A 63-year-old Japanese woman has married her 31-year-old boyfriend, making her six years older than her own mother-in-law. It all began with a misplaced phone at a café in Tokyo.
Today, 63-year-old Azarashi is married to a man more than thirty years younger than her. Their story began when she noticed a phone left on a sofa at a Shinjuku café.
A little while later, its owner a young man came back looking for it.
She handed it over, assuming that would be the last time they crossed paths.
But life had something else planned.
A week later, she spotted the same man on her train. They recognised each other instantly and happened to get off at the same stop.
That small moment led to a conversation, and the two quickly clicked.
Soon, evening calls became a routine, with both of them talking for an hour or two every night.
“From the moment we spoke on the phone, it felt like we were in love,” Azarashi recalled.
“I’m not very good on the phone, but when I was talking to him, time flew by.”
On their first date at Tokyo Skytree, as reported by the South China Morning Post, the man had given her a handwritten letter that said:
“Please be my princess.”
They would call each other prince and princess from then on till they were married.
The age reveal
It was only after a month of dating that they came to know each other’s real ages. Azarashi recalled how people on her social media kept commenting that the young man was probably already taken or even married.
To clear the doubts, he showed her his driver’s licence and personal details.
That moment encouraged Azarashi to finally share her own true age with him as well.
Mother-in-law’s disapproval
While Azarashi’s son who is actually older than her husband by six years supported the relationship from the beginning, her mother-in-law was not as accepting.
Azarashi is, in fact, six years older than her mother-in-law.
She questioned her son about marrying someone who could no longer have children. But he made it clear that he never wanted kids in the first place. Over time, his mother slowly began to accept their unusual marriage.
This year, she had even sent Azarashi flowers and a letter that addressed her as “princess” for her birthday.
Azarashi said that they are currently in their third year of marriage and still have “so much fun together”.
Life with her new husband
Azarashi said life with her current husband feels very different from her past marriage. Earlier, she was used to handling all the cooking and cleaning on her own. But now, the two share household chores equally — something she had to adjust to, since she once believed such tasks were only a “woman’s job.”
Keeping their age gap in mind, Azarashi has also made plans to hire a professional caregiver in the future.
And while their marriage has drawn mixed reactions online, she chooses not to let it bother her.
“We met by chance, but I firmly believe I’ve found the right person. As long as we’re happy, that’s what matters.”