When he was a student at BCIT, Robert got introduced to Hitomi by another girl that he was dating.

His name: Robert Syvertsen

Her name: Hitomi Asano

He is 31. She is 27.

He is a European Canadian.

She is Japanese.

He is a BCIT graduate and works as an Electrical Technologist.

She is a college graduate and works as a travel agent.

He says: "Asian women tend to be more feminine, yet strong, outgoing, and always working. They take care of their looks more. They're more interesting."

She says: "Japanese men are nice, they're not abusive, but they work so hard and they can never go on vacation. My friends that go out with Japanese men always complain about them coming home late. Their first priority is always work. In Japan, they work from 8 am to 10 pm."

"I like the way men over here are ok to do housework. And I like that they're home early. When we spend time together, it makes me feel like I'm important to him."

On Canada

He says: "The women here want to be one of the guys."

She says: "People here are too crazy about hockey."

On Society

He says: "The only time I noticed anything was when we were in Ottawa downtown. We went into a restaurant and Hitomi got a couple of looks because she was the only Asian in the restaurant."

She says: "The older Asian men stare at us, but they don't say anything."

On Parents

He says: "My parents have an open mind."

She says: "They didn't mind. When my mom was younger, she wanted to go abroad and meet people from other cultures too."

On Kids

He says: "I'm not too worried about our kids' future.

She says: "I'm concerned that my kids might get teased because people

don't know what they are."

He categorizes himself as a lovebird.

She categorizes herself as a lovebird.

( Sixth of a series on the lives of interracial couples in Canada by Zahra Jamal )