TSUKUBA, Ibaraki Pref. — Gary and Aki Neuwirth say they have married three times. The first time was when they registered with the city office in Nerima, Tokyo, for a marriage certificate last May. Then they held a Japanese-style ceremony at a Shinto shrine in Nerima in July, as Aki's mother wished, followed by a Western-style reception in Florida at the behest of Gary's mother.
Gary and Aki were introduced to each other in 2005 by a mutual friend in New York, when Aki was there on holiday.
After Aki returned to Japan, she and Gary kept in regular touch by e-mail for about a year. In July 2006, Gary moved to Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, to work as an English-language teacher, but they were still just friends at the time.