Pheaturing Marie Kondo and Marie Iida

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Tuesday. Yesterday I got my Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot and I didn't feel a thing. Except I'm talking with a Massachusetts accent now. Hahaha. First Lady Jill Biden might not be known for her fashion the way that Michelle Obama and Melania Trump were. But that doesn’t mean she can’t make a statement. Last Thursday, Dr. Jill Biden departed Air Force One wearing black floral fishnet tights… and incited conservative fury. Though it might come as a surprise, the First Lady is a prankster. Last Thursday, in honor of April Fool’s Day, Jill Biden disguised herself as a flight attendant aboard Executive One... wig and all... and passed out Dove ice cream bars to passengers. While the FLOTUS’ husband Joe Biden was still vice president, she once hid inside of an overhead bin. But Biden’s silly stunt was not the boldest thing to hit the tarmac last week. When stepping off the plane at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Biden wore a pleated leather skirt, a tight black blazer, and patterned black fishnets paired with heeled booties. Personally, I don’t see what’s so shocking about the textured choice of tights... though the gothic stockings certainly hit their peak via 2011. They’re a comfortable option that can add some layered flair to any ensemble... especially in monochrome black. So why is everyone talking still talking about it? Throughout Easter weekend, social media was flooded with opinions over Biden’s outfit. Even now, pics of the striking fashion choice are still trending. Many Republicans have mocked the (modestly) edgy look, complaining that the 69-year-old should dress her age. But I don’t think there’s such a thing. Jill Biden’s fishnet stockings are fun! And as far as her age is concerned, she looks fantastic. Since we’re living in the age of the Internet, there was no way that Jill Biden wearing fishnets was not going to snowball into some politicized fashion fiasco. 

I really feel for people who work at fast-food restaurants, as you’re susceptible to any type of situation. Those guys see it all. Just like the employees at this Burger King in Tennessee, as they dealt with a customer who became violent after becoming angry with how long she had been waiting in the drive-thru line for her food. And yes, this was through the drive-thru window. Memphis police say they are looking for a woman who had gotten so frustrated with the wait time for the food she ordered in line, that she got out of her car, walked straight up to the drive-thru window, started arguing with an employee, and then pulled out a black handgun and started shooting. This surveillance video shows the Burger King employees running through the backdoor and also catches a glimpse of the woman’s car. Thankfully, no one was injured. Customer Dewayne Wilson said, “I hate they was impatient. Kids work there. So you know that’s the thing,” adding, “That’s kind of messed up, I’m glad everyone is okay.” The Memphis Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding the suspect, and that if anyone recognizes her or her vehicle, to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH. Again, I really feel so bad for these Memphis Burger King workers, as I’m sure they are incredibly traumatized in taking drive-thru orders now, hoping that their normal workday won’t take a violent turn. And even if she had been waiting too long, that’s simply no reason to pull out a gun and almost kill someone, much less injure anyone. Not to mention that these employees are probably traumatized and will be on edge while working, questioning every customer they take an order for from now on.

