The Umbrella of Togetherness refers to a romantic image stemming back to when it was not considered appropriate for a young woman to be seen in public with a man who was not a family member.
The one exception to this rule was during a rainy day, when a man could offer to share his umbrella with a young maiden in the street if she hadn't one herself.
This image of a man and a woman sharing an umbrella in the rain translated itself into romantic imagery that still persists through various media.
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- While it is considered a world-wide romantic image, the Umbrella of Togetherness isn't as iconic in the west as it seems to be in Japan.
- The drawn graffiti symbol of the Umbrella of Togetherness, where a triangular umbrella is drawn with the pair's names written under it, is the Japanese equivalent of the "John [arrow through heart] Jane" love graffiti in the west.