The unlikely marriage that no one saw coming surprises everyone in Japan.

If there’s one show you need to be watching on Netflix right now, it’s Terrace House, the Japanese reality show that puts singles together in a luxury house, with their goal being to find love and realise their dreams.

Kind of like Big Brother, but a whole lot calmer and more enjoyable to watch, Terrace House has become a worldwide hit, with viewers getting a firsthand insight into what it’s like to date and find love in Japan.

And one of the people filling in the gaps and educating us with some witty comments along the way is 42-year-old Ryota Yamasato, who sits in as one of six commentators on the show. Yamasato is a Japanese comedian and radio and television personality who first became popular as one half of the comedy duo Nankai Candies.

Now he’s become a well-known face to millions around the world, with Terrace House viewers drawn to his no-holds-barred comments criticising some of the house members, and his cynical views on youth and love.

▼ A sample of Yamasato’s classic one-liners.

However, the cynic has now gone off-brand by tying the knot with 33-year-old Japanese actress Yu Aoi.

▼ The marriage made front-page tabloid news this morning.

Aoi is one of Japan’s most famous actresses, who’s starred in dozens of films over the years, including Tokyo!, Rurouni Kenshin, and Tokyo Ghoul. However, she’s perhaps best known for appearing in the 2006 hit film Hula Girls, which tells the story of a group of young women who saved their town in Fukushima from financial ruin by forming a hula girl troupe.

▼ Aoi in Hula Girls.

Most recently, Aoi received the Japan Academy Prize Association’s award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for the 2017 movie Birds Without Names.

The marriage announcement came as a surprise to many, with morning TV shows discussing the topic and Yamasato’s comedy friends reminding everyone that he once topped Yoshimoto Kogyo’s “most unattractive person in Japan” poll for three consecutive years back in 2006.

https://twitter.com/kuramochi_a0911/status/248585201805037568

However, Yamasato, or Yama-chan as he’s affectionately known, is an incredibly likeable character, and according to reports, Aoi and he were introduced by a mutual friend, Shizuyo Yamasaki. Shizu-chan, as she’s known to friends, co-starred with Aoi in Hula Girls and was the other half of Yamasato’s comedy duo Nankai Candies.

The couple went out to dinner with their mutual friend at the beginning of the year, and instantly hit it off. They began formally dating in April, and after immediately knowing they were meant to be together, they registered their marriage on 3 June.

Yamasato was seen talking about Aoi in January, saying he was thankful for the care and respect she’d shown to him. Anyone who’s watched Yamasato on Terrace House will know that he’s often the butt of jokes doled out by the other commentators, so it’s nice to hear he’s getting some respect for a change.

Although Yamasato and Aoi appeared on TV program Zenryoku! Datsuryoku Times in August last year, reports say the two only became romantically linked this year.

The two will be holding a press conference this evening to talk about their union.

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Now that Yamasato has tied the knot with one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in Japan, we can’t wait to see whether or not it will affect his onscreen persona. Will he become more soft-hearted and forgiving towards the house members on Terrace House? Somehow we don’t think so. In fact, maybe the shot fired by Cupid’s arrow will fire him up to become even more involved in the lovelorn storylines on the show.

Sources: Line News, Mainichi Shimbun
Featured image: Twitter/@terrace_quotes
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