I think Marie Kondo has been popular in Japan for the same reasons she’s popular in the U.S. and other relatively affluent, mass-consumer societies. Which is that she is addressing the problem of an abundance or excess of stuff, which is a problem only if you’re of a certain class and can afford to have an abundance and excess of stuff. And she doesn’t actually address the consumption side of things. Some people say it’s implied that you should make do with less stuff. But she doesn’t actually address how and why stuff ends up in your home in the first place.
