Michael Claxton, 61, and his wife, Rieko, 43, are living proof of the saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

After a falling out, the career-minded couple decided to separate when their daughter, Kasumi, was just 3. Though they remained married they lived half a world apart — in Tokyo and Sweden. Nine years later — last December — all three reunited in Tokyo.

Rieko, who has lived in Hachioji, Tokyo, since she was 13, calls it a miracle they are back together. A Briton born and raised in London, Michael has lived and worked in four countries. But he decided it was time to live in Japan to be with his daughter, now 13, with happy results for all.