Tatsuya Yoshioka and Rachel Armstrong Yoshioka met in 1998 aboard a cruise ship during an international exchange organized by Peace Boat, the Japan-based nongovernmental organization that works toward social change mainly by chartering passenger vessels for "peace voyages."
Working for the NGO in 2001, the two went through tough negotiations to resolve problems with the cruise ship Olvia, which was chartered for their voyages. They concluded the talks successfully, went out for drinks to celebrate, and fell in love.
The couple married in 2003 and live in Tokyo with their 1-year-old daughter, Sofia, whose middle name is Olivia, which sounds like the Japanese pronunciation of Olvia.