Love really takes to the air in Tokyo once a year, when dozens of Japanese shout out their ardor¹ for spouses², partners -- and even themselves -- at an event that's also broadcast on national television.

每年的这个时候，东京的空气里都洋溢着爱的气息，很多日本人会在这一天勇敢地喊出他们对配偶、伴侣甚至对自己的爱。这一活动还会在全国电视台播出。

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 modesty³（谦逊，稳重） and reticence⁴（沉默寡言） over outspokenness⁵（坦白） , 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（平淡无奇的） .

"The dominant⁶ 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（优于，领先）  "Love Your Wife Day" on January 31, took place at the Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, co-hosted by a citizen group dedicated⁷ to devoted⁸ 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（噎住，阻塞） with tears, thanked his wife for staying with him although he lost his job more than a year ago.

The increased economic clout⁹（影响力） of women and changing social attitudes toward marriage, which is no longer seen as necessary for either gender¹⁰, 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 throbbed¹¹（悸动，抽动） 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 liberating¹².

"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（承认，坦白） 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."