Oosouji is more than just cleaning and decluttering; it’s about letting go of unwanted things, bringing order to chaos, and welcoming the new year with a clean slate. Businesses practice oosouji too. It’s a chance to close up accounts, archive old files, and even resolve outstanding conflicts. Even schoolchildren perform oosouji by cleaning out their desks and backpacks. In oosouji, there is a focus on minimalism, on cultivating a more pleasing environment with fewer things, but ones that have more meaning and significance. At our office, when we start making plans for December, the first thing we mark on the calendar is our cleaning day. On the last workday in December, everyone arrives in jeans and T-shirts, and we clean the office from top to bottom. It feels so good to clean with everyone working together, knowing that once we’ve finished, we’ve also finished our work for the year.
