On the set of her new Netflix series,Tidying Up.
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Margie has lived in her two-story Culver City house for 29 years.
But Marie immediately said she could see how I am experiencing joy in my belongings.
That made me feel very validated.
Everything else needs a proper place.
In Japan, we put up Christmas decorations, but never to this extent, says Kondo, frowning.
Kondo begins opening envelopes and making piles with the dexterity of a court stenographer.
That is, until she screams.
A silverfish has scurried out from one of the boxes.
I ask Kondo later if she gets used to these types of surprises in her line of work.
It does happen, and Im certainly not unfazed, she says.
Margie finds an old L.A.Timesstory announcing Princess Dianas death.
Next, they come across a commemorative moon-landing poster.
Is this a memory for you?
I mean, its part of history, says Margie, uncertain.
Do you think your kids will want it?
Margie pauses and then shakes her head.
Thanks, astronauts, she says, as it goes in the garbage.
That was quite unhealthy, she admits later, over lunch.
I thought the demand for tidying was uniquely Japanese, but that was not the case, she says.
But what about bad habits?
She must have one?
Kondo places her pointer finger on her chin and thinks.
(In the absence of a shared language, she tends to be sweetly gesticulative.)
But Kondo doesnt consider her method a fad, and this is where the TV series comes in.
People can visually comprehend the effect of tidying, says Kondo.
Its not about feeling shame for how you live.
Its about exploring what you should probably live as happily as possible.
Shoe storage is typically a big challenge in America!
In fact, theyre often people who might find her methods a little odd.
Some people on the show questioned why they would thank an inanimate object for its service, recalls Kondo.
This was a revelation.
I know now that I must explain some aspects of my work more clearly.
Back at the house, the camera crew heads upstairs to prep for the next scene.
After two months, she thinks shes getting the hang of it.
My kids call me a hoarder Im not, she says.
Hoarders have goat trails because they intend to keep it that way.
Spark joy isnt necessarily my phrase, but theres other ways to describe it, she says.
Does it make me happy or comfortable?
What if Katrina rolled through?
What would I truly miss?
Stuff is so unimportant when you lose a life.
I ask if the language barrier has been at all distancing or otherwise a hindrance.
After the first hour, we were fine, says Margie.
She seemed comfortable; I was comfortable.
I did have to stop and laugh at the way were smiling at each other over organizing.
But how much can you actually grasp in those visits anyway?
You have to stop and absorb and reflect afterward.
Kondo is in the bedroom tackling some of the more sentimental documents that belonged to Rick.
Margies already sorted his clothes according to the KonMari method, which suggests heaping everything on the floor first.
This is not like Dr. Phil, where youhaveto do this or that, she says.
Marie offered to help, but she said no.
In two weeks, they would have been married 38 years.
I dont want to see his medical stuff anymore, says Margie.
Thats good to keep for the kids.
Margies last assignment before Kondo leaves will be the most challenging: going through decades of old photographs.
Kondo has helped arrange them on the dining-room table chronologically.
I can see this taking months.
Kondo holds up a photo of young Margie sporting a heavily sprayed nimbus of 80s hair.
That sparks confusion, Margie says, laughing.
Kondo smiles: You have to be pretty selective because you have so many photos.
Margie wants to wait until she has a glass of wine in her hand to confront this task.
Dont force yourself to tidy, says Kondo, gently.
Its an experience in itself.
An earlier version of this piece stated that Marie Kondo is 33.
