Ryan and Ayako first met while Ryan was working the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Ayako invited Ryan on a road trip down to Hakone/ the Mt Fuji. After the 12 hour first date, Ryan and Ayako felt that something special was beginning. A few more dates and a bonus day in Japan due to a canceled flight by Delta confirmed that Ryan and Ayako wanted to see each other again as soon as possible.

In the midst of covid travel restrictions, Ryan and Ayako’s next meeting was in Oahu, Hawaii. Though two months had passed since last seeing each other in person, Ryan and Ayako’s love continued to bloom. Scuba diving with turtles, surfing on the north coast, and hiking around the island, and spending 10 days together were the highlights of our time together.

Covid restrictions continued to make visiting each other in person very difficult. However the easing of US travel restrictions allowed Ayako to make her first trip to the mainland USA in April 2022. Ryan and Ayako spent the two weeks exploring San Francisco, experiencing Napa Valley for the first time, and concluded with Ayako’s first trip to Nashville to visit Ryan’s family and friends. A Nashville Predators win was the icing on the cake for Ayako’s first trip to the US as a couple.

Ryan finally got his chance to return to Japan after 15 months with the reopening of Japan in October 2022. Since meeting in Tokyo, Ayako moved to a beach town south of Tokyo called Kamakura. (Fun Fact: Kamakura and Nashville are sister cities). Ryan quickly developed a fondness for Kamakura and has loved his subsequent trips visiting Ayako, experiencing the amazing beaches, the great restaurants, the historic shrines, and feeling like a local in the one time capital of Japan.

Ryan and Ayako have since been visiting each other as much as possible, falling more in love with each visit. A trip to Mt Fuji, a ski trip to Colorado, a summer in Kamakura, a visit to NYC for the US Open Tennis tournament, and an epic road trip up highway one in California confirmed that Ayako and Ryan wanted to marry each other. It was on this roadtrip’s conclusion in Napa Valley that Ryan asked Ayako to marry him.