Beloved Wife Day

Japan has a lot of holidays.  Even the Japanese don't completely keep track of them beyond the fact that they don't have to work on Monday.  This morning I rode the train with two Japanese friends and they mentioned that tomorrow is a holiday, but they couldn't say which.  One looked at her calendar.  "Oh, it's Foundation Day, so it celebrates the founding of Japan."  No big deal.  It's the day that Emperor Jimma is said to have acceded the throne in 660 BCE according to the Nihon Shoki (a history of Japan from 720 BCE) .  Granted, it's a little far removed from modern memory and relevance but I think it is meant as a day to reflect on Japan and the love for the country.  Luckily, the garbage trucks will still be collecting paper waste, which is a good thing given all the junk mail that compiles during the two weeks between this assigned collection day (blessed every-other-Mondays!)

There are also a lot of days that aren't necessarily public holidays, but are still worth noting.  These may be festivals or days of observance, one of which I was particularly happy to learn about through NHK radio (the BBC or NPR of Japan).  Beloved Wife Day is held on January 31st and around this day every year, men gather in a park in Tokyo to shout out their love for their wives in a public and televised display.  It is worth it to watch a video of some of these here.

This was both strange and touching to me.  I'm not completely sure what to make of it and I can imagine filling in the gaps of my understanding with a lot of colorful narrative that might not be entirely true.  Who are these men and what is their personal story?  The event founder said that when his first wife left him, he realized that his career-minded way of life and long hours away from home, typical of many Japanese men, had kept him from fully appreciating her and expressing this appreciation.  And this was his motivation.  And I'm sure that each person has their own story, their own reason for these out-of-the-ordinary terms of endearment.  What brings someone to do it?  How many ways are there to say "I love you?"  Add it to the list.