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Getting a marriage back on track 回歸婚姻生活

Mitsutoshi Fukatsu and his wife Setsuko enjoy tea together at their home near Tokyo, Jan. 28, 2007. 一月二十八日，深津光俊與妻子節子在他鄰近東京的家中享受品茗之樂。(照片︰美聯社) PHOTO: AP

Mitsutoshi Fukatsu has been with his wife for three decades, but their lives have grown apart. As a busy stationmaster in central Japan, he returned home only to eat, bathe and sleep.

Now with retirement looming, the 56-year-old wants to get to know his wife better. He's helping with chores, calls his wife by her name Setsuko — instead of just grunting — and recently learned a new phrase: "I love you." Fukatsu is one of a small group of men who took in Japan's second annual "Beloved Wives Day" in hopes of salvaging their marriages by doing something unusual — paying attention to their wives.

Last year, a new group for men called the Japan Doting Husbands' Association designated Jan. 31 as a day for husbands to return home at the unusually early hour of 8pm, look into their wife's eyes, and say, "Thank you." The movement, though small — about 230 people have posted messages on the group's Web site about this year's event — represents quite a change for a generation of Japanese men taught to consider their companies first and their wives much later.

"I had never told Setsuko I love her — not like that. But now I want to say it more often ... it feels nice," Mitsutoshi said.

Setsuko Fukatsu appreciates the new attention.

"In the end, the children will leave and have their own families, so the two of us need to live a happy and a healthy life together," she said. "And I'm sure my husband will help me out with that." (AP)

深津光俊（音譯）已經結婚三十年了，但他們倆的生活聚少離多。在日本中部擔任站長、工作繁忙的他只能回家吃飯、洗澡和睡覺。

現在，隨著退休的日子逼近，五十六歲的他希望能多了解妻子。他開始幫忙家務，以太太的名字「節子」稱呼她，而不是只用哼的。他最近又學會了新詞︰「我愛你」。深津先生是參加日本第二屆「愛妻日」的少數男子之一，希望能做件難能可貴的事—關心太太—來挽救婚姻。

去年一個新的男性組織「日本愛妻家協會」將一月三十一日訂為先生破天荒在晚間八點提早返家的日子，並注視妻子眼睛說聲「謝謝妳」。這個運動雖然仍屬小群（約兩百三十人在協會網站上就今年活動留言），卻代表被教育為「公司優先、妻子排後」的這一代日本人，相當大的轉變。

深津先生說︰「我從未對節子說我愛妳，不像那樣。不過現在我希望能時常這樣說‥‥‥感覺很好。」

深津節子感謝這樣新的關注。

「小孩最後都會離家，建立自己的家庭。所以我們倆必須一起共渡健康快樂的人生，」她說︰「我相信我的先生會與我攜手偕老。」 （美聯社/翻譯：賴美君）

Today's Word 今日單字 1. retirement n. 退休 (tui4 xiu1) 例: My parents have been saving a lot of money for their retirement. (我父母為準備退休存了一大筆錢。) 2. grunt v.i. /v.t. 哼聲 (heng1 sheng1) 例: When I asked my brother if he had finished his homework, he only grunted in response. (我問弟弟他作業寫完了沒，他只哼了一聲回應。) 3. designate v.t. 指定 (zhi3 ding4) 例: The mayor has designated this area for festivals and plays. (市長指定這一區舉辦慶典與遊戲。) 4. generation n. 世代 (shi4 dai4) 例: People of my generation often take classes in using computers. (我這一代的人經常用電腦上課。)

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