Omoiyari

David Emrich on Unsplash

In calligraphy, a simple brush and ink, once on canvas, can reveal hesitations, uncertainties and even the state of mind of the artist at a given moment to an expert eye. An arrangement of flowers can reveal so much about the changing of the seasons. And the acts of chopping, slicing, heating and whisking can transform even the most modest of ingredients into a meal that has its own narrative, creating a powerful story.

Many of the philosophies, practices, tips and traditions I share in Omoi are about more than the sum of their parts. One of my favourite Japanese proverbs and sayings is kachou fuugetsu. The kanji characters for this saying are those for flower, bird, wind and moon – 花鳥風月 – but the meaning behind this sentiment is about experiencing the beauties of nature and, in the process of doing so, learning about yourself. Practising shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) might not be so accessible on a day-to-day basis for many of us. But my ambition with omoi is to encourage this feeling of learning and connecting with yourself, through adapting your mindset and how you interact with your space, as well as how you approach tasks. It’s about experiencing the beauty of the natural world, but also the world we make for ourselves, enabling us to make that connection with ourselves on a deeper level. Through this, we are able to build strength and be the version of us that we’d like to be – becoming better equipped and able to share this feeling and goodwill with others.

If Omoiyari as a concept is about empathy and the art of compassion, then omoi is about getting in touch with our thought processes and passions. It’s crucial to be able to know ourselves, before we share, dedicate and devote time to helping others. It’s about understanding our thoughts, feelings and emotions, as well as harnessing, exploring and unlocking the potential of our sentimental side.

01

MOTTAINAI

勿体無い

Avoiding Waste

GOOD FORTUNE CAN EXIST IN WHAT GETS LEFT BEHIND.

Japanese proverb

I wish there was a Japanese word to describe the lies that parents tell their children to cajole them into doing things, because it’s a truly universal phenomenon – a global conspiracy, where even the most unimaginative of grown-ups are transformed into skilful storytellers in an attempt to get their offspring to toe the line.

As a child, I was told a story about a rice farmer. The industrious rice farmer in question would wake up early to work in the fields, day after day, just so Erin would be able to enjoy a delicious bowl of white, fluffy rice at dinner. But, for every single grain of rice that Erin didn’t scrape from the side of her bowl and eat, this tireless (and extremely emotionally fragile) farmer would shed a tear. To this day, I can’t bear to leave any food, and so my family’s attempts to instil a fear of waste – or the feeling of ‘mottainai’ – in me was a great success.

‘Mottainai!’ is a phrase you might commonly hear if you’ve left food on your plate (and heartlessly made a farmer cry). However, it’s not just limited to the dinner table. You might also hear it if you’re not able to get anyone else to take your seats for a show you were meant to be going to, or when you have to get rid of a dress you bought but never wore (which serves you right for getting overexcited in the sales).

The concept of mottainai has roots in Shinto animism – the belief that kami (spirits) inhabit all things. In order to honour these spirits, you take care of objects, respect them and aim to preserve their dignity where possible. Mottainai is about continuing to hope – rather than discarding unnecessarily, or giving up on something, it’s about coming up with solutions and ways of making things last.

Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

The Japanese aversion to being wasteful means that many cultural practices and traditions have developed as a result. In order to make sure that objects meet their full potential and remain useful, there is an emphasis on reusing, repairing and recycling, so reducing the number of things that are discarded.

As a phrase, mottainai has been appropriated globally, mostly by environmentalists. Nobel Prize-winning social and environmental activist Wangari Maathai used the word during a United Nations summit on climate change: ‘Even at personal level, we can all reduce, reuse and recycle – what is embraced as mottainai in Japan, a concept that also calls us to express gratitude, to respect and to avoid wastage.’1

Gratitude and respect towards objects are implied when something is mottainai – it is often a type of apology, an expression of regret and an acknowledgment that an opportunity was lost in some way. Once something is mottainai, it might be too late – so one might take pains to ensure that things do meet their full potential, for as long as possible. Things might be repaired, preserved, given another chance or a new lease of life, to further their usefulness rather than being needlessly discarded.

The concept of mottainai is closely linked to that of wabi-sabi – a Japanese aesthetic and worldview that promotes the acceptance of transience, impermanence and imperfection, and the beauty of the journey and passage of time.

© Shutterstock.com

Kintsugi 金継ぎ

Perhaps one of the most visually stunning ways in which objects are repaired and cared for is through the art of kintsugi, where broken ceramics are repaired using gold- or silver-coloured lacquer. Not only does it increase longevity for the particular object in question, but in chado (Japanese tea ceremony) it makes that object more desirable or interesting as a result of its perceived flaws.

The cracks are highlighted by the lacquer, which becomes a key feature – a memorable event or obstacle in the life cycle of the item. The gilded cracks are illuminated, but with dignity and honour, and the beauty is that the object still retains its usefulness and serves its purpose.

© Shutterstock.com

© Shutterstock.com

The Hospital for Stuffed Toys

In Osaka, there is a hospital for toys. The nuigurumi byouin (stuffed-toy hospital) offers a sanctuary – a place where plush playthings can be cared for, restuffed and repaired, their owners safe in the knowledge that their most prized possessions will get the tender care that they need and be treated with respect and affection.

