Married The Girl Next Door in Paradise

Simon, a New Zealander, was living in the house next door to Akemi in stunning Surfers Paradise on Australia’s Gold Coast when they met one evening in 1995. “We had a big party for my birthday and Akemi came over with my friend, who was her flat mate,” Simon says. “Akemi left the party early and after that a crowd
of gate crashers came to party and a huge fight broke out. It had spilled out into the street by the time the police arrived — about 10 cars in all with a lot of noise and flashing lights,” Simon recalls. “The next morning the landlord kicked me out of the house so my friend asked me to move into his house with him, where Akemi was also living. After that event, Akemi and I became boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“We have met each other parents many times and our parents get along really well,” Akemi says. When her parents first heard about Simon they said he was too young but after they met him “everything was cool,” he says mentioning the 6-year age difference between them. “My parents have been to Japan twice and her parents have been to New Zealand once. I know a lot of people have had trouble in this area but I guess we were lucky.”

The couples’ wedding in New Zealand in 1999 was a huge highlight. “All of our friends got together for the first time and it was soooo much fun!!” Akemi says with a smile. “Planning the wedding was one of our biggest worries. We had to plan the entire event, including arranging for almost 40 of Akemi’s family to fly and stay in New Zealand, from Japan. It was a planning nightmare but we did
it!” Simon says emphatically.

International couples can enjoy many unusual experiences
Simon’s job was a key factor behind their decision to live in Japan. “I was a professional skateboarder up until a few years ago. The company I rode for gave offered me a chance to come to Japan to try and promote their products, which thankfully solved all our problems for us.” Akemi moved to Japan first and they were apart for three months before Simon arrived. “It was really difficult,” Simon
recalled. “We didn’t know where the other was or what they were doing. And ‘phone English’ is much more difficult than speaking face-to-face.” The couple are convinced they can make more money in Japan and believe it is a great place to build a really strong base for couples and their children.

Friends are a common problem for many international couples. “I had a lot of Japanese friends that I had met in New Zealand who were living in Japan, whereas Akemi didn’t know anyone in New Zealand,” he said about the time when they were deciding which country they to live in. This was one of the main reasons they decided to live in Japan.

The couples’ biggest highlight was the birth of their little girl Aliya in October 2003. “It was great,” Simon says, “but I was very worried whether the hospital
would let me be in the same room. Luckily they did, but I was just the guy sitting in the corner unable to understand anything that was being said,” he says with a laugh.

The couple believes the best thing about being in an international relationship is the mix of cultures. “We can get to see and experience so many things that people in a same-culture relationship can’t. We can learn what Japan and New Zealand are really like when all the gloss is taken off. Having two places to call home is great too,” Simon says.