After 40 International Marriage in Hawaii

John & Yasuko KITCHEN

Every year, 1.5 million people visit Hawaii, the island many Japanese dream of living on someday. Yasuko, a Japanese, married John KITCHEN, an American, and they are now living happily together in Hawaii. However, her road has not always been an easy one to walk. Yasuko divorced in her 20s, and did not find any opportunities to remarry in her 30s. Afterwards she soon realized that she was already over forty. That was 4 years ago when she was leading a very busy life in a computer software-related company.

Although she participated in arranged marriage meetings, she was not satisfied. She was also not happy with computer matching services offered by marriage consultants' offices in Japan either. Later, she came across a match-making company that arranged meetings between American men and Japanese women. She thought, "This is what I have wanted!" Yasuko, who has studied in London for a short time and then stayed in New Zealand for a year, was sure to have another chance since in the western world, people have more opportunities to be in love or get married regardless of their age.

As if to confirm her belief, a chance to meet another man, this time John - her present husband - came to her. John was also divorced and was longing to remarry. He was tired of the materialism seen in many Americans, and his image of Japanese woman was that they are elegant, devoted to their families, exotic, and so on. Yasuko and John started exchanging e-mails and frequently contacted one another.

"Some months later, I went during my long vacation to Hawaii where he was living," Yasuko says. "Thanks to the long period that we exchanged messages, both of us felt very familiar with each other, almost as if we were already friends and were having a reunion. From the first time we met, we enjoyed chatting and it went so smoothly, and when I had to go back to Japan after staying with him for three weeks, it was very sad to have to say goodbye to each other," Yasuko says.

However, she was anxious about one thing - John had an 11-year-old daughter Katherine. Since Yasuko had no experience of having a child, she felt uneasy about whether she could get on well with her. However, the longer she spent with Katherine, the more her worry faded. In 2003, Yasuko resigned from her company, flew to Hawaii and married John in a very simple wedding ceremony on the beach.

"At the beginning of our marriage, we often quarreled due to our different lifestyles and miscommunication. One time when I was depressed by such a quarrel, Katherine came to me and said 'I'm sorry about my father.' I was so glad to hear that and held her tight," recalls Yasuko.

At present, Mr. and Mrs. Kitchen run an international marriage service called "AlohaPartners" on Hawaii Island. "I feel so much responsibility for my job since my work might change the life of our clients, but I am content with this challenge. Some said that they were encouraged by hearing my experience and some made up their minds to step forward after talking with us. Their positive attitudes encourage me," smiles Yasuko.