November 22nd (11/22) is a special day in Japan, as it is celebrated as ¨good day for couples¨ (ii fuffu no hi – いい夫婦の日).
- What does ii fuufu mean?
In Japan the date is written as 11/22 instead of 11/22.
The number 11 = ii, which means (good) and the number 22 = fu fu, which means (couple), so 11/22 can be read as ii fuufu, that is, this day in Japanese culture has become the good day of couple (ii fufu no hi).
ii fuufu in Japanese sounds like a good husband and a good wife. Many recreation sites in Japan make a special offer to couples on this day to encourage them to take care of each other and spend more time together.
This Japanese celebration started around 1988 (it’s not very old or typical) and originates from goroawase, which is a rhyming game (playing with words), this common word game in Japan is often used in advertising.
The fact that you are married, that you have fallen madly in love with someone, does not mean that every day is good. When you share days with a person with different tastes, habits, customs and language, in the case of mixed couples, I think that, sometimes, it must be very difficult to understand some situations in married life. There will be things that can be forgiven and others that cannot. So it seems good that there is a day for couples to remember the day they fell in love, and take the opportunity to talk about the problems that exist, if any, so that they can stay together for several more years.