Love was in the air in a Tokyo park as normally staid Japanese husbands gathered to scream out their feelings for their wives.
Love was in the air in a Tokyo park as normally staid Japanese husbands gathered to scream out their feelings for their wives, promising gratitude and extra tight hugs.
With modesty and reticence traditionally valued over outspokenness, expressing deeper feelings like love has long been hard in Japan.
That's why dozens of Japanese men gather once a year ahead of Jan 31, which in Japanese is a play on the words for "Beloved Wife," to let their feelings fly.
Declarations at the Tuesday night event ranged from a simple "I'll love you forever" to expressions of gratitude for homemade boxed lunches.
"I'm sorry that I've gained weight over the last seven years," a suit-clad man yelled. "But that's because the meals you cook are so delicious."
The event, now in its fifth year, was thought up by Kiyotaka Yamana with the support of a local flower shop to urged Japanese men to show their affection in more explicit ways.
"The economy is getting better in Japan and I see a lot of Japanese married couples getting more active in deepening their relationships," Yamana said.
Wives in the audience laughed and clapped, especially when one man got down on his knees to offer his wife a bouquet.
东京一座公园的上空涌动着绵绵爱意，因为平时成熟稳重的日本丈夫聚集到一起，对妻子大声喊出了心里的爱意，表达感激，还纷纷献上拥抱。
在日本，人们历来重视谦虚和含蓄，而不是直言不讳，所以表达爱意等内心感受并非易事。
这也正是每年1月31日前几十名日本丈夫聚集一次来抒发内心感受的原因。在日语里，1月31日是“心爱妻子”两个词的组合。
周二晚上这一活动中，从喊出简单的一句“我会永远爱你”到对妻子为其做便当而表达感激之情，众多丈夫当众对妻子表达了爱意。
“对不起，过去七年我长胖了不少，”一名西装革履的丈夫喊道。“但那是因为你做的饭太香了。”
这一活动今年已是第五次举办，创意由Kiyotaka Yamana提出，并由当地一家花店赞助，旨在鼓励日本男人用更直接的方式表达自己的情感。
Yamana说，“日本的经济形势日趋向好，我发现很多日本夫妇在加深夫妻感情上都更加积极主动。”
一旁围观的妻子们又是欢笑，又是拍手，尤其当一名男士跪下来向妻子献花时，更是如此。
staid: 古板的，保守的