Although most couples have had long and uncomfortable periods of silence after an argument more than once, they are all far from husband and wife who have not spoken for two decades - while continuing to live together. Otou Katayama from the Japanese city of Nara for 20 years did not say a word to his long-suffering wife Yumi, while talking normally with his three children. All the woman's attempts to talk to her husband were unsuccessful - after all, the answer was only nods and inarticulate mooing.
The silence of the Japanese couple became known after their 18-year-old son Yoshiki wrote on a TV show asking for help to fix the situation, since he had never heard his parents talk. “My dad doesn't talk to my mother, but my mom speaks to him normally,” he explained on the show. "This is one-way communication." His 21- and 25-year-old sisters also couldn't remember when they ever heard their parents talk to each other.
Speaking on a television show, the father explained the reasons for such a long game of silence. According to him, he did not feel enough attention to himself. “When the children were born, my wife was very busy raising the children. I was kind of … jealous. I sulked because of this, - said the man. "I don't think it will happen again." The Japanese show conceived the idea of getting the spouses talking by organizing a meeting between them in the same park where they had their first date.
And the strange situation was resolved by conversation. “You were so worried about the kids,” Otou said. “Yumi, you have experienced many difficulties up to this day. I want you to know that I am grateful to you for everything. " The couple promises that their future will not be as quiet as before.
