《中英對照讀新聞》Why Japanese women rebel against Valentine’s day, but still buy chocolate 為何日本女性反抗西洋情人節 卻仍購買巧克力？

一名女子在東京一場西洋情人節展銷活動上購買巧克力。（歐新社檔案照）

◎張沛元

Japanese women are rebelling against a decades-old Valentine’s Day tradition that obliges them to give chocolates to men.

日本女性已經開始反抗行之有年的強迫她們送巧克力給男性的西洋情人節傳統。

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On February 14, the nation’s female workers are expected to give "giri choco," or obligation chocolates, to their male colleagues. Women are also expected to buy heartfelt chocolates, "honmei choco," for their crushes or loved one.

在2月14日，全日本的女性上班族都被期待分贈所謂的「義理」或義務巧克力給男同事。女性購買衷心巧克力或所謂的「本命巧克力」，送給暗戀對象或男友，也被視為理所當然。

"Valentine’s Day （in Japan） got turned upside down to become a symbol of the Japanese patriarchy," said Jeff Kingston, a Japan expert at Temple University in Tokyo.

「西洋情人節（在日本）已經被搞得亂七八糟，成為日本父權意識的象徵。」美國天普大學東京分校的日本專家傑夫．金斯頓如是說。

But this year, women are calling time on the financially draining practice.

但今年，（日本女性）開始對這種燒錢的做法喊停。

A recent survey by a Tokyo department store found about 60% of women will instead buy chocolates for themselves on Valentine’s Day.

東京一家百貨公司最近做了一項調查，發現約6成女性在西洋情人節會改為自己買巧克力。

Only 35% planned to offer chocolates to their male colleagues.

只有35％的女性打算送巧克力給男同事。

新聞辭典

rebel against （someone or something）：慣用語，造反，反叛，反抗。例句：Teenagers’ natural desire to rebel against authority could be tapped to drive them to replace junk food with healthier choices, a study has found.（一項研究發現，青少年天生想要反抗權威的渴望，可以被用來驅使他們以更健康的選擇來取代垃圾食物。）

turn something upside down：慣用語，將…翻了個底朝天，（把…）弄得亂七八糟；（使）變得凌亂不堪。例句：He turned the room upside down looking for his car keys.（他為了找汽車鑰匙，把房間翻了個底朝天。）

call time：慣用語，時間到了，叫停，叫暫停。

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