CNN’s Jim Acosta stated that reporters are now experiencing “post-Trump stress disorder” following the former president’s exit from the White House. After being asked about what his feelings were so far for President Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, Acosta told CNN’s Brian Stelter, “When you’re asking me if I was run down, I thought you were referring to how I felt during the Trump era. I think we’re all dealing with some post-Trump stress disorder, other than that ‘Happy Easter’ he was saying in those statements a few days ago.” Acosta’s “Happy Easter” mention was in reference to a message from former President Trump on Sunday morning in which he rallied against “Radical Left CRAZIES” and spoke on the “so-called rigged” November 2020 presidential election. In a message from his Save America Pac on Easter Sunday, Trump noted, “Happy Easter to ALL, including the Radical Left CRAZIES who rigged our Presidential Election, and want to destroy our Country!” Continuing with his well-known Twitter remarks, former President Donald Trump wrote on Saturday, “For years the Radical Left Democrats have played dirty by boycotting products when anything from that company is done or stated in any way that offends them. Now they are going big time with WOKE CANCEL CULTURE and our sacred elections. It is finally time for Republicans and Conservatives to fight back... we have more people than they do... by far!” He also went on to tell everyone Happy Easter. Acosta, who was CNN’s chief White House correspondent during Donald Trump’s years before becoming chief domestic correspondent, also spoke about moving forward from Donald Trump’s presidency and possibly limiting the amount of coverage that the former president receives while he is residing in his Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Acosta stated, “In terms of stacking shows, and what comes first and what comes second... Brian, you and I know this all too well... we did cover the news before Donald Trump came along, and we did it pretty well, and there’s going to be plenty of stuff in the news out there that doesn’t have to have Donald Trump in the headlines for us to continue to exist, especially when he’s putting out these statements.” He went on to add that Trump has engaged in and still continues to display the same behavior beneath the executive office. He said, “When he was president, he was doing things that were beneath the office of the presidency. Now he’s doing things beneath the office of the post-presidency. He’s not going to change, but we need to change with the times.” While referencing the former president’s statements mentioning the claims of election fraud that have been rejected by courts in election officials, Stelter went on to say, “It is important to note, the Big Lie is still alive and well in the pro-Trump bubble. I feel like it went away after the riot after reality reared its head, but no the Big Lie is out there in the pro-Trump bubble.” 

A Polish pastor at a Canadian Church kicked out six local police officers and Alberta health services officials from his house of worship during Easter weekend. Police were initially trying to shut down a Passover Service over Coronavirus restrictions. In the video, which has now gone viral on social media, pastor Artur Pawlowski, repeatedly tells officers to only come back when they have a warrant. Pawlowski is heard yelling, “Get out,” referring to the officials as Nazis and Gestapo, which was the secret police of Nazi Germany. He stated, “Immediately get out of this property! I don’t want to hear anything! Until you get a warrant, out! Immediately go out and don’t come back! And don’t come back without a warrant!” He then went on to warn the Calgary police service again, saying, “Do not come back without a warrant, you understand that? You’re not welcome here. Nazis are not welcomed here. Gestapo is not welcomed here. Do not come back, you Nazi psychopaths.” As the police officers continue to walk towards a vehicle, the pastor emphasizes that the situation was unbelievable and that the police officers were intimidating people in a church during Passover. He yelled, “You Gestapo Nazi communist fascists... don’t you dare come in back here.” Through a Facebook post of the incident, Pawlowski wrote, “Police came to disrupt the Church gathering! Gestapo came again to intimidate the Church parishioners during the Passover Celebration!!! Unbelievable!” Calgary Police also released a statement about the issues, confirming that the unexpected drop by was due to COVID-19 restrictions. The statement read, “The concern was that the people in attendance were not adhering to the government’s COVID-19 public health orders, which are in place to ensure everyone’s safety. The organizer of the gathering was uncooperative with the health inspector, and repeatedly raised his voice asking all parties to leave the premises, which they did approximately one minute after entry and in a peaceful manner. We understand the pandemic has caused great disruption to all Calgarians in their professional and personal lives. We do not wish to disrupt anyone’s holidays or religious or spiritual events, however we must support our partner agencies when called upon to help ensure everyone can safely celebrate these occasions. No tickets were issued at the time and it will be up to our partner agencies to determine subsequent enforcement activity in response to this situation.” This isn’t the first time a Pastor or a Church is rated due to lockdown restrictions. According to The Daily Wire, Canadian Pastor James Coates was jailed for more than a month after he decided to hold church services in defiance of Alberta’s Public Health Act.

