What It Takes To Be A Marie Kondo Surrogate (HBO) 

Most impressive part of this video is the Vice reporter just whipping out his Japanese in conversation. Totally did not expect that.

I appreciate that he was able to speak to her in Japanese 😎

You could call it a scam except she has a book with detailed step by step instructions, a manga series of you need pictures, and a Netflix series if your attention span can't handle it, those things don't cost 300-400$ Someone taking time out of their day and coming to your house to help you do it is service.

I don't understand why everyone is framing the KonMari in such strange ways. Marie is just an expert in something that she's very passionate about, and she's an excellent businesswoman. What's so wrong about that? She's accomplished and she's changing lives. Why can't people just see it for what it is? UPDATE: thanks for the upvotes! I wanted to add that I think it’s especially upsetting for Vice to do this because they are known for being so non-judgemental, and just giving a platform to a variety of phenomena. They love to be un-bias about edgy stuff, so why do they have to manipulate something pure?

Im glad he took this seriously and went thru the training and client consultation. Would have been very easy to goof it up.

calling her a cult leader, scammer, etc...americans sure are ungrateful and unappreciative towards people who are just trying to do good huh...

Had to check out the show after about the tenth time hearing about it and gotta say, it's an amazing method. More than just a declutter or minimalism idea but a way to be happier with the things you have. Started thinking about it and it can actually be used to help 'spark joy' with your money as well. A lot of the things we buy don't really make us happy so using those KonMari rules to declutter expenses really works.

It's an art. Stop calling it a cult. In Japan everything can be an art form. Why do you think they learn origami? Discipline and art. Culture and dedication.

So many haters... Don't stop Marie; America NEEDS to be taught how to tidy, and have a little introspection too. I've cleaned a lot of upper class houses, and this is not just a lower class or 'lazy people' issue. It's a pandemic, no joke. Rich people tend to think something is worth less, or worse worthless, unless overpriced. If this is what it takes to get them (and everyone else too) closer to a life with less consumption, I'm all in. 👏👏👏

A scam involves deception and lies. I don't think the Mari Kondo service does this. Granted it does seem silly to pay for someone to teach then how to clean/organize, it seems it's a real need in today's world. Marie Kondo is just taking advantage of this reality. She is actually changing the world for the better and making people's lives better! (and profiting at the same time). She deserves a lot of credit and respect!

Being raised by Japanese immigrants, I was basically taught at a young age that I need to take care of my belongings because everything has a spirit. I’ve seen cartoons where objects that weren’t taken care of and thrown out came to life to haunt people. So from a young age, I took really good care of my things and felt really bad if something broke and I needed to discard it. If it was possible, we gave things new life. Like shoe boxes can be used to organize things and gift wrap can be reused for other gifts. For dishes, plates, and cups, some people do kintsugi, which repairs those with a gold resin. When we’re eating, we say “Itadakimasu,” which means “I will partake” and it is also saying “thank you” to the plants and animal life that have been taken away, the people who raised the food, and the people prepared the food so you can keep living. We ate everything on our plate so nothing went to waste, otherwise, my parents would say “mottainai,” which means basically means, “wasteful” to the point of regret, like you feel bad for wasting food. Basically, these ideas are ingrained into Japanese culture and that’s why it’s not so weird for Mari to be saying hello to the house, or telling people to thank whatever they’re getting rid of, or waking up books. I think she is trying to give people the mindset to appreciate their things and to reflect on how much they actually need so they don’t accumulate more things that they are not going to need or want.

I thought this was gonna be about surrogate pregnancies

Anyone else's jaw drop to the ground when my man just casually interviews her in Japanese?

Her foundation comes from Zen Buddhism. Marie worked at temples. The process won't work for everyone, I do not know why people think its a miracle that will solve all your problems. However, its a great way to reflect on points of your life through a physical object while organizing your space. It hopefully teaches you about consumption. Humans love to take and receive and forget to take the time and appreciate what they have.

Reading these comments, it's quite clear that most of yall have no idea what a pyramid scheme is. First, you don't need a consultant to tidy, you just have to read the method that she describes in her 10USD book. Becoming a consultant is getting training to do a job. Most people do in fact pay money for classes and to train in certain professions. Paying for training does not equal pyramid scheme. Going to free seminar when they convince you to buy a product and recruit 10 more people to buy that product and work under you, THAT is a pyramid scheme. None of which you need to do to tidy your own space or tidy for others. You just won't be licensed in her method. It's pretty damn simple.

Vice news has some of the most intelligent interviewers I have ever seen.

