Today is my ten-year anniversary. On a Super Bowl Sunday ten years ago, Yoko and I shared our feelings and decided to start dating.

Photos and videos from that first year of our relationship are rare. Maybe it’s because we were trying to “date in secret.” But I like to think that we were just too busy savoring our new companionship.

A lot has happened in the last decade, but in many ways, little has changed. We’re married now. Our inside jokes have swelled into a secret language. Yoko had bangs, shaved her head, grew out her hair, and then got bangs again. I shaved my head and will probably never have another hairstyle.

Our first trip outside of the U.S. as a couple was to Japan in 2015. Yoko grew up visiting Japan—mostly Nara to see family. We’ve gone back and forth a few times now. There’s something special about imagining childhood Yoko walking the same sidewalks, hearing the same sounds, and smelling the same smells.

I’ve made videos of our Japan adventures over the years, including this one with travel scenes from 2018 and 2020. They’re my take on “home movies.” There’s nothing like a sizzle reel to memorialize what we did but also the vibe of being in that place and experiencing those things with each other.

Happy ten, Yoko. Glad we’re on the same team.

Cities: Izu, Kyoto, Narita, Yokohama, Tokyo, Kakegawa, Osaka, Arima, Nara

Music: Geo - It Never Rains, RA - Charged Up, Walz - Name, RA - That Sax, Pecan Pie - Lo-Fi Holiday, Pecan Pie - Warmy Blues, kidcut - I'm Fallin' In

Kiwimonk

Adventures in Japan