. I had a japanese friend once and i really miss him. You are very similar in attitude to him.

Super good!

Hello. Aki! Great tips! I'll try! Have a nice weekend! Greetings!

Awesome video.

My experience says otherwise. I very often need that item back right after I've thrown them away...

Hi Aki. Thanks for the advice. Currently Iam crating my dream room as well. It helps. Greetings from Germany. Satoshi

just watched a couple of your olders videos and i immediately noticed how much your accent has softened. if it was intentional, well done! your english is much more clear.

Thank you Aki. I'm about to throw out stuff from years ago 💚

Haw, I love your energy!

Love the pending box! I do a giveaway, donate and pending box.

Sentimental items is really something. I have a folder with my dearest things and kept it in those folder. The folder isn’t as big as 3 phones so its totally fine.

hello from indonesia..thanks for making this video

I like this and would add donating items as another option too 🎉

I love your videos and your personality. Thanks! 🙏🏻💜⭐️ Note: Today, I think the background music (the noisy one 0:33 ....) didn't help

❤Such a Great Video😅