As you might remember from Chapter 13, I spent a week in early July in the Kansai region, predominantly Kyoto. Whilst I have since retracted my decision to up and leave Tokyo and re-settle in Kansai, I have stayed in touch with a few friends I made along the way, one of whom is Morris*. Morris is a Canadian man in his thirties who lives and works in Kyoto. Morris is an attractive, friendly and interesting person. These might seem like odd things to point out about someone but they’re important details because–due to the eruption of COVID-19–Morris is looking for a more secure visa. To put it bluntly, Morris is looking for a wife.

It sounds a little seedy but I actually think he’s a bit of an inspiration. Having previously lived a rather solitary thirty years of existence, Morris decided a few months back that in order to find a wife, he would first have to make a few friends. He pushes himself outside of his comfort zone by setting himself tasks of speaking to three new people a day. The evening that I met him, Morris had approached various people, asking for directions or chatting to them by the river. The third and final person he approached that night was Akira. Akira was waiting for me by the river as I was coming back from my overnight trip to Nara so when I arrived at the river, the two of them were deep in conversation.

Within a few minutes of meeting, Morris filled me in on his recent change of lifestyle and his goals for 2020 (i.e. marriage) and obviously I was very excited. He’s been reading up on how to talk to girls, how to flirt and what kind of body language to express on a date. I have never met anyone who plans as many minute details as I do and I was over the moon. Akira (who lives his life open to the unknown and never makes any plans) shook his head disapprovingly as we discussed at what point in the evening he might casually place his hand on his date’s leg, when and under which circumstances he should go for the kiss and how long is an appropriate time to wait in between messages.

It is at this point in the evening, he jokingly asks me if I know any Japanese women looking for foreign husbands. I stop for a moment and wonder how I could have been so stupid. Not only do I know one, but two beautiful Japanese women living in Tokyo who are both looking for husbands.
“Would they move to Kyoto?” Morris asks me. I tell him that I doubt it.

The next day, the fun evening by the river with Morris and the other expats we met that night is a mere drunken memory. I don’t think about it again until the end of July when I am back in Tokyo, having dinner with my two very eligible friends, Akiko* and Saori*. Saori is now dating someone but it is only when Akiko complains how all the goods ones are taken that I am reminded of Morris and his search for a wife.

“Oh, I actually met a Canadian man in his thirties who’s looking for a wife,” I tell her. Her face lights up. I tell her that he’s attractive and she excitedly claps her hands.
“But you would have to move to Kyoto.”
She’s still grinning from ear to ear when Saori leans over the table and tells me that’s really not an issue for Akiko.

I leave dinner that evening under the promise that I will send Morris a message, enquiring about his quest for a wife. As it turns out, I don’t even need to send the message because less than a day later I receive one from Morris: he’s coming to Tokyo and wants to meet up.

Is this fate? I think so. I respond instantly saying yes and asking him if I can bring along a friend. I text Akiko to tell her the news. She’s free on Thursday, he’s free on Thursday and so am I.

So that’s how I ended up in Korea town last Thursday evening, frying bacon and kimchi, sipping an alcoholic rice-flavoured yogurt drink and orchestrating a marriage. Saori also came along for the ride because we really thought we were going to be watching history in the making.

It was a fun evening but the result wasn’t what we were hoping for. I met Morris a few hours early, we walked around Shinjuku, he took some pictures of the sunset and we made a game plan. He was going to aggressively cough into his elbow if he wanted Saori and I to clear off. We met the other two in Shin-Okubo (Korea town) and we had a lovely time.

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After the meal, we walked to a nearby bar and got another couple of drinks. By ten o’clock, we were standing at the platform, each waiting for our respective trains. My train was first and once I was sure that Akiko and Morris were no longer together, I texted them individually to find out the final decision.

It came back negative. Akiko said he was nice but she didn’t have any strong feelings. Morris’s exact words were: “I wouldn’t mind seeing her again”. From a man coming closer and closer to his visa expiration date, this doesn’t seem hugely promising. I’m not going to beat myself up over my first match-making attempt because I see a lot of room for improvement.

Firstly, one great thing came from the evening–I have discovered I bloody love Korean BBQ. That Saturday, I went back to the same restaurant with two of my coworkers. I was telling them the story of how I ended up in the restaurant just two days before, when one of my coworkers told me how he’s looking for a long-term relationship, ideally with a Japanese woman.

“Would you consider marriage within the next couple of years?” I ask him.
“Yes.”
“Kids?”
“Yes.”
One door at the Korean BBQ restaurant closes and sure enough a window pops open!

I’m not sure whether to give him Akiko’s number. Ideally I would like to orchestrate another group hang-out although I’m unsure if I just want to involve myself so I can blog about it. Either way, I should market it as a casual dinner rather than a screening for a potential spouse. I think the downfall last time came from the obvious difficulty that arises when deciding whether or not you want to marry someone within the first fifteen minutes of meeting them.

Suggestions on how to proceed are welcome.