Krista was taking a trip during her summer vacation while teaching English in Japan, which led her to Kou's hometown, Fukuoka. They spent the greater part of Krista's planned time there as Kou showed her several sights and local secrets in and around the port city. When it came time for Krista to board her ferry to Busan, South Korea, the two decided that they hadn't had enough of each other yet, and Kou booked a flight to meet her there. They spent the long weekend getting to know each other more and exploring the new city together and then said their goodbyes as Krista continued on to Seoul and Kou returned home. Krista knew then that she hadn't seen the last of Kou, and sure enough, soon after they were planning a time for Kou to visit Krista in Kawasaki. They continued to visit each other, travel with each other, and stay in touch long-distance until Krista moved to Fukuoka where they lived together for her final year in Japan before returning home to the United States. Before she did, Krista and Kou spent a month in Bali where they underwent a 200-hour Yoga Teach Training, making Indonesia the 5th country the couple has been to together. (The others were Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and the United States).