Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo was born on October 9, 1984, in Osaka, Japan. Her interest in tidying and organizing began at an early age, around five years old, influenced by the popularity of feng shui in Tokyo. Kondo observed that her mother’s application of the method did not achieve the desired level of tidiness, which led her to develop her own approach to organizing. During her junior school years at Friends Girls Junior & Senior High School in Mita, Minato, Tokyo, she would use her physical education class time to tidy bookshelves in the classroom, showing a consistent focus on order. She recounted a significant realization during her early organizing efforts, where she shifted her focus from discarding items to identifying what she truly wanted to keep, emphasizing that happiness is derived from identifying joy-sparking possessions.

Kondo established her organizing consulting business at the age of 19 while studying sociology at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University. Her academic pursuits culminated in a capstone thesis titled “Tidying up as seen from the perspective of gender.” Prior to her university studies, she spent five years working as an attendant maiden at a Shinto shrine, an experience that later influenced her philosophy of treating objects with respect and appreciation.

Her career progressed significantly with the publication of her first book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” (2011), which became a bestseller in Japan and Europe before its U.S. release in 2014. This book, along with subsequent titles, collectively sold millions globally and was translated into over 30 languages. In 2015, Time magazine recognized her impact by including her in the TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people. Her global recognition further expanded with the 2019 Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” which earned her an Emmy nomination and popularized her KonMari method, leading to various brand collaborations and the launch of her online store.