The Japanese live by simplicity and minimalism. They also observe the concept of “Osoji,” which means to clean the clutter, dirt, and dust of the past. More than just the physical sense of the concept though, Osoji also promotes a state of mind that treats cleaning and decluttering more than just a monotonous chore.

In Shinto, cleanliness is godliness. So Buddhism's emphasis on cleanliness merely reinforced what the Japanese already practiced. A key concept in Shinto is kegare (impurity or dirt), the opposite of purity. Examples of kegare range from death and disease to virtually anything unpleasant.