Although Tomoko and Riki Melwani both hold Japanese passports, by background they are multinational.

Having spent six years from age 10 in the United States and Canada, Tomoko, 39, speaks fluent English and communicates with her two daughters — 5-year-old Kiran and 3-year-old Sarina — in English.

Riki, 38, was born to a Japanese mother and an Indian father and grew up in India, Britain and Japan.