A 40-year-old Japanese man named Yoshitaka has been happily married to his 65-year-old wife Aki for over a decade, however, he only learned about the massive age gap the day before their wedding.
It’s understood that a then 29-year-old Yoshitaka met Aki who at the time was 54 years old at a Japanese-style bar which she operated and instantly connected on their mutual likes and experiences.
Among the striking factors included, having experienced failed marriages and were raising children alone.
It’s reported that while Yoshitaka knew he was dating an older woman, Aki downplayed her age by a further 10 years saying that she was 44 years old.
She was able to keep her secret for seven years, up until the day before their wedding. In early 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was getting ready to ravage the world, Aki and Yoshitaka decided to get married.
“Realizing that she could get infected herself and that Yoshitaka would need to know her real age so as not to confuse doctors or first responders, Aki decided to tell him she was 25 years older than him“, as per Oddity Central.
She noted that the fear of scaring him away with her true age was the reason behind the delay. Yoshitaka was however unbothered and the two tied the knot despite the surprising news.
“I don’t mind your real age at all, it doesn’t matter,” Yoshitaka told his bride-to-be. “What matters is why you didn’t tell me earlier so you wouldn’t have to worry for so long.”
A relived Aki noted that Japanese culture looks down on Older women getting together with younger men as opposed to the reverse, which furthered that hesitance.
“Older men can proudly show off how young and beautiful their wives are, but many women who are older than their husbands often hesitate to reveal their relationships to others,” Aki said.
After getting married the couple decided to quit their 9-5s and travel around Japan, documenting their adventures on a YouTube channel called “A couple with a 25-year age difference”.
Yoshitaka and Aki’s story first went viral in 2021 when it made news headlines in Japan and China, but it recently resurfaced after being featured by the Japanese newspaper Bunshun Online.
