Uki, who presides over the “Kurashi no Schole,” thinks about how to live and be happy through tidying up.

I thought that living would teach me everything I needed to know about what I could cherish in my daily events.

Celeina (MC): First up for the week is this person recommended by the program, Uki-san, who runs “Kurashi no Schole”. Pleased to meet you. I understand that Mr.Takano and Uki-san are friends.

Takano (MC): Yes, we are.

Uki: We studied English together when I was studying in Canada.

Takano: To explain we welcome to Uki-san, when I met Uki-san after a long time, I heard that she was working on cleaning up, and I thought it was interesting.

Celeina: So she is going to share her tidying up skills with us this time.

Takano: That’s what I meant. Once again, please give us a profile of Uki-san.

Celeina：Uki-san started her activities in 2019 with the theme of “toning up the mind and life,” and runs “Kurashi no Schole” which aims to make living itself the source of life. Please tell us about your specific activities.

Uki: I started my tidying up consulting business in 2019 and have cleaned up about 900 cases so far. Among them, I have received many comments from clients that they were happy to have a clean house, but more than that, they were very happy to have their own mind set through the tidying up process. Since I was a child, I myself have been very interested in how we can all live with a healthy mind.

For example, I wondered what the things I experienced today, my daily feelings, and the events in which I felt bad about something that was said to me or felt very content after talking with a friend, were teaching us, and what we should cherish. So I thought that living can teach us everything, and we are doing a one-year program to think about these things together.

Takano: So you are saying that tidying up is also a part of living, and living is a part of life, so it is connected to the way we live.

Uki: That is correct.

Celeina: What does “Schole” mean?

Uki： “Schole” is an ancient Greek word from which the word “school” is derived, and it was originally used to mean leisure or leisure time. Ancient Greeks, like modern people, were very busy, and it seems that they had no time at all to reflect and learn about what happened today or how they felt. So when I learned that they had the idea of taking time to savor life and think about it, I thought it was wonderful, so I use this word.

Celeina: So it’s a “Kurashi no Schole”. So you feel that cleaning up is not the ultimate goal, but rather to achieve a healthy and happy life?

Uki： Yes. Then the house should be clean, too.

Celeina： I see. It’s that endless loop.

Takano: It’s a happy loop.

The messiness of overflowing with things that are meant to make you happy.

Takano: By the way, did you always like tidying up?

Uki： Not at all. If anything, I am a sloppy person. When Mr. Takano came to visit me at my house in Canada, I think the house was clean, but usually it was a mess. Like everyone else who is not good at tidying up, I am the type of person who does my best to tidy up when people come to my house and then throw everything in the closet, which I was not good at all.

Celeina： What made you switch your mind to tidying up?

Uki：When I was 23 years old, I got divorced, my job wasn’t going well, and I got sick. I couldn’t go to work anymore, so I quit my job in Tokyo and was packing up to move back to my parents’ house in Fukushima. Then I found a lot of things I bought but didn’t use, and I wondered what this meant.

I thought, “If I read this book, I will be able to work better, if I wear this dress, I will be considered a nice person, if I eat with this dishware, I will be happy, etc.” My house was a mess of things that I had acquired to make myself happy. That’s exactly what I’m doing, in fact, I’m in an unhappy situation, divorced and not doing well at work. It’s a mess, so I thought I should think about it, and that’s when I started working on tidying up.

Takano: He says that by organizing things, you also organize yourself. For Uki-san, tidying up is an act of finding out what is important, and that is how he started his activities.

The key to tidying up is to “try not to think about it in your head”.

Celeina：When you try to clean up, it is sometimes difficult to make progress because you keep looking back at your graduation album. Do you have any tips for cleaning up?

Uki： First of all, we would like you to do the mementos last.

Celeina： There is an order! (haha)

Uki： I recommend that you start with the categories that are easy to understand, such as clothes, documents, and books. If you start by putting things away from the places in your house that are easy for you to do, and if you know what you yourself value and what you think will lead to your happiness if you have them, you will be able to proceed without much hesitation when you do the items you have in mind. If you have a clear sense of your own values, I think you will be able to select what you want to keep and what you are ready to move on from. Also, what I often tell people is, “Don’t think too much with your head.

Celeina： What does that mean?

Uki：When you are cleaning up, I think you are looking for excuses in your head to not throw things away.

Takano: My heart hurts.

Celeina: Because it’s a waste, or maybe I can still wear it.

Takano: Because that person gave it to me at that time.

Uki: But I don’t think you are the main person in that case, but rather you are influenced by external factors. When putting things away, I want you to put aside the idea of thinking about it for a moment and feel whether your mind and body are responding positively when you think about that object. If you feel “I like it!” or “I am happy when I wear this,” you should to stay it.

Celeina：I feel that putting things away like that brings me closer to happiness and a healthy mind.

Takano: I think that was a very helpful talk. Now, I asked Uki-san to choose a song that we would all like to listen to together on the radio at this time. What song would it be?

Uki: “Hanataba wo Kimi ni” by Hikaru Utada.

Celeina: Why did you choose this song?

Uki： While talking about cleaning up at the end of the year, I thought about what kind of song I wanted to listen to with everyone, and I wanted to listen to a song that would allow me to give flowers to each of you. Today is Christmas, so the town is in high spirits, but I chose this song because I wanted those who are not in that mood or those who have had a difficult year to look back on to give themselves a flower for their labor.

“Socks” is a good object for beginners to start.

Celeina： For example, is there something easy to start with for those who want to try tidying up from the most familiar things?

Uki：I would like people to start with the smallest category possible, and I especially recommend socks.

Takano: Socks!

Uki：If you take out all the socks you have, you will be surprised at how many legs you have (haha). Then, I would like you to hold each sock in your hand and think about whether it feels good to wear it, whether it is comfortable to walk in, or whether it is exciting. If you feel that the socks are tired from working hard and working a lot, please let them go with a “thank you. I would like you to start with socks, which are easy to let go of, and once you get a feel for them, move on to underwear and T-shirts.

Celeina： By the way, how many pairs of socks do you have?

Uki： I’m really running low on socks right now. (hah)

Celeina： You mean you have given away too many?

Uki： Yes, I had about six pairs, but I threw them away at the end of the year and now I have only two pairs. I’m thinking of going out to buy some more.

Takano: But for me, even six pairs seems too few.

Uki：That also depends on the person, so there is no set amount that is appropriate. So, I would like you to decide based on how much you need.

Celeina： So it is important to have a dialogue with your heart.

Uki: That’s right.

Takano: Now, “FIST BUMP” is a circle of friends connected by goo touch, so we are asking you to introduce us to your friends.

Uki: This is my friend, Rina Ogawa, who is the CEO of a PR marketing firm.

Celeina： In a word, what kind of person is she?

Uki： In relation to today’s music selection and flowers, she is a sunflower. She makes everyone around her warm and fuzzy, is very funny, and is a person who cheers me up when I meet her.

Takano: Thank you very much. Tomorrow, we welcome Rina Ogawa, who is like a sunflower.

Celeina: “FIST BUMP”, today we welcome Uki-san, who runs “Kurashi no Schole”. Thank you very much.

GRAND MARQUEE

J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann

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