I thought this would be a scam, but it seems like there's a definite market for this. You're not just helping someone manage their home, but, like in the lawyer's case, coaching them to transition into a new stage in their life. Even if you're not in the same situation as her, it might be a good experience to just get an appreciation for the things you surround yourself with, and remove things that are extraneous. Plus people will think you have your shit together for the few weeks it stays tidy lol.

I feel like marie's stuff really highlights that people need help sometimes to do things. We tend to live like we're all islands that should be self sustaining but we're just people who need some help sometimes to clean. I think its really sweet and empathetic to both help and ask for help to declutter.

It's always amazing when a white or black American knows more than one language. I liked seeing him have a conversation in Japanese and I liked seeing him experience a new world that's very different from the mainstream

Waaah? He is the true blackanese.... He's Japanese is very good

Dang good journalism. Give this guy a raise

Fun fact: prior to Mari Kondo ever making her book, books on cleaning up and organizing were abundant and popular in Japan by many authors, but hers stuck out from the rest and made its way to the top.

It's refreshing to see a foreign interviewer interview someone in their own language.

Perfect scam: go door to door claiming you work for Mari Kondo. After overcharging them, take all the stuff they threw away and sell it online.

Most of the men who complain about this being a scam probably live in squalor

I love how through it all, he genuinely helped someone. Good outcome.

I thought this was gonna be about how to become a baby carrier like actual physical surrogate for Marie Kondo 😕

I did my entire house; was done in less than 4 months. I loved organizing the Konmari way. Like anything, it's successful only if you follow instructions. 1. read entire book before starting. 2. follow the steps in order by category. This guy was after 'a story', he didn't have the motivation the other consultants had. And he didn't ask his client to do the very first step: imagine your home the way you would like it to be.

*Does an A+ job with his first client* "I don't think I'm cut out for this."

1:27 You not have to do her like that Vice editor, lol.

the amount of people in the comments surprised by an educated brother, being able to speak another language, is insanity. his name is *Dexter Thomas* . he's lived in Japan for a little while. he's done videos for *VICE* from Japan in the past. he's finishing up his *PhD* from *Cornell* (an Ivy League school). he's received a *Fulbright Scholarship* . he was part of a team that won a *Pulitzer Prize* . he was nominated for an *Emmy* . links: (1) www.whatupdex.com/about (2) twitter.com/dexdigi (3) www.linkedin.com/in/dexter-thomas-997b5465

"Kondo Consultant" works, "Kondo-it" is better

I photograph objects before I discard them. It takes up less space and keeps the sentimental value.

Omg...! Soo many Karens ...!

A good idea is to take a photo of the stuff that you're about to let go or take a photo of you holding it. You get to save space and have the memory of owning your stuff. Also, understand that everything in this world will deteriorate and maybe a photo of your stuff would last longer than the actual thing.

"First is clothing" No first is thanking the house ;)

a perfect example of thanking something you are about to throw away, i broke a bowl literally just this morning and since they were hand made by a family friend who has gotten very old, i picked up the peaces and thanked them before simply carelessly tossing them in the trash. I think it is nice to know you can look back and genuinely say you were grateful for the things you used or had to let go of in life.

I love that this is something that becoming a thing. In America, it’s always like everyone has a surplus of just STUFF in their homes. Even something as having a cluttered kitchen can seem small and meaningless, like there’s other things to worry about in the world, but it causes a great amount of stress for a lot of people. When your home is clean and clutter free, it reflects on your life. When you have a professional come in, they help you in weaving around the complicated feelings that we attach with objects in the home that we might not necessarily need. Sometimes you just need help to navigate the mess and have someone help you take things step by step and teach you better ways to organize. If I had the money, I’d definitely hire someone to help me revamp the way I organize so it’s not as stressful.

*This is why you should go for minimalism*

She says she's a widow at 4:58 then says she's never been married one second later 4:59 only to say the sweater was her husband's at 5:53.

Even though the gentleman decided against pursuing this as a career, it was delightful to watch him help another person and be there for her through the start of her tidying journey.

I don’t know why most people in America pronounced her name as if like the name Mary ,, it’s actually Marie 麻理恵 ( pronounced Ma Ri E )

im a dog groomer and i know i cant do this job 4 ever cause its not an easy job. people are already telling me i should become a counselor etc. and seeing this job makes me think. wouldnt it be cool if i could help people not clean but clear up their space. i sometimes go to peoples home privately and when im grooming dogs. and sometimes they have homes that are so full. with stuff that needs to be organised at last. and they simple cant get it done on their own but need a helping hand..... maybe in the future..... i can see my self doing this job maybe. i do see the use of the organising it gives me at least a good feeling when i organise my home. and once in a while i go through stuff to see what i still need and what can go away.

