Japan’s Edo period found it serving as home to some of the largest cities of the time, and although it ended nearly 150 years ago, its people were faced with the very same issues of resource conservation, food production and population control that the we struggle with today. In Azby Brown’s recently reprinted book, the pragmatic solutions developed by the Japanese people during this time are presented to the reader in a format that is immediately engaging and a joy to read.

Just Enough is a self-professed “book of stories” separated into three sections that take us from the rural landscapes of a forest-dwelling rice farmer to the crowded row-house apartments of a city carpenter, and finally to the dignified formal lodgings of Edo’s samurai districts. In each section we are guided by the author into the lives of the area’s inhabitants and introduced to the way they live as if we were guests in their home, with an eye toward resource conservation at all times. At the end of each section critical points are summarized and reinforced, and throughout the text Brown’s beautiful sketched illustrations and hand-written margin notes bring life to each topic.

The book is packed with information and features an extensive bibliography. While many of the solutions featured may not be directly applicable to life outside the Edo period, they remain fascinating and are usually rooted in ideas that will have value in any time period or environment. Highly recommended to anyone with a remote interest in low-impact living or traditional Japanese culture.

Woolzies are felt wool drier balls the size of a tennis ball. I have been using them for several months – after purchasing them on Amazon, and trying for the first time, I just keep them in the drier all the time now.

They save quite a bit of energy as the drying time is reduced by 30-40% or so [See note below - Mark]. Woolzies also work better than plastic drier balls: I have noticed a marked difference in the quality and softness of the dried garments.

This product is efficient and environmentally friendly through and through: they’re made of pure wool so no plastic or other chemicals are used to make them. They drastically reduce the time required to dry clothing, they are gentler on the dried fabric, which also comes out softer and almost wrinkle-free.

[We use these at home, too. A couple of drops of essential oil (lavender, for instance) make the clothes smell good. A note about drying time from Cool Tools reader Morten Nisker Toppenberg: "I think the science behind the claim to drasticly reduce drying time is somewhat sketchy. "I'm unable to find the any information from the company or other companies making dryerballs on how they come to this result. However a couple of private test pop up: Do dryer balls reduce drying time? | Do Wool Dryer Balls Cut Down on Drying Time? "They seem to suggest that there is little or no effect and describe their method of testing allowing you to replicate the test." - Mark Frauenfelder]

A pretty good introduction to all the homesteading tasks you can do in a small urban space. I found it a bit more helpful than similar tomes like The Urban Homestead. Most of the subjects covered — vegetable gardens, bees, composting, fermenting, animal husbandry — are just scaled down versions of rural homesteading — a huge education that can’t be squeezed into one volume. But this book has a few good ideas that only work in smaller city patios or rooftops.