Marvel’s "Loki" just got its official trailer and a lot are excited for the time Loki has finally arrived. "Loki" is the next in line in the long list of Marvel series coming up on Disney+ forming part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and giving the God of Mischief his very own adventure in a time-centered series. Loki is known to be full of surprises, may it be betraying yet another character or saving some others, and given his tenure in the MCU, many have come to hate and love him all at the same time. Thor’s brother, or adoptive brother, will now be having his very own series where Loki can finally get to be the hero he always wanted to be. In the official trailer released by Marvel, Loki will be paying for his crimes against time by doing his own time with the Time Keepers, and no, not the sorcerers like Wong or Doctor Strange, there is a whole organization known as the Time Variance Authority (TVA) who protects the proper flow of time intact ensuring that there would be no misalignment in it and one of them is Mobius M. Mobius, Owen Wilson’s character. Taken by Odin as an infant orphaned by the war of Asgard against the Frost Giants, Loki has had his fair share of mischiefs around the MCU from his introduction in Thor to his villainous stint in The Avengers up to his death in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is given another chance in life as his 2012-self steals the Tesseract during Endgame which causes some ripples in time. Mobius explains to Loki that when he picked up the Tesseract, he broke reality and created an alternate time stream. Mobius and the TVA asked Loki’s assistance to re-align the time stream and Mobius tells Loki that his “unique Loki-perspective” is much needed. Loki in 2012 is full of confidence and given that, he cannot easily be controlled. He explains to Mobius that he cannot be easily manipulated and that he is “ten steps ahead” of Mobius. Loki showed how he has trust issues as well as the TVA having some issues with him. Loki assures them that he can be trusted. Mobius pointed out how Loki has a history of stabbing people in the back a lot of times. The trailer, overall, shows key features of what to expect in the upcoming Marvel series along with who would be involved and some fight scenes Loki will be having. 

If you're looking for a graphic design job, you may want to contact whoever employed the people responsible for this following design fails. They are most likely hiring.

They say I'd see some odd sights at Walmart and I didn't believe them until I saw this...

If I had a TARDIS I would go and try to meet Elvis in the 50s but knowing my luck he'd be having lunch at a segregated lunch counter in a Chattanooga, Tennessee...

Elvis Presley waits for his bacon and eggs while a woman waits for her sandwich. She is not permitted to sit. That's sad. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson on Long Island shall we? 

It looks like a nice day there today. 

Pants

Long-sleeved shorts

If you spot the Mindphuck then let me know. 

Phact 1. Woodrow Wilson personally rejected a proposal put forward by Japan during the Paris Peace Conference that would have confirmed the racial and ethnic equality of all people.

Phact 2. Deadpool has “Medium Awareness” which means he is aware that he is a fictional character in a comic book, and this is thought to be due to his mental state. 

Phact 3. 50,000 people a year die from snakebites, but only about 5 die in Australia, where the deadliest snakes live. 

Phact 4. Atelophobia is the fear of not being good enough or a fear of imperfection. An atelophobic has the fear that whatever he is doing is wrong in some way. 

Phact 5. The entire German state of Hesse is covered by a ban on public dancing during the hours of 4 a.m. and 12 noon at Easter.

This is different for the Phile. Today's guest is a Japanese organizing consultant, author, and TV show host. She has written four books on organizing, which have collectively sold millions of copies around the world. Her books have been translated from Japanese into several languages including Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Italian, French, German, Swedish, Portuguese, Catalan, and English. In particular, her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has been published in more than 30 countries, and is the 148th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club. It was a best-seller in Japan and in Europe, and was published in the United States in 2014. Please welcome to the Phile Marie Kondo and her translator Marie Iida.

Me: Marie, welcome to the Phile. How are you? And hello, Marie number 2. 

Iida: You cal call me Iida. 

Marie: Dōmo arigatō, watashi wa koko ni kite ureshīdesu. 

Iida: Thanks so much, I'm happy to be here. 

Me: This is gonna be like an interview I have never done before. Iida, you will be translating for Marie, right? 

Iida: Yes. 

Me: Okay. So, when did you start to be this tidy up person? 

Marie: Dai no koro, katadzuke ni attō sa re, totemo jūyōna keiken o shimashita. Sore wa watashi ni totte hijō ni haradatashī monodeshita. 

