At some point in the past decade, the international notion of “weird Japan” — a view in which the country produces more quirky and wacky trends than many other nations, regardless if said example is actually widespread — took a back seat to “boring but profound Japan.”
The pop cultural salvo of TV shows such as “Terrace House” and “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” celebrated relatively dull activities — social interactions with relatively little drama and organizing one’s home, respectively — and connected with viewers abroad. Their country of origin added extra mystique to ho-hum happenings, nudging them close to being exoticized. Palestinian American intellectual Edward Said probably wouldn’t be a big fan of the KonMari philosophy.
Recently, another dull aspect of Japanese life has started morphing into a Western lifestyle trend. A CNBC article titled “I tried ‘Kakeibo’: The Japanese art of saving money — and it completely changed how I spend my money” has created something of a stir online. “Kakeibo” is the Japanese word for a household accounting book and, in recent times, it has morphed into a guiding principle … at least for websites in search of content. Sites such as Bustle and refinery29, among others, have published contributions on kakeibo, as have many niche finance blogs.