日本开设结婚预备学校 打造良夫贤妻

In search of Mr. or Mrs. Right, dozens of Japanese are attending a newly launched school in Tokyo that aims to turn them into marriage material.

The Infini school offers various classes for wannabe brides and grooms at a time when many people in Japan are either shunning the institution of marriage or are finding it very difficult to hook up with a partner.

The school, which is open to men and women, teaches students how to talk, walk and present themselves elegantly in a bid to capture the hearts and minds of prospective partners and their parents, who are often a major obstacle to successful unions.

Infini, which opened last month, now has about 30 female students. An almost equal number of males has signed up, but those who actually turn up to class are much fewer than their female counterparts.

"I had never even thought that my boyfriend's mother could play such a big role in my relationship, but now I've realized I need to start thinking seriously about how to impress my futurein-laws," said Kozue Sugawara, 29, who joined the school after her previous marriage plans failed.

With women wielding increased economic clout and changing social attitudes toward marriage, more Japanese in their 20s and 30s are single than ever before.

Government statistics show nearly two-thirds of women under the age of 34 are unmarried, despite some 3,800 firms in Japan offering match-making services.

The average age of the school's female students is 30 years.

"Before, people would find it easy to get married because families and society would connect them in some way, sometimes pushing them to get married. But nowadays, people have too many choices and cannot seem to make up their minds," said Etsuko Satake, principal of the Infini marriage prep school.

Instructors provide critiques about students' dress, posture and even details such as how they cross their legs or get out of a car. Men and women are taught different skills, which range from how to set a table well to how to be more emotionally expressive.

Students also simulate dates, during which their instructors grade their performance and point out what they did wrong.

The school charges an annual fee of 200,000 yen ($2,217) for unlimited access to its classes.

日本东京新开办的一所结婚学校正受到很多单身男女们的追捧，这所学校的目的是把他们打造成“良夫贤妻”。

眼下很多日本人逃避婚姻，或觉得很难找到另一半。而这所Infini学校则专门为想结婚的男女们提供各种课程。

该校招收男女学员，主要教授学员如何使自己言行、举止、仪态得体，以赢得对方及其父母的好感。在日本，父母的意见在男女双方的关系中起到很大的作用。

Infini学校于上月开课，目前约有30名女学员。报名的男学员也差不多有30人，但来上课的男学员数量比女学员少得多。

29岁的田梢菅原在几次结婚计划失败后上了Infini学校。她说：“我之前从没想过男朋友的妈妈会在我们两人的关系中起那么大作用，现在我才意识到我要开始认真考虑如何打动男方家人了。”

随着女性经济地位的提高和社会对婚姻观念的转变，日本20多岁和30多岁的单身男女比过去任何时候都要多。

政府统计数据显示，日本34岁以下的女性中，有三分之二的人未婚，尽管日本有大约3800家婚介服务公司。

该校女学员的平均年龄为30岁。

Infini结婚预备学校校长佐竹悦子说：“过去，人们觉得结婚并不难，因为家庭和社会总是想方设法为他们牵线搭桥，有时还会逼婚。但现在，人们的选择太多，很多人似乎难以下决心。”

学校的指导老师会对学员的穿着、姿态，甚至如何交叉双腿，如何下车等细节问题提出建议。男女学员学习的课程不同，从如何摆桌子到如何更好地表达情感等的一系列方面。

指导老师还让学员们模拟约会场景，在此过程中对学生的表现进行打分，并指出不足。

学校的学费为每年20万日元（合2217美元），上课次数不限。

Vocabulary:

hook up with：take in marriage（结婚，与某人来往）

in-law：a relative by marriage（姻亲，亲家）

clout：pull; strong influence（影响力，势力）