- Title: JAPAN: Men and women shout love messages ahead of "Love Your Wife Day"
- Date: 29th January 2010
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JANUARY 28, 2010) (REUTERS) MAN YELLING "I LOVE YOU" IN JAPANESE AT LOVE MESSAGE-YELLING EVENT ANOTHER MAN IN BLACK SUIT YELLING "I... LOVE... YOU" IN JAPANESE ON STAGE OTHER MAN IN GREY SUIT YELLING "UNTIL YOU BECOME A GRANDMOTHER... LET ME BE WITH YOU" IN JAPANESE AND BOWING EVENT STAGE SET IN HIBIYA PARK IN DOWNTOWN TOKYO MAN IN GREY SWEATER WALKING UP ON STAGE MAN IN GREY SWEATER YELLING "I'VE BEEN JOBLESS SINCE I LOST MY JOB 16 MONTHS AGO, BUT MY WIFE HAS BEEN ALWAYS SMILING AT ME. MADAM CHIKAKO, I LOVE YOU" IN JAPANESE AND BOWING KENICHI KIKUCHI, EVENT PARTICIPANT, YELLING "AYAKO, I LOVE YOU" IN JAPANESE ON STAGE AYAKO KIKUCHI LOOKING AT HER HUSBAND SHOUTING ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) AYAKO KIKUCHI, THE 38-YEAR-OLD WIFE OF AN EVENT PARTICIPANT KENICHI, SAYING: "My heart throbbed with excitement. His words stroke my heart." THE KIKUCHIS HOLDING HANDS TOGETHER EVENT CO-ORGANIZER KIYOTAKA YAMANA TALKING ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) KIYOTAKA YAMANA, FOUNDER OF JAPAN DEVOTED HUSBANDS' ORGANIZATION, SAYING: "The dominant image of Japanese men to the outside world is "overworking businessmen," but I wanted to tell people around world that Japanese men are actually very romantic." KENZABURO CHO, EVENT PARTICIPANT, YELLING "STAY WITH ME FOR ALL YOUR LIFE" IN JAPANESE CHO YELLING "I LOVE YOU" IN JAPANESE AND BOWING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) KENZABURO CHO, A 27-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSMAN, SAYING: "I feel refreshed and also warmed up after I yell, so, from now on, I'll tell my girl directly that I love her... but not this aloud." WOMAN IN KIMONO WALKING UP ON STAGE WOMAN IN KIMONO YELLING "I LOVE MYSELF. I'LL DO MY BEST FOR MYSELF THIS YEAR" IN JAPANESE WOMAN WITH TRADITIONAL SLIPPER WALKING DOWN FROM STAGE MAN IN BLACK SWEATER WALKING UP ON STAGE MAN IN BLACK SWEATER YELLING "I ALWAYS WISH THERE IS SOMEONE WAITING FOR ME WHEN I GET BACK HOME FROM WORK. PLEASE... SOMEBODY BE AT MY HOME" IN JAPANESE AUDIENCE LISTENING TO MAN IN BLACK SWEATER YELLING "ANYBODY, PLEASE" IN JAPANESE ON STAGE MAN IN BLACK SWEATER YELLING "ANYBODY, PLEASE... RIGHT NOW... I LOVE YOU" IN JAPANESE MAN IN BLACK SWEATER YELLING "I LOVE YOU" IN JAPANESE WITH HIS HANDS CLAPPING OVER HIS HEAD
- Embargoed: 13th February 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVACA5WY8SHTX575D3GIHG72O9X
- Story Text: Japanese men and women gathered in a park in downtown Tokyo on Thursday (January 28) to shout and scream their love for spouses or themselves or to simply put themselves on the marriage market.
In Japan, where modesty and reticence are traditionally valued over outspokenness, expressing love can be difficult.
That's why dozens of Japanese get together once a year at Hibiya Park in central Tokyo to yell "love messages" for their wives out into the sky - in an attempt to show their appreciation for loved ones in an indirect but bold way.
Messages, such as "I love you" or "Let me be with you," which are seldom whispered by bashful Japanese, were yelled aloud by some 25 men and women on the event stage televised across the country.
Some of the confessions reflected the gloomy reality of the recession. One participant went almost tearful as he thank to his wife who's been unchangingly amiable even though he lost job more than a year ago.
Others who bought their wives to the event ended up giving the biggest presents before the Valentine Day.
"My heart throbbed with excitement. His words stroke my heart," said a 38-year-old Ayako Kikuchi while holding hands together with her husband Kenichi who just finished yelling "Ayako, I love you" on the stage.
The Love Message-Yelling Event, co-hosted by a citizen group "Japan Aisaika (pronounce ah-ee-sa-ee-ka, meaning "devoted husbands") Organization" to mark the "Love Your Wife Day" on January 31.
Local man Kiyotaka Yamana, who started the initiative after his own marriage failed, said he wanted to change the stereotype that Japanese men were not romantic.
"The dominant image of Japanese men to the outside world is "overworking businessmen," but I wanted to tell people around world that Japanese men are actually very romantic," Yamana told Reuters.
And, some participants started feeling that sentiment expressions are actually refreshing.
"I feel refreshed and also warmed up after I yell, so, from now on, I'll tell my girl directly that I love her... but not this aloud," said a 27-year-old businessman Kenzaburo Cho after confessing love to his fiancé as yelling, "Stay with me for all your life. I love you."
Among participants were a Kimono-clad woman who said she was unmarried and loved herself the most.
A single man who said he wished to have someone to live with amused the audience by crying out "Anybody. Please... right now." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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