Just about a year ago, I left my Ottawa apartment, sold most of my belongings, packed up the rest, and moved to Japan with a suitcase and carry-on.
Since then, I’ve brought those same bags to short-term Airbnb rentals across Tokyo, Osaka, Kumamoto, and Saitama. After almost a year, I’ve stopped missing most of the things I left behind and started loving the flexibility that comes with having so much less.
In fact, these days, I’m questioning why I ever needed so much in the first place.
I wasn’t exactly a minimalist back in Canada
I’ve always been a bit of a “stuff” person. I had an overflowing closet, shelves full of books, and shoes for basically every occasion, including some I wore only once or twice a year.
My apartment was full of stuff, too: records, plants, kitchenware, and everything in between. My husband loves collectibles, and I always enjoyed picking up little things to make our space feel more like us.
However, when we planned our yearlong move to Japan, we knew we would have to downsize. We wouldn’t have an apartment to come back to, so we got rid of almost everything. Facebook Marketplace was my best friend for a few months as I sold our furniture, electronics, and beyond.
I sold and donated a ton of my clothing to create a capsule wardrobe, which I’d later pare down even more to just four shirts, two skirts, a pair of pants, shorts, a dress, one pair of shoes, and a rain jacket — all organized into packing cubes.
Then, we packed a few sentimental things we wanted to keep into boxes and left them with family in Canada.
I don’t miss the stuff I gave away — and, in fact, I think I could’ve packed even less
Turns out, I was so excited to be in Japan that I didn’t miss anything I left behind — even after I ran out of my usual hair products and had to find alternatives for my curls. It was also a relief to have less to carry around. I just felt lighter.
As my months in Japan went on, I realized I could have packed even less. Did I really need a surplus of my favorite shampoo, and tons of stationery?
Moving between cities with everything I owned in two bags made me hyper-aware of every item I had. Lugging heavy suitcases up flights of stairs when our Airbnb didn’t have an elevator wasn’t exactly fun, and I definitely didn’t want to be carrying anything I didn’t absolutely need.
Over the course of a year, I shipped three (going on four) boxes of my things back to Canada, simply because I didn’t need most of what was in them. After living with so little, I’ve learned just how few belongings I need to feel comfortable day to day.
I’ve learned that home isn’t really about the stuff
Of course, that’s not to say that there’s nothing I miss about my more maximalist life in Canada.
As someone who loves to cook, I do miss having a kitchen stocked with tools and appliances. And at times, I also miss the feeling of coming home to a place filled with the things I’d normally choose for my own living space.
I’ve still found ways to feel settled into my Airbnbs, though. Over the past year, home has become less about having the perfect environment and more about the life my husband and I are building together, and the adventures we’re having along the way.
I hope to carry that feeling into whatever comes next. Soon, we’ll be back in Canada, and I’ll come face to face with the 20 boxes I left there. At this point, though, I hardly remember what’s in them. I definitely don’t want most of it back.
We’re now talking about another big adventure: trying van life, visiting more countries, or moving to a new city in Canada.
No matter what comes next, I’m planning a major purge of everything we packed away once we’re back home. Turns out, I can live quite comfortably without a lot of the knickknacks and other belongings I once thought I needed.
After this year, I know I’ll be a lot more selective about what I keep. And maybe down the road I’ll want to fill my home with things I love again, but for now, I’m pretty happy living with less.
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