Making both mind and body feel lighter.

By letting go of things, commitments, and thoughts,

we can create a life where we truly cherish what matters most.

Hello.

I’m Minimalist TANU.

Through my platform, “Letting Go,” I share ideas about minimalism, simple living, clothing, food, and housing that are more in harmony with nature, ways to care for the mind and body, and the many things we can learn to “let go of” in life.

What I want to share is not simply the idea that “we should own fewer things.”

Owning less.

Deciding what not to do.

Not pushing ourselves too hard.

Letting go of the beliefs that are causing us pain.

Reconsidering our relationships.

Freeing ourselves from the belief that “I can’t be happy unless things are this way.”

When we gradually let go of the things we don’t really need, we sometimes begin to see the things that truly matter—things that we could not see before.

I have experienced this transformation myself over many years.

Why I Became a Minimalist

I did not become a minimalist because I dreamed of living with very few possessions.

The turning point came when I became ill in my twenties.

At the age of 24, I developed pustulosis palmaris et plantaris, and later, I also found myself dealing with multiple chemical sensitivity.

When my symptoms were severe, the itching was so intense that I could not sleep, and even ordinary daily life became a struggle.

I visited hospital after hospital in search of answers. I read books, gathered information, changed my diet, changed my lifestyle…

I was desperately trying to figure things out.

“Could this be the cause?”

“Could doing this make me better?”

I was constantly searching for something that might help.

During that time, I began reducing the number of things in my home in an effort to lessen the burden on my body, even if only a little.

I also wanted to reduce exposure to things like dust, so I gradually let go of things I no longer used or needed.

Then something unexpected happened.

When there were fewer things, cleaning became easier.

When cleaning became easier, there were fewer chores.

When there were fewer chores, I had more time.

When I had more time, I felt more at ease.

And somehow, even my body began to feel lighter.

“I had no idea having fewer things could make life this much easier.”

That was my first encounter with minimalism.

I Kept Trying to Get Better

After I became ill, I was constantly thinking, “I have to do something about this.”

I have to get better somehow.

I have to research more.

I have to try harder.

I have to live a healthier, more “correct” lifestyle.

I kept trying to change my situation through my own efforts.

But no matter how hard I tried, my symptoms continued to fluctuate.

Just when I thought I was getting better, they would worsen again.

I would become hopeful, only to be discouraged once more.

And this cycle continued.

About eight years after the onset of my illness, it eventually became difficult for me to continue working, and I had to take a leave of absence.

Until then, perhaps because I was still in my twenties, I had continued going to work every day.

My job was also an emotional anchor for me.

That was precisely why losing it was so painful.

It was during this difficult time that I came across a book that would profoundly change my life.

My Encounter with Natural Healing

The book was Shizen Ryōhō: Ikita Jirei to Tebiki by Yuriko Tojo, a book about natural healing.

When I read it, I sat in seiza, crying, and read the entire book in one sitting.

“This is what I’ve been looking for.”

That was how it felt.

Until then, I had thought of illness as something that needed to be “cured.”

But as I began learning about natural healing, I became deeply aware of the idea that

“I am a part of nature.”

Rather than trying to solve everything through my own efforts, I began to see the value in removing as much as possible of what was unnatural and returning to a way of life that was closer to nature.

And, at the same time, learning to trust the innate healing power within myself.

For someone like me, who had always been tense with the belief that “I have to try harder,” this way of thinking marked a major turning point.

From then on, I began seriously studying natural healing. I read books, attended classes and lectures, studied healthy cooking, and learned so much through the people I met along the way.

And I began thinking not only about my illness, but also about a much bigger question:

“How do I want to live?”

My Illness Became an Opportunity to Rethink My Life

When I first became ill, I often thought,

“Why do I have to go through something like this?”

After everything I had worked so hard for.

After giving it everything I had.

Why did I have to become sick?

I felt frustrated and angry.

But as I studied natural healing and reflected on the way I had been living, my perspective gradually began to change.

Instead of looking only at what I had “lost” because of my illness,

I began asking myself,

“What can I learn from this?”

The things I had always taken for granted.

The belief that I was living entirely through my own strength.

The belief that working hard was always the right thing to do.

The belief that I would be happy once I became healthy.

I began to reconsider each of these assumptions, one by one.

And eventually, I realized something:

“Perhaps life requires not only adding things, but also letting things go.”

What “Letting Go” Means to Me

When you hear the words “letting go,” you might think of getting rid of things.

Of course, that is one form of letting go.

But the kind of “letting go” that matters to me goes far beyond that.

For example:

Letting go of possessions.

Letting go of unnecessary plans.

Letting go of things I don’t really need to do.