Iida: When I was a teenager I was overwhelmed by tidying up I had a very important experience. It was so upsetting to me I passed out and became unconscious. 

Me: What? What happened? That's crazy. 

Marie: Watashi wa 5-sai no toki kara katadzuke ni kyōmi ga arimashitaga, tōji wa katadzuke wa mono o suteru koto ni hitoshī to kangaete imashita. Shikashi, kono yō ni katadzuke o teigi shi tsudzuketa toki, katadzuke rareta sutoresu ga subete chikuseki suru node wa naku, monogoto o suteru koto ni narimashita. Soshite, watashi ga aitemu o miru tabi ni watashi ga shite ita koto de, watashi wa kaku aitemu no mainasu-men o mimashita. Watashi wa sore ga nan-sai de, dore dake tsukawa rete iru ka o kangaetanode, suteru riyū o sagashite imashita. Dakarakoso, kono chikuseki sa reta kako no sutoresu kara watashi wa kizetsu shimashita. 

Iida: I've been interesting in tidying ever since I was 5-years-old but back then I thought tidying equaled throwing things away. But when I continued defining tidying in this way throwing things away instead of progressing at all my tidying stress accumulated. And at the time what I was doing whenever I looked at an item I looked at the negative side of each item. I considered how old it was, how used it was, so I was looking for a reason to throw it away. That's why from this accumulated past stress I passed out. 

Me: So, where did this "spark joy" come from? 

Marie: Watashi wa me o samashi,-goe o kikimashita. Korega `hibana no yorokobi' no aidea no yuraidesu. 

Iida: I woke up and heard a voice and this is where the idea of "spark joy" came from. 

Me: How did this happen? Can you explain? 

Marie: Watashi ga nakunatte, atama no naka ni kono messēji o kiita toki, watashi wa monogoto o chūibukaku mite inai koto ni kidzukimashita. Watashi wa, kaku IMM no pojitibuna mono, watashi ga sore ni tsuite sukinakoto, sore ga yoi koto o miru hitsuyō ga aru to iu kangae ni itarimashita. Kekkyoku, watashi wa sore ga watashitachi no jinsei de iji subeki monodeari, watashitachi no jinsei de kichōna monodeari, watashitachi no jinsei de yorokobi o hikiokosu monoda to kidzukimashita. 

Iida: When I passed out and came to I heard this message inside my head I came to the realization I wasn't looking at things carefully. I came to the idea I need to look at the positive things in each room, what I liked about it, what's good about it. Eventually I realized that's what we should retain in our life, what's valuable in our life, what sparks joy in our life. 

Me: You spent your time in a Shinto shrine when you were young as an attendant. Whatever that means. How do you think Shinto shaped your ideas around tidying? 

Marie: Dakara, watashi wa kono shitsumon o ōku no hito kara ukete imasuga, shintō jitai ga watashi ni ōkina eikyō o ataete iru ka dō ka wa wakarimasen. Watashi wa jinja de at on'na to shite arubaito o 5-nenkan ittarikitari shite imashita. Shikashi, watashi ni totte wa mochiron shintō wa watashitachi ni museibutsu ni tamashī ga fukikoma rete iru to oshiete imasu. Watashi ni totte watashi o ugokasu shintō no yōso wa, hotondo no nihonjin ni totte shizen'na seikatsu no ichibu ni kumikoma rete iru kotodesu. Dakara, katadzukeru koto wa, shintō ga oshiete kureru koto to nite iru hito mo iru kamo shirenai to omou. 

Iida: So, I get this question quite a lot from people but I don't know if Shinto itself it a big influence on me. It's true I worked at a Shinto shrine as a shrine maiden for a part time job off and on for five years. But for me of course Shinto teaches us an inanimate object is infused with the soul. While for me the element of Shinto that moves me is it's imbedded in the natural part of life for most Japanese people. So I think through tidying it might for some people resemble what Shinto teaches us. 

Me: On the Netflix show people see you thanking the house you're visiting. You tell them to thank the things the people discard, touching books to wake them up. Why is that important? 

