It has been about three months since the announcement of their marriage, which sparked controversy on both sides. FRIDAY caught the newlyweds on a date for the first time.
On an early February evening, a retro classic-style car was parked in a parking lot in Tokyo. It was Yuuki Iwai (37) of &#8220;Halaichi&#8221; who appeared with his younger new wife in the parking lot, where the meter showed the word &#8220;over&#8221; as if 60 minutes had passed the available parking time.
<figure id="attachment_359069" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359069"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8c0a75e2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/551b7ce5c2755af50d83827043a2a250.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359069" class="wp-caption-text">The two enjoyed a driving date. Although they did not engage in any particular conversation, they got into the car in a familiar manner, as if they were a married couple.</figcaption></figure>
 Mr. Iwai&#8217;s face clouded at one point, perhaps because he realized he had overpaid for parking, but once he and his wife got into the car, he started eating a donut in the car and his expression immediately softened,&#8221; an eyewitness said.
Last November, Iwai announced his marriage to TV personality Satsuki Okumori (19), and although some were surprised by the 18-year age difference, Iwai himself did not seem bothered by it, saying, &#8220;When you are in a relationship, age difference does not matter.
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The former rotten comedian has also appeared as the main MC on &#8220;Poka Poka&#8221; (Fuji Television) since January &#8217;23. His work has been going well since last year, including the start of his other flagship program.
 Iwai&#8217;s popularity with the public tends to be dominated by his partner Tasuku Sawabe (37), but Iwai&#8217;s sense of humor explodes in the show&#8217;s comedy corner. Although the ratings are not good, Iwai&#8217;s moderate sense of detachment, in contrast to Sawabe&#8217;s high tension, creates the atmosphere of the show. Iwai is without a doubt the key person behind &#8220;Poka Poka&#8221; right now.
Iwai is steadily building his reputation in the industry. (A Fuji TV insider) Iwai is steadily gaining recognition in the industry, and it seems likely that he will use his marriage as an opportunity to develop a new character.
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 He has been treated as a &#8216;non-nikata geisha&#8217; or a &#8216;rotten geisha,&#8217; but even before his marriage, he had begun to move away from these characters. Even on the show, he has refrained from being tongue-in-cheek and has become a solid MC. Furthermore, in an unpublished scene in &#8220;Shukan Manga Michi +&#8221; (TV Asahi), Ms. Iwai said, &#8220;I have more leeway now that I am married.
 Thanks to this, I think she will reevaluate her character and change into a character who is calm but can also speak without any teeth, like Shinobu Sakagami (56) of &#8220;Viking More,&#8221; which was in the same slot as the current &#8220;Poka Poka.
Iwai is doing well both publicly and privately. There seems to be no room for public criticism.
<figure id="attachment_359070" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359070"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="408a9904"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/06550900de45f1426ec8c0db224b8842.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359070" class="wp-caption-text">Behind Iwai is his wife. Okumori was only 13 years old when they appeared together on &#8220;Ohasuta&#8221; (TV Tokyo).</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_359071" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359071"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3136860c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/7667a1510c744797681ae820574f6fe2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359071" class="wp-caption-text">Haraiichi and his new wife, Yuuki Iwai, on a &#8220;refreshing drive date&#8221; with doughnuts.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_359072" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359072"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b2fa66df"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/ea1e75b4a97d9dc3d8df2af057a8e0df.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359072" class="wp-caption-text">Haraichi and his new wife, Yuuki Iwai, on a &#8220;refreshing drive date&#8221; with doughnuts.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_359073" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359073"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="30f30bf1"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/abb93d5085fd5fd60a73493b29265207.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359073" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished photo of Haraichi and his new wife, Yuuki Iwai, on a &#8220;refreshing drive date&#8221; with doughnuts.</figcaption></figure>
From the February 23, 2024 issue of FRIDAY

 Ippei Hara

 On an evening in early February, Yuuki Iwai of "Halaichi," who announced his marriage three months ago with an 18-year age difference, appeared with his younger new wife in a car parked in a parking lot in Tokyo. The two were seen amiably ...... as they began to eat doughnuts in the car.

“Age is Just a Number” – Iwai Yuki on Date Drive with 19-Year-Old Newlywed

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