Tokushima couple’s marriage approved after three-year cohabitation trial

On the October 11 episode of the long-running Kansai Sunday daytime program “Shinkon-san Irasshai!” on ABC Television, a 27-year-old husband and a 33-year-old wife from Tokushima Prefecture appeared who married against the mother’s initial wishes. The husband, whose wife is his first-ever girlfriend, pursued her after a six-year-gap college romance that featured an unexpected university withdrawal, a chance encounter at a shopping mall, a message cancellation, and a three-year cohabitation trial imposed by the bride’s mother.

A College Crush, A Sudden Disappearance, And A Mirrored Reunion

The couple first met as classmates in the child studies department at university, where the husband was training to be a nursery school teacher and the wife had enrolled after gaining prior work experience. The husband viewed the six-year-older classmate as an out-of-reach figure, spending their first year together mostly watching her from afar with barely any conversation. Their dynamic shifted during their second year when a mutual friend invited them to karaoke, where the wife delivered a passionate voice-imitation performance of a Crayon Shin-chan opening theme song that instantly dissolved the husband’s intimidated impression.

The husband subsequently invited her to a movie, but she softly declined his second invitation, and he arrived at campus one day to discover she had withdrawn entirely to restart her education elsewhere. Fearing he had inadvertently harassed her, the husband spent half a year in the dark until he spotted her by pure chance while visiting a shopping mall with his family. Though he lost track of her inside the complex, she messaged him two days later to confirm the sighting, prompting the husband to muster the resolve for his first-ever confession of feelings.

The Mother’s Condition And The Reality Of A Three-Year Cohabitation Trial

When the wife brought up the possibility of marriage and asked about him entering her family registry as an adopted son, the husband agreed immediately. However, complications arose when his family as the eldest son among three siblings questioned the adoption arrangement, leading him to inform the mother during a hotel lunch that he could not become an adopted son while promising to care for her family and graves. Although the mother initially told them to set the adoption issue aside and simply date, she turned to her daughter the moment they were alone and declared, That guy is completely out, criticizing him for acting overly timid.

The relationship weathered this dismissal after a late-night messaging exchange where the husband texted that he would not demand marriage but would come instantly if she ever wanted him, prompting the wife to reply, If you’re going to say that much, come and take me away, before deleting it within five seconds. Because he had already read it, he called, drove to her location immediately, and united their resolve to face the mother once more. In response, the mother laid down a requirement: the pair had to live together for three years to prove their compatibility, a test she admitted she expected them to fail.

Three Years Later And The Open Question Of The Parking Lot Photo

The initial phase of cohabitation proved burdensome as the husband, accustomed strictly to living with his parents, struggled with dividing household chores and found little time to rest. Over time, however, they learned to accommodate each other’s emotional needs and successfully fulfilled the three-year stipulation. When the husband formally returned to the mother to ask for her daughter’s hand, she finally relented with an affirmative reply, remarking that she had started opening her guarded heart step by step.

The husband shed tears of joy and shook hands with his new mother-in-law to seal the approval, though the commemorative photograph of that milestone moment was captured in a parking lot. The episode is scheduled to air on October 11 at 12:55 p.m., leaving viewers to see how the couple’s unusual journey from a university karaoke session to a three-year probationary trial translates on screen.