Marie: Kore wa, watashi ga senmon no kichinto shita konsarutanto ni natte kara sūnengo ni jissen ni natta monodesu. Museibutsudeatte mo, watashitachi no shoyū-mono no subete ga samazamana hōhō de watashitachi o tasuke tari sasae tari shite iru to omou yō ni narimashita. Watashitachiha hitobito ni aisatsu suru ka kansha o hyōmei surunode, watashitachiha-ka to mochimono ni taishite onaji koto o subekidesu. Watashitachi ga tebanashite iru aitemude sae, watashitachi no seikatsu no naka de yakume o hatasu tame ni sorera o tanku suru hitsuyō ga arimasu. Kore wa watashi ni totte hijō ni shizen'na kotodeari, watashi ni totte jūyōna kotodesu. 

Iida: This is something that became a practice years after I became a professional tidy consultant. I began to think that even inanimate objects, all of our possessions help or support us in various ways and I think it's important to express gratitude towards them. Since we greet or express gratitude towards people we should do the same thing to our homes and our belongings. Even items we are letting go we should tank them for serving a role in our lives. So this is something that is very natural to me and is important to me. 

Me: Did you go to college and if so what did you study? 

Marie: Shakai-gaku to seibetsu. Iida: Sociology and gender. 

Me: Hmmm... does this show up in your work at all? 

Marie: Hai, sō omoimasu. Katadzuke wa watashinojinsei no kenkyū tēmadeshitaga, watashi ga gakkō ni ita toki, watashi wa mochiron, Nihon de sae katadzuke ga itsumo katei no josei to shite mi rarete ita nodarou ka to sae omoimashita. 

Iida: Yes, I think so. With tidying has been the research theme of my life but when I was in school of course I even wondered why, even in Japan, tidying was always seen as a woman at home. 

Me: What did you learn from that? 

Marie: Jitaku de josei ga katadzuke o suru koto wa, tsuneni media ya shakai zentai de atsukawa rete iru rirondesu. Watashi wa itsumo sono kotoni kyōmi ga ari, gakkō ni modotta toki, Nihonde wa katadzuke rarenai josei to iu hon ga shuppan sa re, Nihonde wa ōku no chūmoku o atsumete imasu. Kontentsu ga nandeare, kontentsu wa josei no gainen o tankyū shi, yori ōku no ōkibona kontekisuto o katadzukete imashitaga, media wa josei ga katadzukeru koto ga dekiru to iu jijitsu ni me o mukemashitaga, sono nōryoku wa koyū no monodenakereba narimasen. Watashi wa sono subete no shakai-teki haikei o mite imashitaga, jibun de kenkyū o okonatta kekka, kono kangaekata ga ikani nebukai monodearu ka o miru yō ni narimashita. Nihon shakai de ima demo kōkishin Sakarina josei wa,-ka no soto de hataraku koto sae arimasuga, kono kangaekata wa mada hijō ni naimitsudesu. 

Iida: Tidying by a woman at home has always been a theory that have been treated by media and society at large. I've always been curious about that and back when I was in school there was a book published in Japan called Women Who Can Not Tidy, and in Japan is garnered a lot of attention. Despite whatever the content was the content was exploring the idea of women and tidying more and large context but the media just honed in on the fact women should be able to tidy, that ability should be inherent. I was looking at all that social context and as a result of doing research myself I've really come to see how intrench this thinking is. Curious even now in Japanese society women even working outside their home this thinking is still very much intrenched. 

Me: Your own books became very popular in Japan before you brought them to North America. What surprised you the most when you brought your ideas here? 

Marie: Hokubei de watashi no hon o shuppan shita toki, watashi ga odoroita no wa mochiron, sore izen no watashi no kenkyūdeari, watashi ga teikyō shita sābisu wa Nihon ni gentei sa rete imashita. Hokubei de kono-pon o shuppan shita nochi, kore wa hijō ni fuhentekina monodearu kanōsei ga ari, seiton ni kanshite hitobito ga kakaeru taiō ya mondai wa hijō ni ippan-tekide kyōyū sa rete ita to iu jijitsu ni kanmei o ukemashita. 

