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Reuters
Published: 14 Dec 2020 08:39 AM BdST
Updated: 14 Dec 2020 08:39 AM BdST
Workers of Buysell Technologies sort kimonos bought from private sellers at their warehouse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, December 8, 2020. REUTERS
When Japan announced a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, people were urged to declutter their homes to pass the time, with Tokyo's governor even roping in household-organising celebrity Marie Kondo in promotional videos.
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Many have taken that message to heart and the market for second-hand luxury goods is booming as a result.
Mitsuko Iwama, a 71-year-old housewife, is a case in point. Pre-pandemic, she would have been spending a lot of time at the gym but after being stuck at home and cleaning her closets more often, she decided to part ways with kimonos that her parents bought her decades ago.