R ikiya Yokohori met his destiny while delving into applied mathematics at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2002.
That was where the 24-year-old systems engineer, born in Toyama Prefecture and raised in Tokyo, encountered Andrea Herford, a student at the university studying to become a teacher.
The two first spoke at a Christmas party that year, and began a relationship around Valentine's Day in 2004, following a series of rollerblading dates.