Iida: When I published my book in North America was surprised me the most is of course before then my research and the service I provided was limited to Japan. After publishing the book in North America I was struck by the fact that this could be something so universal the response and the issues that people carried in regards to tidying was very common and shared. 

Me: There's been a lot of debate in the states about our ideas, Marie. Why do you think that is? 

Marie: Seiri seiton wa watashitachi hitorihitori ni totte totemo kojin-tekina monodakarada to omou. Watashitachi no shoyū wa watashitachi no aidentiti ni chokusetsu musubitsuite imasu. Sekai de ima okotte iru koto wa, watashitachi wa tan'ni mono ga ō sugiru,-mono ga ō sugiru, soshite shiawase ni nari, manzoku suru koto o mokuhyō ni korera no mono o kōnyū shita nimokakawarazu, mono. Shitagatte, kono mesoddo ga teikyō suru no wa, jissō mo jikkō mo kantan'na meikakuna tejunda to omoimasu. 

Iida: I think one of the reasons why is that tidying is so personal to each of us. Our possession is directly tied to our identity. I think what's happening in the world right now is that we simply have too much stuff, we possess too much stuff and even though we had purchased these things with a goal of becoming happier and being satisfied the true is we are drawing in our possessions and things. So I think what the method provides is clear steps that's easy to implement and say to do as well. 

Me: People say I buy more than I need. Why do you think people may more than they need? 

Marie: Monogoto ga ō sugiru to iu kotode wa naku, watashitachi ga riyō dekiru jōhō ga hōfu ni aru koto ga ōini aru to omoimasu. Ima dewa kantan ni kōnyū dekimasu. Sumātofon o 1-kai kurikku suru dake de kōnyū deki, sōsharumedia o kaishite sōshin sa reru subete no jōhō o nyūshu dekimasu. Mono o kau tame no hādoru wa izen yori mo zutto hikui to omoimasu. 

Iida: I think it has much to do not so much the plethora of things but an abundance of information that is sort of available for us. It's easy for us to purchase things for us now, we can buy it with one click on our smart phones and all this information that is coming through social medias. I think the hurdle that we have for buying things is much lower than we had before. 

Me: People buy smart phones every few years and even buy cheap clothes that are not gonna last. Do you see your popularity a reaction to all of this? 

Marie: Sō omou. Soreha yori ōku no monogoto o kōmyō-ka suru to iu yori ōkina bunmyakudeari, watashitachi no kūkan to ie ni hikitsuga rete iru to omoimasu, soshite watashitachiha monogoto ga watashitachi o shiawaseni suru hitsuyō wanai koto o ninshiki shi hajimete imasu. 

Iida: I do think so. I think it's the larger context of aculimtaing more things and it's taken over our space and home and we're starting to realize that things don't necessary make us happier. 

Me: What do you think is the number one thing people get wrong about your message? 

Marie: Watashi no hōhō no saidai no gokai wa, dekiru dake ōku no mono o suteru kotodesu. Tada hōri nagete kudasai. Sore ga saidai no gokaidesu. Watashi no hōhō wa mushiro, suteru monode wa naku, sutetai monode wa naku, hoji shitai mono ni shōten o awasete imasu. Watashitachi ga jinsei de iji shitai mono. Soshite,-sō suru koto de korera no kettei o kudasu koto de, jinsei ni okeru kachi o rikai suru no ni yakudachimasu. 

Iida: I think simply the biggest misunderstanding is of my method is to throw as many things as possible out. Just toss things out. That's the biggest misconception. My method is rather focuses on not what we discard, what we want to discard but what we want to retain. What we want to keep in our life. And by doing so making these decisions it helps us to figure out our values in life. 

Me: Did it bother you that the focus or reaction of your Netflix series was you telling people to get rid of their books. What do you say to them? 

