Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2009

Actor and notorious ladies’ man Junichi Ishida, 55, revealed recently how he proposed to his fiancée, pro golfer Riko Higashio, 33. Ishida says he went golfing with Higashio and several others and put a ring in the hole on the last green, hoping to surprise her when she picked up her ball. Unfortunately, Higashio didn’t notice, only spotting the ring after he asked her to put the flag back in the hole. Ishida said that he had been able to convey about half of his feelings to his fiancée’s father, Osamu, 59, a former manager of the Seibu Lions baseball team. Osamu seems less than pleased with the upcoming marriage—he recently compared his own resistance to the Berlin Wall. Ever the optimist, Ishida said he interpreted this as meaning that it would come down one day.