People complaining that this is a scam needs to go visit their friends’/neighbors’/grandparents’ house. I guarantee at least one person they know is a hoarder. Either you are OK with the germs and crap floating around your house. It took me 16 hour to pack and to move out of my apartment, and I’d like it to be less. Who doesn’t like sitting in a soothing place with fresh air and no clutter?

You helped someone get organized. That’s great.

this is the only interview I've seen where she's asked questions in Japanese

This entire video was just so... lovely. Such a good vibe came from it x

I think this is remarkable. Selling people how to improve themselves in a tangible manner is amazing.

This guy doesn't know what it's like to not have anything. Expressing gratitude to the things that "served" you should be easy.

If you buy what you need instead of what you want...your life will be alot happier

I tried her method back when I read her book and honestly, it does work. It helps you clear out way more stuff than you'd normally be able to get rid of because it psychologically reframes the situation (seeing all your stuff in a pile makes you feel like you have too much & are actually embarassed by how much it is, which helps you get rid of stuff). This makes it seem so sinister, when it's just decluttering. The thanking thing is kind of a lesson in appreciating your possessions & it can help you let go of old worn out things that you like. Now, it's not true that you do it once & you never have to do it again. You will buy more stuff and while it does make you more mindful about your purchases, you'll still accumulate things. Plus, things will wear out, go out of fashion so they stop bringing you joy, and so on. However, if you do it every couple of years, you can pretty much maintain your home in this decluttered, relaxing state. Some aspects of it have been harder for me than others (like folding.. so tempting to just toss everything on a spare bed), but filing is definitely superior to stacking, which is what I used to do. There are some things I'm less keen on, like her belief that you should empty your bag after you come home every day and repack for each day (it does prevent accumulating junk in your bag or losing things, but it's exhausting) and that you should keep everything of a category in the same spot, regardless of efficiency benefits of separating things. That hasn't worked for me. For example, I'll have baking soda in the bathroom and the kitchen, because I use it for cleaning things in both places and it's annoying to carry it back and forth. Similarly, I keep board games all over the house because while I love the conceptual idea of keeping them all together, I simply have too many to fit them in any one location! This is despite constantly selling off those that don't bring me joy.

He might not think he's cut out for it, but he did a great service to that lady. Look how much she cleared out! And he let her vent , without being impatient. And he speaks Japanese! Well done, sir!

The cat woman who's a widow is so sweet. I hope she's doing well

She's so beautiful - she sparks joy whenever I see her

This dude is RAD. Finally, an authentic interview and you could interact with her. This is why I am learning Chinese, to interact with my students when I teach them English. Super cool!

I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but it was interesting to kind of see what goes on behind the scenes with this whole konmari craze

Just curiosity if you speak Japanese... How good was his Japanese?

I'm going straight home to clean my room. My room is already pretty spotless and minimalist, but still could always be more tidy. Also, lost my mind when he started speaking Japanese.

sometimes Marie seems like that character that ends up being the serial killer at the end

This consumption oriented society needs her. I want to pinpoint 2 things: one, that her movement consequently helped lots of poor people because of the donations that followed, and two: besides learning useful things too organise your life from this tiny and cute Japanese woman, take a moment to apreciate what she has done for herself. I can't know if it's true but I heard she was obsessed with tidying from a very youg age. So much that for me sounds like an ocd. To turn a compulsion around into a lesson and a business it's just being a phoenix bird if you ask me.. way to go, woman! That's the most inspiring thing of all she did! Hell yeah..😐👍👍👍

Despite it not being cut out for him, he should feel very proud that he helped someone like this. And yeah he did it for a report but he offered his services for free. You can tell this has a profound impact on some people's lives.

Was she rebooting? @1:28

First world needs 😱😱😱😱

As an asian... this is confusing and shocking because I take it to be so intuitive. I guess this just hilights the cultural differences between the east and the west

In Japan, especially crowded cities, real estate is very expensive and the spaces are very tight. Marie went popular in Japan because she showed people ways how they can save as much space as they can in their homes with the right methods. It is normal that the Western world doesn't really understand it and call her a cult leader or a scammer since the cultures are very different. I personally don't live in a big apartment, but I watch her from time to time to learn clothing folding techniques etc. because sometimes I have too much stuff.

People attach to objects differently. You don't attach, so saying thank you feels unnatural and causes anxiety. Others are attached and need to say goodbye. To each, his/her own!

I quite like this religion. “Does this spark joy”

She kinda has a cult leader kind of vibe, need to get around reading her books.

