National
Researchers hurt at Ibaraki nuclear facility
Up to 30 researchers are feared to have suffered internal radiation exposure after an experiment went awry at a Japan Atomic Energy Agency facility.
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Dec 6, 2011
Pair's engagement blossomed in China
by Mami Maruko
Kazunobu Seto and his wife, Robin, met in his hometown of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, in 2004. Robin, from Thunder Bay, Ontario, was a teacher on a one-year contract at an English conversational school in Kanazawa. They met at a sports club they had both ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Nov 15, 2011
Musical couple's commitment helps husband beat addiction
by Mami Maruko
American Mike Rogers and his wife, Yuka, of Kanagawa Prefecture, met at an HMV store in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, in 1992. Mike, who had recently cofounded a record label, was promoting the label’s CDs at the shop when he met Yuka, the in-store DJ ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Sep 27, 2011
Jamaica coffee, music recipe for success
by Mami Maruko
Yukiko Ariga, 39, a Tokyo native, visited Jamaica, where her friend was living, twice on holiday because she loved reggae music. Eventually, she decided that she wanted to do something different in her life, so she went to live and work in the Caribbean ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Sep 20, 2011
Juvenile issues bring couple together
by Mami Maruko
Vincent Marx, 47, from the U.S. state of Washington, and his wife Emiko, a Tokyo native, first met at a juvenile detention center in Seattle in 1992. Emiko, now 42, was then a senior at the University of Washington who had transferred from Keio ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Aug 9, 2011
Top blogger illustrates Chinese wife's struggles
by Reiji Yoshida
W ith his winning of the prestigious Alpha Blogger Awards 2010, Tokyo-based cartoonist Junichi Inoue is now recognized as one of the most influential Japanese bloggers. His blog carries comic strips of amusing episodes about a new life with his young, Chinese wife, Yue, ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Jul 5, 2011
North America midway destination
by Mami Maruko
Kim and Junko Knudsen’s house is full of American primitive country decor they brought back from their honeymoon in the U.S. South. The couple love country music, too, and plan to live in the United States or Canada in the near future. Kim, 41, ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES May 3, 2011
Pair go together like pasta, dessert
by Mami Maruko
“People around us tell us that we’re like meoto-manzai (stand up comedians). We’re always surrounded by laughter,” says Atsuko Nonogaki Planeta, 43. “We’re talking all the time. I never get bored,” Paolo Planeta, from Genoa, Italy, adds. Paolo, 37, and Atsuko met in Tokyo ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Mar 8, 2011
From love of anime to love of a man
by Mami Maruko
When Mel Ushikubo, 35, saw the name of her future husband, Kohei, on the Internet, she immediately wanted to see him in person, as that was the name of a character in one of her favorite anime. “I was an anime freak, and saw ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Feb 15, 2011
Canadian's health issue unites couple
by Mami Maruko
On their first date, Eiko Tiernan was told by her future husband, Laurier, that he has Marfan syndrome, a congenital hereditary disease that affects about 1 in 5,000 people. At first, she did not know how to react, as she knew nothing about the ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Jan 11, 2011
Absence makes couple grow fonder
by Natsuko Fukue
Long-distance relationships are no longer rare in today’s global village. But how long can a couple last without actually seeing each other? Fukuoka residents Naoko Yufu, 28, and 26-year-old Xie Guosong from China have been apart for about four of the five years of ...
Our Lives | MIXED MATCHES Dec 21, 2010
Javan culture brings couple together
by Mami Maruko
Sumiyanto, 31, born and raised in the Klaten regency of central Java, and Ayako Nezu, 39, from Kawasaki, met in 2002 in the central part of the Indonesian island while they were studying at a national traditional arts college in Solo. Nezu was studying ...
Community | MIXED MATCHES Nov 23, 2010
For couple, home is where the heart is
by Mami Maruko
Andrew Pickard, 42, from Leeds in northern England, and Kayoko Hirayama, 35, of Tokyo, met seven years ago at an aikido dojo in Tokyo. For about two years they were just friends, and sometimes went out drinking with a group of people from the ...