In 2019, Sakata Kanako encountered Vu Khac Linh for the first time as he hesitantly stood around outside a restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan, aiming to secure some part-time work.
Noticing his uncertainty, Kanako, who was operating behind the open kitchen counter, moved forward to greet the timid visitor and invited him inside to meet the proprietor. She remembers, “I took an instant liking to him. He had striking good looks, with plump, blush-colored cheeks.”
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.
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In 2023, Sakata Kanako and her spouse Vu Khac Linh. Image provided by the couple. |
From the beginning, she led him gently, giving him minor assignments to facilitate his learning process. "Despite my errors, she never criticized me," he recalls.
Initially hailing from Bac Ninh Province in Northern Vietnam, he was simultaneously studying automotive engineering and working at three part-time jobs. It dawned on him that not all Japanese people were as kind-hearted as she had been. Their very first meeting left her feeling attracted 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.
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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 They also garnered significant online attention, reaching over 100,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel and receiving the platform’s silver play button for this achievement.
Three months back, Linh, Kanako, along with their three-year-old child traveled to Vietnam intending to spend a month capturing eagerly awaited wedding photographs and immersing themselves in the country’s traditions and flavors. “I felt compelled to express both gratitude and apology towards my spouse,” he explains. “It isn’t common for someone to remain loyal to a financially strained international student who has little to offer.”
In his birthplace, she swiftly adopted Vietnamese traditions. She enjoyed his mother's sautéed water spinach and shared beers with his father.
During a family wedding, when attendees received plastic bags for taking leftover food home, she did the same. She explains, "His large family enjoys eating and chatting in such a relaxed atmosphere."
They spent two weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, where Kanako twirled with unfamiliar faces on the streets and clung to the rear of Linh’s motorcycle as they cruised through the luminous metropolis.
He mentioned that she got to sample an array of street delicacies, including bun cha, roasted corn, shattered rice dishes, and balut. When he inquired about her top choice, she replied that they were all equally enjoyable for her.
At the close of their journey, she frequently found herself in tears, saddened by the realization that their time in Vietnam was coming to an end. She mentions that cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi provide conveniences akin to those in Japan, yet they come at a cheaper price and with greater hospitality from the locals.
The pair intends to continue advancing their professional lives with the aim of spending increased time in Vietnam. “Observing how seamlessly my wife adapts here, as though she were naturally from this nation, others comment that our union seems predestined,” he remarks.