Japanese comedian Ryota Yamasato says 'chemistry' led to marriage with actress Yu Aoi
June 6, 2019 (Mainichi Japan)
TOKYO -- After the announcement of their marriage on June 5, popular Japanese comedian Ryota Yamasato, 42, and renowned Japanese actress Yu Aoi, 33, held a press conference here in the evening to speak about what led them to their big day.
Yamasato, a member of the comedy duo "Nankai Candies" who is affectionately known as "Yama-chan," and Aoi, who won a Japan Academy Film Prize for best lead actress in the 2017 movie "Birds Without Names," came to know each other at the introduction of Shizuyo Yamasaki, the other half of the comedy duo.
Yamasaki, better known as "Shizu-chan," also attended the news conference. The 40-year-old had co-starred with Aoi in the 2006 hit film "Hula Girls," which tells the story of a group of women who revitalize their town in Fukushima Prefecture from an economic crisis by forming a dancing team.
The couple explained they had been in a relationship since early April. "She's friendly and nice, and I had chemistry with her," Yamasato said of Aoi. When Aoi was asked why she decided to tie the knot with the comedian, she replied, "He made me laugh so hard. He's kind."