Marie: Ōku no hito ga ko no yō ni kanjita no wa zan'nendesu. Watashi wa sore ga watashi no kaku to naru messēji no gokaida to kanjite imasuga, hihan jitai ni wa nani no mondai mo nai to omoimasu. Sore ni tsuite manandanode, kore wa watashi ni totte kanarazushimo warui kotode wa arimasen. Nazenara, hitobito ga jōnetsu o motte iru koto o rikai suru kikai o tsukurukaradesu. Kono messēji ga anata o kandō sa seru ka, tokutei no hōhō de anata o iraira sa serunara, anata wa sono riyū o sagurubekidesu. Soshite, sore wa anata ga nani ni jōnetsu o katamukete iru ka, soshite anata ga jinsei de kachigāru to omou mono o rikai suru koto o kanō ni suru hazudesu. 

Iida: I am sorry many people felt this way. I do feel it was a misunderstanding of my core message, but I don't think there's anything wrong with the criticism per se, I think this method... what it's doing is creating a very strong emotion, a strong reaction in people that learned about it, and this necessarily isn't a bad thing for me because it creates an opportunity for people to understand what they're passionate about. If this message moves you or frustrates you in a certain way, you should be exploring why. And that should allow you to understand what you're passionate about and what you find valuable in life. 

Me: Do you worry that your methods will change peoples lives or that they will go back to their old ways? 

Marie: Watashi no hōhōde wa, shoyū suru kaku aitemu to tairitsu suru koto de seiton suru to iu kangaekatada to omoimasu. Hontōni karera no jinsei o furikaeru purojekutodesu. Karera ga saigomade subete no suteppu o fumunaraba, karera ga izen motte ita kyodaina kurasutā ni saihatsu suru no o fusegu hazu no yori ōkina dōsatsu o eru koto ni narudeshou. Karera ga jibun jishin o sukoshidemo saihatsu sa sete iru koto ni kidzuitara, watashi wa mina ni mōichido hon o yonde, mōichido yoku shiyou to suru koto o susumemasu. 

Iida: I think with my method the idea is that they tidy by having a confrontation with each item that they own. It's a project really to reflect upon their lives. If they follow all the steps all the way to the end the hope is that they will get a greater insight that should prevent them from relapsing into the huge cluster that they had before. If they do find themselves relapsing a little I do encourage everyone to read the book again and try to do better again. 

Me: Hahaha. Give it another shot. 

Marie: Zettai ni. 

Iida: Absolutely. 

Me: The first book is called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, what is "life-changing" about tidying up? 

Marie: Desukara, watashi ni totte korera no `jinsei o kaeru' to iu kotoba o eranda riyū wa, watashi ga kojin-teki ni shigoto o tōshite keiken shi, mokugeki shita kotodesu. Kojin-teki ni wa, katadzuke wa hyōmen ni ie o seiri suru koto dakede wa nai to kangaete imasu. Jinsei no kachikan o rikai suru kotodesu. Kono hōhō o tōshite, watashi wa kono purosesu o kurikaeshi, yorokobi o hikiokosu mono o sentaku suru koto ni tsuite hanashimasu. Watashitachi ga kono purosesu o tōshite migaita kono ishi kettei nōryoku wa, katei dakedenaku, kyaria ya taijin kankei ni mo tekiyō dekiru tame, yorokobi o shigeki suru kono michi o tsuneni sentaku dekiru tame, kono seiri seiton o tsuneni nozonde imasu soshite, watashi no kuraianto no ōku wa, katadzuke no purosesu no nochi ni jinsei o yori yoku kaeru koto o mitekimashita... Tatoeba, kazoku no dainamikusu ya kyaria o kaizen suru koto sae shimashita. 

