日本人秀浪漫 大膽喊出我愛你

Love really takes to the air in Tokyo once a year, when dozens of Japanese shout out their ardor for spouses, partners -- and even themselves -- at an event that's also broadcast on national television.

Japanese have traditionally valued modesty and reticence over outspokenness, but Kiyotaka Yamana, a Tokyo resident who started the "Love Message Yelling Event" after his marriage failed, said that didn't mean they were unromantic.

"The dominant image of Japanese men is of overworked businessmen, but I wanted to tell people around world that Japanese men are actually very romantic," Yamana said.

The event, which precedes "Love Your Wife Day" on January 31, took place at the Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, co-hosted by a citizen group dedicated to devoted husbands.

Most of the 30 or so participants took to the stage, yelling "I love you" or "Let me be with you."

Some of declarations reflected the gloomy economic situation: one husband, his voice choked up with tears, thanked his wife for staying with him although he lost his job more than a year ago.

The increased economic clout of women and changing social attitudes toward marriage, which is no longer seen as necessary for either gender, have kept an increasing number of Japanese single.

But for those who have a special someone in their lives, the "Love Message Yelling Event" helped give relationships a boost.

"My heart throbbed with excitement. It really touched me," said a 38-year-old Ayako Kikuchi, holding the hand of husband Kenichi who had just finished yelling "Ayako, I love you" on the stage.

Other participants said they found the event emotionally liberating.

"I feel refreshed after I yell, so, from now on, I'll tell my girl directly that I love her... but not this loud," said a 27-year-old businessman Kenzaburo Cho after telling his fiancée: "Stay with me for all your life. I love you."

One kimono-clad woman, who said she was unmarried, confessed to the audience that she loved herself the most and a single man who said he wished to have a partner amused the crowd by crying out: "Anybody. Please... right now."
每年的這個時候，東京的空氣裏都洋溢着愛的氣息，很多日本人會在這一天勇敢地喊出他們對配偶、伴侶甚至對自己的愛。這一活動還會在全國電視臺播出。

日本人傳統上更注重含蓄內斂，不夠直率，但東京居民山名清貴說，這並不意味着日本人不懂浪漫。山名清貴在婚姻破裂後發起了這項名爲“喊出你的愛”的活動。

山名說：“日本男性給人的主要印象就是‘工作狂’，不過我想告訴全世界的人們，日本男性其實非常浪漫。”

這一活動於1月31日“愛妻日”前一天在東京市中心的日比谷公園舉行，由一個愛妻協會民間組織共同舉辦。

當天共有約30人蔘與了這一活動，其中大部分人都走上臺，大聲喊出“我愛你”或“我要和你在一起”等愛的宣言。

其中有一些宣言和嚴峻的經濟形勢有關。一名男子一年多前失業，他流着淚哽咽着感謝妻子這段時間以來對他不離不棄。

近年來日本單身人士的數量持續上升，這一方面是因爲女性的經濟能力增強，另一方面是因爲社會對婚姻的態度發生了變化，認爲婚姻無論對於男性還是女性來說，都不再是一個必然的選擇。

不過對於那些擁有真愛的人們來說，“喊出你的愛”活動有助於增進感情。

38歲的菊池彩子聽到丈夫兼一在臺上對她喊“彩子，我愛你”後握着丈夫的手說：“我的內心十分興奮。我真的很感動。”

其他參與者說他們覺得這一活動可以讓情感得到釋放。

27歲的商人長健三郎對他的未婚妻喊道：“永遠和我在一起。我愛你。”他說：“喊完後我覺得神清氣爽，所以，從現在開始，我要直接對我的女人說我愛她，只不過不會這麼大聲。”

一名身穿和服的未婚女子坦稱她最愛自己。一名期待找到伴侶的單身男子大聲喊道：“無論哪位，快點……就現在。”這通喊話逗樂了臺下的觀衆。

Vocabulary:

take to: to have recourse to; go to, as for safety 去，往；走上，登上（The workers took to the streets to protest against the police brutalities. 工人們走上街頭，抗議警察的暴行。）

reticence: the trait of being uncommunicative; not volunteering anything more than necessary 沉默寡言，緘默

clout: power and influence 影響力；勢力