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 dojo.
When Andrew changed jobs, he got too busy for aikido, so they didn't see each other for three years. They contacted each other again through a mutual friend, and the three of them were supposed to meet up together. But the friend canceled, and on that day Andrew told Kayoko about his plan to build a house in Tokyo as he gained permanent residency in Japan. Kayoko and her mother helped Andrew find some land, and Andrew decided on Nerima Ward — close to where Kayoko's parents lived.