Iida: So, for me the reason why I chose these words "life-changing" for me it's something that I personally have experienced and witnessed through my work. I personally believe that tidying is not just about organizing home on the surface. It's about figuring out the sense of value in life. Through this method I talk about choosing things that spark joy by repeating this process, by repeatedly choosing what sparks joy, what we are doing is actually honing our sensitivity to what brings happiness, what brings joy. This decision making capacity that we hone through this process can be applied not only at home but in the career and the interpersonal relationship so it allows us to choose this path constantly that sparks joy so that's always the end result we're hoping through this tidying and I've seen a lot of my clients change their lives for the better after the tidying process... even improving their family dynamic or their career for instance. 

Me: You're pretty famous now, Marie. I know some people who are excited you are here on the Phile. How does it feel when people recognize you? 

Marie: Netflix shō no rirīsu de, karera wa watashi ni chikadzuite kimashita. Dakara watashi wa shikaku media no chikara o jikkan shite imasu. 

Iida: With the release of the Netflix show their have been more and more people who have come up to me so I myself am just realizing the power of the visual media. 

Me: How about you, Iida, you are on the show as well. Do you get recognized? 

Iida: Oh no, not necessarily. Only when I'm with the one and only Marie Kondo. 

Me: So, you're not being swarmed at all? 

Iida: Oh, no, not at all. I think as an interpreter I do a good job if I'm invisible. 

Marie: Shō de no anata no sonzai no tame ni, watashi wa watashi no messēji no mottomojūyōna bubun o tsutaeru koto ga dekimashita. Tomoyo, anata ni totemo kansha shite imasu. 

Iida: That's very nice. She just said because of my presence in the show that she was able to convey the most important part of the message. She's very grateful to me. 

Me: Awe. That's very sweet. Marie, has their been a fan interaction that sticks out in you head? 

Marie: Hai, ōku no baai, fan ga watashi no tokoro ni kite, heya no zengo no shashin o misete kuremashita. Tokidoki, mae no shashin wa kanzen ni kurakute mono de ippai ni mie,-go no shashin wa hikari de kagayaite iru koto ga arimasu. Watashi wa sorera o miru no ga daisukidesu. 

Iida: Yes, a lot of times fans would come up to me and show me the before and after photos of their room. I love that because sometimes the before photos look completly dark and full of things and their after photos are just sparkling with light. I love seeing those. 

Me: Is it difficult to have a neat and tidy and simple life being as famous as you are now? 

Marie: Sore ga subete okotte iru nimokakawarazu, watashi ga mainichi okonau rūtingu wa sorehodo kawatte imasen. Mochiron, watashi wa mōsukoshi wakari yasuku, nani o suru hitsuyō ga ari, nani o shitai no ka wa kawarazu, totemo shinpuruna seikatsu o okuru koto ga dekimasu. 

Iida: In spite of all that happening what I do my every day routing hasn't changed all that much. Of course I'm a little more recognizable and I'm very happy bit what I need to do and what I want to do remains the same and it allows me to have a very simple life. 

Me: So, with all the money you're making you don't want to do a huge shopping spree? 

Marie: Mada sono keikō wa arimasen. Imanotokoro, watashi wa mainichi taberu mono o motto ki ni kake, kenkō-tekina seikatsu o okutte imasu. Sorera wa watashi no shōtendeari, kore wa watashi no mainichi no kotodesu. 

Iida: I haven't had that inclination yet. For now I care more about what I eat every day, lead a healthy life. Those are my focus, this are my every day things. 

Me: When you think of one thing in your life that sparks joy can you name one thing? 

Marie: Watashiniha ima 2-ri no musume ga iru node, naniyori mo kazoku to sugosu jikandesu. 

Iida: I have two daughters right now so the time I spend with my family above all. 

Me: Ladies, thanks so much for being on the Phile. This was very different for me bit a lot of fun. Better than I thought it'll be. 

Marie: Jeison-san, arigatōgozaimasu. 

Iida: Thank you, Mr. Jason.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Marie and Iida for a fun interview. The Phile will be back on Friday with Lisa Loeb. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain.

Give me some rope, tie me to dream, give me the hope to run out of steam, somebody said it could be here. We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year. I can't count the reasons I should stay. One by one they all just fade away...