The long-running variety show "Welcome, Newlyweds!" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sundays at 12:55 PM), hosted by Takashi Fujii and Sakura Inoue, will feature a couple on April 5th: the wife is a 60-year-old master of popular theater, and the husband is her 26-year-old apprentice.
A couple with a 34-year age difference. They were in the world of popular theater, in the positions of "master" and "disciple." The wife, who thought she would "never fall in love again," found herself in a new phase of her life, brought about by her 34-years-younger husband. Having been married three times before and staying away from romance for about 20 years, the wife was captivated by her young disciple. A passionate love story that transcends age differences and the master-disciple relationship is revealed.
The staff visited the "Tsubaki Theater Company" in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture, to see this couple. The theater company was founded by the wife's mother about 40 years ago and at its peak had about 50 members, touring hot spring towns all over the country, but currently there are only 8 members. They have set up a stage in the family home and continue to operate as a community-based popular theater company.
The wife's mother, the first head of the troupe, is still alive and continues to teach dance. The wife is a veteran actress who has been dancing since she was eight years old, and now, as the second head of the troupe, she performs on stage while also teaching dance. Her husband, on the other hand, is a new actor who joined the troupe a year ago while working as a regular office worker. Moreover, influenced by their father, his two younger sisters have now started taking dance lessons and are attending the troupe's rehearsals.
My husband first saw a popular theater performance when he went to a public bath with his family during his junior high school days. He longed to do it himself, but gave up on the idea due to his family's opposition. However, one day, while driving by, he happened to see the sign for "Gekidan Tsubaki" (Tsubaki Theater Troupe) and his passion was rekindled. He decided to visit, and was surprised when the first troupe leader with a pompadour hairstyle came out. He was relieved when he saw his wife appear from behind, but the two of them gushed about their first impressions of her, saying she was "young and cool" and "beautiful."
Three days after joining the team, his wife asked him directly via LINE, which they had exchanged for work-related communication, "Do you have a girlfriend?" He also revealed that he had been single for a long time, further bridging the gap between him and his young apprentice. After three marriages, it seems his wife was completely captivated by the romantic feelings that had returned to her after 20 years.
Meanwhile, the husband was initially bewildered by his older mentor's sudden advances. However, she was more than just an assertive older woman. The two were to perform "Yagiri no Watashi" on stage. As they acted out a scene where a man and woman who have fallen in love forbidden love try to escape by abandoning everything, the husband became captivated by his wife's alluring dance. He said that the moment he took her hand, he felt, "This person might be my soulmate," so it seems the young apprentice was also charmed by his mentor's allure.
Then came the Tokai Village fireworks festival. The husband made up his mind and invited his wife out for a private outing. On the way back from watching the fireworks, his wife urged him, "Don't you have something to say?" and he finally confessed his love straight away. He added, "I'll take care of you from now on, I'll change your diapers, I'll protect you for life, so please be my girlfriend," showing his manliness by accepting the 34-year age difference completely. Five months after they met, his wife rejoiced, calling it "the last words of my life," and accepted.
The next day, they told the wife's mother. Then they told the husband's parents, but the wife was nine years older than the husband's parents. The husband's mother recalls, "When I first heard the news, my mind went blank." However, when they invited the wife to their home, they all gathered around the monjayaki that the wife had made, and they quickly became closer. To the husband's mother, she was "like a reassuring older sister." To the husband's sisters, she became like a "second mother" they could talk to about their love lives.
The show concludes with a letter from the husband's mother to his wife. The words, "Thank you so much for marrying me," and "You are a precious person I can talk to about anything," reveal the deep love for family.
