Dozens of Japanese men gathered a Tokyo park earlier this week to publically declare devotion to their wives in a nationally broadcast event.
‘Love Your Wife Day’, now in its fifth year, features a succession of husbands loudly declaring their affection for their spouses on a stage before a live audience. Many also present their wives with flowers.
Japanese culture values modesty and reserve and open declarations of emotion are rare. This week’s event featured such declarations as “I will always love you”, “I can fly because you’re with me” and “There is no substitute for you to me”.
After receiving her bouquet, one wife said of her husband: “He’s very fabulous and manly today. It just reminded me of how macho he used to be, which I’d forgotten for the eight years I’ve been married to him. My heart pounded.”
Photo by Héctor de Pereda via Flickr under a Creative Commons licence
