"Shinkon-san Irasshai!" (Welcome, Newlyweds!), a long-running variety show hosted by Takashi Fujii and Sakura Inoue (ABC TV/TV Asahi network, Sundays at 12:55 PM), will hold a special 55th-anniversary recording on March 22nd at the Tokai Cultural Center in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture, with approximately 700 audience members. A newlywed couple who were classmates in junior high school will appear on the show.
The two had the worst first impressions of each other during their middle school years. Even their old friends were surprised, saying, "We can't believe those two are getting married!?" First, a video introduces the journey from when the two met to their marriage. The two visit their alma mater, Tokai Minami Middle School, and reminisce about the scenery that hasn't changed in 15 years. There is still a school cafeteria on the premises, and they talk about how popular "Imozo-jiru," a miso soup made with sweet potatoes, was.
The two were in the same class in their third year of high school. My husband had the image of being shy and hardly talking to girls. On the other hand, my wife had the image of being a leader and intimidating. What made my husband even more intimidated was during practice for the choir competition.
When the scene was recreated with the help of the couple themselves and their two colleagues, it turned out that the wife, who was the conductor, was furious when her husband and his male friends were goofing around during practice, yelling, "Hey, what are you doing? Do you guys even want to practice?" She then added, "You're tone-deaf, so practice properly," which traumatized her husband. Apparently, all the men were terrified at the time.
After that, the couple went to different high schools. The husband became a nursery school teacher in Tokai Village, and the wife became a bank employee in a neighboring town. Ten years after graduating from junior high school, the wife went to watch a marathon in Tokai Village, and there she saw her husband running in a very striking costume. At the time, her husband belonged to a volunteer group called "Funny's," which consisted of male nursery school teachers in Tokai Village and performed picture books and plays for children. He entertained the children dressed as a character named "Kissy," with an American flag costume and blonde permed hair.
When the wife reunited with her husband, who had transformed into "Kissy" at a marathon, she was impressed, saying, "It's wonderful that he's breaking out of his shell and taking action for the sake of his children." On the other hand, the husband, who had been afraid of his wife, also had his image of her completely changed, saying, "When I talked to her, I found her to be a calm and kind person."
After that, they exchanged contact information and became friends. One day, when they went to a park together, her husband said, "Let's have a competition to see who can find a four-leaf clover first," and he crawled on the ground searching, and when he found one, he was overjoyed. His innocence made his wife's heart flutter, and she realized she had fallen in love with him. With the wish that they could be together forever, she pressed the four-leaf clover and put it in her phone case.
Then came their second date. The husband intended to confess his feelings at the Nishiyama Park observation deck, which boasts a beautiful night view. The day before, he went down to check it out and meticulously simulated the scene: holding hands at a certain point on the stairs, confessing while admiring the night view on the rooftop, and then kissing her in the heat of the moment. However, when the day arrived, it was so dark that the observation deck was barely visible. With the sky cloudy and the night view obscured, he proceeded exactly as he had simulated, terrifying his wife, but thanks to their mutual feelings, the confession was a success despite the complete lack of romantic atmosphere.
After dating for three years, the two got married. The husband was moved, saying, "Thanks to joining 'Funny's,' 'Kissy' was born, I met my wife, and I was able to appear on the show. I couldn't be happier." At the end, the members of "Funny's" also came up on stage, and "Kissy" delivered a heartfelt speech...
