“It’s like I’m constantly living in the Discovery channel”

The spring of 1997 meant more to Max and Yumi than just the start of a new season. Both were juniors in a college in Beijing when they first set eyes on each other. Pittsburgh-native Max says it was love at first site. “I invited Yumi out dancing at the local night spot where we had such a great time we stayed until it closed. We then went back to our campus but didn’t want to part. Instead, we walked around the campus while I built up the courage to kiss her. Finally, at
the far end of the soccer field we kissed for the first time.”

The pair began dating and when the semester finished they traveled west for a month exploring the Silk Road through Xian, Dunhuang, Turpan and Kashgar. Upon arriving back in Beijing, they parted ways — Max had to return to the U.S. to write his thesis and Yumi continued studying in Beijing.

“Through the next school year we maintained our relationship but Yumi was getting a bit cold,” Max recalls. During spring break, Yumi visited Max in the U.S. He quickly finished his thesis then returned home ready to tackle the elationship. “My suspicions were correct and I found out that there was someone else back in Beijing ... another American,” he says. But now she was confused. Yumi
returned to Tokyo, they broke up and lost contact for almost six months.

Being apart showed me that we were meant to be together
“Breaking up hurt but it tested our resolve and love,” Max says. “Yumi and I dated others but I felt sick every time I was with someone else. I needed Yumi,” he says. “Then we started emailing again,” Yumi adds. “He had found a job and before starting it he planned to take six months off to study again in Beijing. I met him at Narita airport when he stopped in to Tokyo on the way. We immediately knew it was right and started over,” she says.

Dreading the thought of another long distance relationship, Max promised to come to Japan within two years. Sure enough, he flew into Tokyo in September 2001 and they moved in together. Max’s lack of a visa was the first hurdle they faced but he finally got a visa and a job with Amway Japan.

The biggest issue, he says, was living with Yumi. “She never had a roommate before and we had lots of fights, but after 18 months we settled into a rhythm of sharing the housework. Whoever gets home first shops and cooks dinner while the other person washes the dishes.”

“Language has been a real difficult point for us,” Yumi says. After the first few years of dating and communicating in Chinese, they now alternate between using Japanese and English each week. “But we still get into fights when we can’t decide whether it’s English or Japanese week,” Yumi laughs.

The couple were married on August 31st, 2003 in Pittsburgh.