“I’m a widow, I’ve never been married” 🤔

Yeah, this is NOT a pyramid scheme or a scam. People really need help to declutter and organize. There are so many reasons someone begins to horde or stock pile things. This is like therapy and home cleaning at the same time.

wow i would never thought Gerald Johanssen gonna be a profesional clothes folder when he grown up.. kudos gerald 👍😜

Most people sign up for the courses because of her charm. The women wants to know the secrets of her grace and gratituous smile. It is the charm package that got sold, not the decluttering BS, although it does adds to the mystical asian spiritual vibe that she's exuding. The decluttering service has been around in several asian countries for years (AFAIK taiwan since the last 3 years). Once the thing got sold in the West, it have to be repackaged with another "air". The book, the price, the spirituality undertone, is all part of the product. I would definitely have her cleaning up my room, and I bet she's better than average when doing so. but not for $2000.

4:58 "I'm a widow" 4:59 "I've never been married" 5:53 "... my husband's..."

I love her and her method, I agree that the cleaning process isn’t about stuff it’s about wanting to be s better version of yourself and reflecting on how you’ve grown through your items

I see a lot messy people, so maybe this is a movement worth following.

I loved watching your connection with your practice client!

My home has never been the same since I picked up her book in 2016! It really changed my life! After seeing this I hope you know that you truly helped her and that’s remarkable... Thank you for sharing!

I really liked the reporter. I really agree with him about having to b an unqualified therapist. I feel that most people seeking out professional decluttering help find it an extremely emotional experience. I just wanted to give the lady client a big hug.

This was a really sweet segment and watching a skeptic still try something themselves and see how it helps people, even if it's not necessarily for you almost brings me to tears. I wish we could all try to attempt to understand everything with this level of poise and compassion and rationality.

You came here for this 6:36

Only in Vice videos you can find silly, nasty comment about KonMari 👻😌

I think people that appreciate Zen and Eastern philosophy understand the draw of Marie Kondo. There is a calmness mixed with appreciation which is very different from American culture.

Throwing out things that you don't need is liberating. I just finished renovating our home and instead of making more storage, we making open spaces meaning less storage and more things to throw out. Me and my husband throwed out a lot of thing and it felt good.

The look on his face at :18 is priceless.

I was wondering if I could handle being a consultant. It's great to see someone go through the process. There's definitely more to it than just being organized. From this video I now understand how this can be not just physical but emotional. When he takes the time to listen to a story about an item and not place judgement, shows there is much more to this emotionally.

I think the issue here is westerners misunderstanding mrs kondo. She is helping people practice zen and is deeply rooted in shintoism as well

THE BEST PART IS THE ACTUAL DISCUSSION IN JAPANESE because I feel that the main point is always lost in translation. People always treat the tidying and the process as a joke. What's worse is that people end up teasing her mannerisms. I mean, yes, she's very bubbly, but she's also intelligent. She's not just some folding master or tidying expert. It doesn't take that much to learn how to fold well or organize well imo... just practice and careful planning. The main takeaway for her method is just keep things that work for you, envision the environment you'd like to be surrounded with (not just a cleaner version, but something that WORKS for you and PLEASES you). It's not minimalism or just a method of cleaning/organizing, but being conscious of the things you own. It just really made me happy when he started off with noting that the konmari method isnt just a tidying method, but psychological as well.

Mad respect to the interviewer for speaking Japanese to her. so low key about it too

Marie was ready to strange him when he said he felt anxious saying goodbye to the items, lol.

I like how she takes hoarding and messy house problem seriously. It really is a problem you have but ignored completely. Those who accuse her of scamming must be because they have this problem and never admit it huh? Its like a wok calling a kettle black

In a post apocalyptic world, Supreme Spark Marie Kondo drags out a criminal to the edge of the abyss, she turns to the crowd and asks. "DOES IT SPARK JOY?" And the masses scream "NO!" Our leader thanks the convicted felon drops them to their death.

This made me look at her in a different way, from her TV show I always imagined her to just be a mother who wrote a book on organizing that became a unsuspecting bestseller, but now I see she is a full on businesswoman.

6:39 how i feel watching anything about Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo is totally worth it! When her Netflix series came out I've been showing it to my brother, who's a hoarder, and finally he started to clean up his bedroom which has been the same for about six years, when he left to live together with his girlfriend.

My dude. You definitely sparked joy in that widow. Good job.

I really appreciated that the reporter speaks Japanese and doesn’t use an interpreter especially since he talked to konmari as a grown up a lot of her interviewers tend to infantilize her

My nr1 problem with the Komari method (if not the only one): bin liners filled with stuff. Does the stuff get donated? What happens with the plastic bags afterwards? Does most of the decluttered stuff end up in a landfill?

She's basically a nice Japanese version of Tyler Durden. Which is awesome.

This woman can open her own consignment shop, holy fudge that's a ton of clothes.

Alright, so I haven't been a big fan of this reporter, but ummmm... love the way you casually dropped the high level Japanese... well done.