For Japanese women — any woman for that matter — Richard D. Cabrera is a sight for sore eyes. Here in Japan especially he would appear to have all the requisite credentials that make girls swoon: kakkoii (trendy or cool), kanemochi (wealthy), and kashikoi (smart).

He laughs at the suggestion. "I like the kakkoii bit. As for the rest, I'm self-educated, self-made and married already — but that's another story."

Cabrera, named in his native Cuba as Ricardo, added the D. because he thought it make him sound more worthy. "Ricardo Cabrera and people think, 'Oh, another Latino.' But I am Cuban, not Latino. Richard Duenas Cabrera demands to be taken seriously."