Letting go of information.

Letting go of old habits.

Letting go of relationships that are too difficult or draining.

Letting go of the belief that “I have to do things this way.”

Letting go of the anxiety about what other people think of me.

Letting go of attachments to the past.

Letting go of worries about the future.

Letting go of blaming myself.

Letting go of trying too hard.

And finally,

letting go of the belief that

“I can’t be happy unless my life turns out this way.”

When we do this, we may begin to notice things that were already there within the life we once thought was “not enough.”

Peace.

Freedom.

Time.

Nature.

Connection with others.

The simple moments of everyday life.

And ourselves.

That is why I believe:

Letting go is not about losing something. It is about making room for what truly matters and choosing to keep it.

Minimalism as a Way to Make Life Lighter

For me, minimalism is not about competing over how few things you can own.

I’m not particularly interested in questions like,

“How many things can you own and still call yourself a minimalist?”

What matters to me is knowing:

“What do I truly need in my life?”

And then taking the time to ask, one thing at a time,

“Do I really need this in my life right now?”

When we own fewer things, we spend less time managing them.

When we have fewer plans, we have more time for ourselves.

When we consume less information, our minds become quieter.

When we simplify our relationships, we have more time and space to be ourselves.

When we let go of limiting beliefs, more possibilities open up.

In other words, by having less, we can actually gain more freedom.

That is what I love about minimalism.

What I Share Through “Letting Go”

Through “Letting Go,” I share my thoughts and experiences on a variety of topics, based on what I have learned through my own life.

Everyday Life

Decluttering, owning fewer things, minimalist living, and simple ways to make everyday chores easier.

Food, Clothing & Home

Eating in a way that is more in harmony with nature, keeping life as simple as possible, and creating a healthier and more comfortable environment around us.

Mind & Body

How to live with illness, how we approach our thoughts and emotions, and the small habits we can build into our daily lives.

Relationships

Learning to stop forcing ourselves to please others, and thinking about healthy boundaries between ourselves and other people.

Letting Go Within

Letting go of dissatisfaction, guilt, attachment, limiting beliefs, perfectionism, and the habit of trying too hard.

None of these are meant to tell you, “This is how you should live.”

They come from what I have experienced, thought about, tried, failed at, and started over again.

From all of that, I write about the things that made me feel a little lighter, the things I was glad to let go of, and the ways of thinking that helped me through difficult times.

I share them one by one, hoping they might be helpful to someone else, too.

More Than 15 Years of Trial and Error

It has been more than 15 years since I first began rethinking my way of life after becoming ill.

Over those years, I have learned about many different things, including food, natural healing, minimalism, daily habits, and the way we approach our thoughts and emotions.

Of course, not everything worked out perfectly.

There were times when my desire to become healthy made me overly anxious and cautious.

There were also times when my pursuit of the “right way to live” ended up making life harder for me.

I have told myself:

“I must not eat this.”

“I have to do things this way.”

“I need to be even more careful.”

In trying so hard to do everything “right,” I sometimes ended up putting myself in a cage of my own making.

That is why I now believe:

Health and happiness are not about striving for perfection.

Adding something to our lives can be important.

But just as important is asking ourselves:

“What can I stop doing?”

“What can I let go of?”

And then, as life changes, we can keep choosing and re-choosing what we truly need at that particular moment.

That is how I have come to see things.

I Am Not a Perfect Minimalist

I am not someone who can effortlessly get rid of anything and everything.

I am not calm and at peace all the time, either.

I still struggle.

I still become attached to things.

I still try too hard sometimes.

There are still things I think, “I know I should let this go, but I just can’t.”

That is why this site is not a place where someone who has “figured it all out” teaches others how to live.

I am still in the process of letting go myself.

Something I was able to let go of today may be difficult for me again tomorrow.

Something I once let go of may find its way back into my life.

And I think that’s okay.

What matters is not becoming perfect.

What matters is pausing from time to time and asking ourselves:

“What do I truly need in my life right now?”

I believe that repeating this process, again and again, is what gradually leads us toward a life that feels truly our own.

Who I Hope Will Find This Site Helpful

I would be happy if “Letting Go” could reach people who:

Want to own less and live a simpler life
Feel exhausted because there is simply too much to do every day
Want to organize not only their home, but their life as a whole
Feel emotionally overwhelmed despite trying so hard
Are tired of difficult or draining relationships
Find themselves caught up in many “I have to…” beliefs
Want to discover what truly matters to them
Are interested in living in greater harmony with nature
Want to take better care of their mind and body
Are looking for a way of living that is not simply about “trying harder”

If even one of these sounds like you, perhaps you will find something here that offers a little guidance—or simply helps you feel a little lighter.

