Crossing borders, building dreams: How Japanese-Vietnamese couple turned restaurant encounter into life together

Sensing his hesitation, Kanako, who was working behind the open kitchen counter, stepped out to approach the shy foreigner and brought him inside to meet the owner. "I liked him immediately," she recalls. "He was very handsome, with cheeks like steamed buns that were slightly rosy."

A week later he was hired and discovered that she was not only kind, but also the most experienced member of staff. She was the only one trusted to work in the kitchen, while others served tables.

Sakata Kanako and her husband Vu Khac Linh in 2023. Photo courtesy of the couple

She guided him from the start, assigning him small tasks to help him learn. "Even when I made mistakes, she never scolded me," he says.

Originally from Bac Ninh Province in northern Vietnam, he was then an automotive engineering student juggling three part-time jobs. He had learned that not every Japanese was as generous as she was. From their first encounter she felt drawn to him.

Every time he was on shift, she would excitedly tell her coworkers: "Linh is working today; look at him, he’s really handsome!" One winter evening, he arrived at the restaurant shivering. She approached and gently rubbed his hands. "Are you very cold?" she asked.

That small gesture touched him deeply. From that day on, he often glanced toward the kitchen just to see her. They later connected on social media.

Though they only worked together for two months, their daily messages and calls quickly brought them closer. In 2020 she graduated from university and moved to Tokyo for work. He remained in Fukuoka to continue his studies, but had to pause when the Covid pandemic broke out. "Come here, I will take care of you," she told him.

He moved to Tokyo and lived with Kanako. She worked full-time while he stayed home to cook and clean, and used his savings to cover expenses. Being with a caring boyfriend who often expressed loving words made her feel cherished, she says.

In Japan, couples avoid expressing emotion publicly. But with him, she feels free to be herself and express her emotions, she says. When he returned to school a month later she held him tightly and cried. Half-joking, he asked her: "What if I transferred to a school in Tokyo?" But she took him seriously and began searching for schools and part-time jobs.

He says: "She was so sincere, always thinking of me first. That made me cherish our relationship even more." But he returned to Fukuoka.

Soon afterward his school closed again due to pandemic restrictions. With no work and no way to return to Vietnam, he took a job as a delivery driver. Many international students in Japan struggled with loneliness and anxiety during the pandemic.

Linh says he coped thanks to Kanako’s quiet but constant support. "I got through Covid because of her love. Sometimes she would video call me without saying much just so that I knew she was there."

That was when he knew he wanted to spend his life with her.

In July 2021, they registered their marriage without holding a formal wedding. Kanako quit her job for a year to focus on her pregnancy and childbirth.

During that time Linh studied while working part-time delivering food to support their growing family. When she returned to work she realized she no longer felt fulfilled. He too knew he needed a more stable job after the pandemic.

Sakata Kanako, her husband Vu Khac Linh and their 3-year-old daughter in 2025. Photo courtesy of the family

Together they decided to launch a consultancy offering job placement and administrative support for Vietnamese living in Japan. "With this job, we can work remotely and travel freely, which we both love," he says.

Last year their company gained official legal status. Their life as a multicultural couple also attracted attention online, with their YouTube channel surpassing 100,000 subscribers and earning the platform’s silver play button.

Three months ago Linh, Kanako and their three-year-old daughter came to Vietnam for a month to take long-awaited wedding photos and enjoy the local culture and cuisine. "I wanted to thank and apologize to my wife," he says. "Not everyone would stay beside a broke foreign student with nothing."

In his hometown she quickly embraced Vietnamese customs. She loved his mother’s stir-fried morning glory and drank beer with his father.

At a family wedding, when guests were handed plastic bags to take home leftovers, she followed suit. "His extended family is huge, and everyone eats and chats so comfortably," she says.

They spent two weeks in HCMC, where Kanako danced with strangers in the street and rode on the back of Linh’s motorbike through the glowing city.

She was introduced to a wide range of street foods, from bun cha and grilled corn to broken rice and balut. "I asked her to pick a favorite, but she said she loved them all," he says.

As their trip came to an end she often cried, sad that their time in Vietnam was running out. She says cities like HCMC and Hanoi offer amenities similar to Japan’s, but at a lower cost and with more warmth from the people.

The couple now plan to keep building their careers so they can spend more time in Vietnam. "Seeing how my wife fits in here, like she was born in this country, people say our marriage must be destiny," he says.