© Shutterstock.com

Clothing and textiles

There are some artisanal techniques surrounding the maintenance of clothing, whether preserving and extending the life of fabric or repairing garments in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Boro ぼろ

Boro is a type of clothing made through patchwork – deriving from the word ‘boro-boro’, which refers to something that is tattered, or in need of repair. Boro clothing was worn mostly by peasants in the nineteenth century, with items of clothing that had been worn and repaired being passed down through generations. Boro clothing was usually dyed in an indigo hue. In a modern, post-Second World War era, it was seen to be symbolic of Japan’s impoverished past, but there has recently been a revival of items in this style. Boro clothing was born from necessity – fabrics like cotton or silk were not readily available to those who were not in the upper classes – and its humble origins truly capture the spirit of mottainai, where things are preserved and passed on to others and nothing is wasted.

J Marshall-Tribaleye Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Sakiori 裂織

Sakiori is a type of woven fabric, made from scraps or residual materials and held together using yarn. The word is a combination of the term ‘saki’, to tear, and ‘ori’, to weave together. Objects made using this woven fabric include rugs, kotatsu (a type of low table covered with a futon) covers or informal kimono obis (belts).

Sashiko 刺し子

Sashiko is a type of decorative stitching, used to reinforce materials that have been impacted by wear and tear. Sashiko sewing techniques are often geometric in style, making the repairs look aesthetically pleasing through the use of ‘little stitches’ (the literal translation of the term). In a spirit similar to kintsugi, in addition to mending any damage, sashiko stitching adds an element of embellishment, highlighting any repairs made using a white or red thread.

The different stitch styles are often inspired by nature – design elements like tate-waku (rising steam), amime (fishing nets), yarai (bamboo fence), as well as employing geometric shapes like checks, diamonds and striped patterns.

© Shutterstock.com

© Shutterstock.com

© Robert McConkey

Ingredients and food

The essence of mottainai impacts the Japanese attitude to food preparation, ingredients and meals. Examples include using okara, the soybean by-product of tofu or soy milk production or sake kasu (by-product of sake) to season and marinate fish or pickle vegetables.

In order to avoid food wastage or being mottainai with your food, one approach is to only eat until you are 80 per cent full (hara hachi bu). Other ways to prolong or reuse ingredients might be to transform them, as, for example, when making your own furikake – a Japanese seasoning that you might have with rice, vegetables or fish. It’s also a fun way to flavour popcorn.

Homemade furikake is extremely easy to prepare and is often made after people have used katsuobushi (also known as bonito flakes, which are dried, fermented and smoked tuna flakes) to make dashi stock. It’s incredibly easy to use, too; furikake means to ‘sprinkle on top’, and that’s exactly what you do with this seasoning, to add a little bit of depth and umami flavour to a dish.

© Shutterstock.com

Furikake

30g katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

2 sheets nori (seaweed)

1 If you have used the katsuobushi flakes to make stock, make sure these are properly strained. Katsuobushi is often sold in the form of flakes, thin shavings – once used in stock, the flakes tend to clump together. In a frying pan, cook the strained katsuobushi (bonito flakes) until the liquid has evaporated, and the katsuobushi has started to become dry and begun to flake again. Place this on a tray.

2 In the same dry pan, lightly toast the sesame seeds over a low heat. Remove and place in a bowl to cool.

3 Once the sesame seeds have cooled, add them, along with the salt, sugar and nori, to the tray with the katsuobushi. Once everything has cooled, you can store this mixture in a jar. Sprinkle over rice, fish, popcorn – whatever takes your fancy.

Annie Spratt on Unsplash

© Shutterstock.com

Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

Applying mottainai in everyday life

— Clothes swap

I’m lucky enough to have made friends who are roughly the same size as me, so if one of us is going to a big event, rather than buying a new dress (which may never be worn again), we’ve come up with a clothes-swap system. It reduces the amount of space taken up in our wardrobes, as well as the hit on our wallets – it’s a win–win!

— Compost

My English grandparents are keen gardeners, so I learned from them to compost food waste wherever possible. There is so much goodness that can be returned to the ground from your kitchen food waste. If this is an option available to you where you live, take advantage of it.

— Meal planning

One of the easiest ways to stick to a balanced diet, reduce food waste and save money is through meal planning. This doesn’t have to be boring or uninspiring; in fact, it can be an absolute pleasure – you just have to be realistic: are you really going to want a fruit cup and a light salad for lunch on a Friday afternoon or might you want something that feels like a treat? If you’re going to end up wasting your packed lunch and heading to the pub with your colleagues, then be honest with yourself – and reduce waste in the process.

What can we learn from mottainai?

The Japanese mottainai philosophy encourages us to see the potential in things, to find appreciation in and respect them. It also inspires us to cherish the things we have, to take care of them, and cultivate them if necessary. It’s not a negative emotion, but one that is thought-provoking and even awe-inspiring. In a world where we are rapidly running out of resources and urgently need to change our habits to preserve and protect our environment, mottainai can encourage us to be more sustainable. Respecting our belongings, extending the life of things and reducing our waste can not only benefit our planet, but provide us with a sense of respect and gratitude, too.

Linh Le on Unsplash

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20110601034605/http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/climatechange/shared/Documents/SpeechMaathai.pdf

02

KIREI

綺麗

Cleanliness and Organisation

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