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The Japanese Concept That Inspired Me to Restore My Busted Old Sneakers

‘Mottainai’ helps me to see value in the lackluster

Kaki Okumura
Forge

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Credit: Marta Pachón / EyeEm / Getty Images

MyMy sneakers had holes on the bottom of the soles, the white leather had turned the color of ash, and the laces were stained from the rusted eyelets. I put them in a plastic shopping bag and was ready to toss them in the outdoor garbage can when my mom stopped me in the doorway.

“Kaki-chan! That’s so mottainai.”

In Japanese, mottainai means wasteful, something I learned after I moved from New York to Tokyo at age 12. But I didn’t think I was being wasteful — I had worn these sneakers daily for about two years and they were so tattered that my heels would get wet every time it rained. I had just received a paycheck from my part-time job and decided I deserved better.

My mom waved me off. “Fine, you can throw them out if you want, but there’s still life in them.”

Illustrations: Kaki Okumura

I left the plastic bag by the doorstep and told myself I would take them out tomorrow when I wasn’t under her scrutiny.

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