What I Want to Share

I don’t want to fill people’s lives with more information that makes things complicated.

What I want to share is

a way of thinking that helps you relax your shoulders and breathe a little easier.

Try harder.

Learn more.

Buy better things.

Become healthier.

Keep growing.

There is so much “addition-based” advice in the world—advice that tells us to keep adding something to our lives.

But there are other choices we can make, too:

“You’ve already tried hard enough. Maybe it’s time to rest.”

“Maybe you don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Maybe you don’t really need this.”

“Maybe life can be much simpler.”

Instead of adding something new, try taking one thing away.

When you do, you may begin to see things that were hidden before.

What Remains When We Let Go

Because of my illness, I have let go of many things in my own life.

I let go of possessions.

I let go of the life I used to live.

There was even a time when I had to let go of my work.

And little by little, I have let go of many of the beliefs about how I “should” be.

Each time, I find myself thinking the same thing:

Letting go did not simply mean losing something.

Instead,

it helped me notice what truly mattered.

Time.

Freedom.

Nature.

Connection with others.

My own inner sense of what feels right.

The ordinary moments of everyday life.

And the feeling that

“This is enough.”

I feel that I have been able to find these things more easily when I let go of what was unnecessary than when I tried to acquire more and more.

Continuing to Let Go

I want to continue letting go as I move forward in life.

Not only possessions, but also:

The way I live.

Work.

Relationships.

Habits.

Information.

Thoughts.

Emotions.

And the things that keep me from being free to live as myself.

Along the way, I want to keep asking:

“What do I truly need in my life right now?”

“What do I really want?”

And I want to fill the space created by letting go with the things that truly matter.

What If You Let Go of Just One Thing?

If your life feels a little heavy right now,

before you try to start something new,

ask yourself:

“Is there just one thing I could let go of?”

It might be something you no longer use.

A habit you have been forcing yourself to continue.

A plan you never really wanted to make.

Worrying about how someone else sees you.

Or a belief that says, “I have to do this.”

It doesn’t have to be anything big.

Let go of one thing.

Create a little space.

And within that space, you may begin to see what truly matters.

I believe that these small changes, repeated over time, can make life feel lighter.

As Minimalist TANU

Becoming ill was an enormous hardship for me at the time.

But looking back now, it was also a major turning point—an opportunity to rethink my life.

If I had never become ill, perhaps I would never have become a minimalist.

Perhaps I would never have discovered natural healing.

Perhaps I would never have thought so deeply about how I want to live.

That is why I want to share what I have learned through everything I have experienced with the people who may need it.

What I have learned.

What I have gotten wrong.

What I have let go of.

And what I still haven’t been able to let go of.

I want to leave all of it here, in my own words.

And if the life of even one person who reads my words becomes just a little lighter—

if they find themselves thinking,

“Maybe I can let this go now.”

“Maybe I’m allowed to take better care of myself.”

“Maybe I don’t have to make life so complicated.”

—then that is enough for me.

That is why I continue sharing as Minimalist TANU.

Making both mind and body feel lighter.

What began for me as a journey of letting go of possessions eventually became a journey of rethinking my life itself.

From here on, too,

I want to live lightly by letting go of things, commitments, and thoughts,

and share what I learn as I continue putting this way of life into practice.

Perhaps your life already contains more than enough of what truly matters.

Maybe what you need is not to add something new,

but to gradually let go of what is unnecessary

and notice

what is already there.

I would be happy if “Letting Go” could become the beginning of that journey for you.

Minimalist TANU

Minimalist / Creator of “Letting Go” / Founder of “Letting Go Academy”

After becoming ill in my twenties, I began studying and practicing minimalism, natural healing, food, clothing and housing, and ways of caring for the mind and body. I have continued this journey for more than 15 years.

Through the theme of “letting go of things, commitments, and thoughts,” I share ideas for living simply and creating a life that feels lighter, both mentally and physically.

Topics I Share

For Those Who Want to Explore Their Own Path

Beyond simply reading the blog, I also offer time for those who would like to take a deeper, more personal look at their own lives.

Perhaps you want to:

“Sort things out within yourself.”

“Figure out what you need to let go of.”

“Simplify your life and the way you live.”

“Find answers that are difficult to find on your own.”

Rather than simply applying someone else’s idea of the “right” answer to your life,

I want to explore together:

“What do you truly need in your life?”

My hope is that these conversations can become a space where you can take a closer look at your own life and discover your own answers.

Want to Make Your Life a Little Lighter?

If so, I invite you to take your time exploring the articles on “Letting Go.”

You may find your first thing to let go of right here.

Minimalist TANU