Oosouji is the big end of the year cleaning in Japan. Here we are a week into December and I am excited about it.
I'm making my lists and gathering up things I've been saving for who knows what, like glass jars and small cardboard boxes. I save these things "just in case", but it is time to get rid of them.
It's time to finish things, to decide what I really need to keep, to organize and find out that I have enough of something and don't need to buy it again for awhile. It's time to give everything a good cleaning to get ready for the new year, fresh and clean and uncluttered.
Oosouji is one of my favorite Japanese traditions.
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| December 2011 - first Costco trip in Hokkaido |
Pamela: What a great tradition, I think the USA should have a day like that, here we have junk day where people take items to a drop site and they pay a small fee to get rid of stuff, not really a Oosouji day.
ReplyDeleteThat is one big bottle of Pine Sol, even my husband had to comment he said oh my, giggles.
Have a lovely day
Catherine
I need someone who is really into oosouji to come help me! It's a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI love oosouji too and even though I’ve been back in New Zealand over 30 years I still do oosouji every year. The warm glow of satisfaction as I see the New Year in is well worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good tradition to take onboard. I think it would take me until beyond the end of the year if I started now though.
ReplyDeleteIt's an annual tradition for me, too. I am not looking forward to it, as I am lagging behind on so many other things, and have to work every day in December. I don't know where to fit it all in.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. Japanese people have a habit of doing extensive cleaning towards the end of the year. An increasing number of people are starting cleaning early.
ReplyDeleteThere is book called“断捨離”(danshari)written by a Japanese. It became a boom.
A book for tidying up and organizing. The big point in this book is how to throw things away. The criterion for throwing thing away is whether you are still thrilled, if wasn't thrilled let it go with the words“Thank you”.
(Throw it away or take it to a thrift shop etc.)
The idea of this book is very Japanese.
Actually, I have also tried to “断捨離”. But I was so thrilled about many thing that I failed.😥
Sounds like a treat tradition.
ReplyDeleteSorry great not treat.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great tradition, but the last weeks before Christmas are always so busy busy, I don't know how I should find time for extra cleaning, too!
ReplyDelete