Some happy marriage news. Management for comedian Ishii Masanori (36, photo left) announced yesterday that he just got married. The diminutive funny man, who is just 158cm (5’2″), married a fellow Yokohama native (31) who is even smaller, at 147cm (4’10”). They chose yesterday, which was an auspicious taian day in the traditional Japanese calendar, to tie the knot. Ishii had the day off and went by himself to the local municipal office to register their marriage. The couple first met through a mutual friend in June 2005 and started dating the following November. Ishii rose to fame as the short half of comedy duo Ari to Kirigirisu, though these days he works more as an actor or solo talento. His comic partner Ishizuka Yoshiyuki (33) said, “It’s his second marriage so I won’t be giving him any congratulatory money!” Ishii was married to comedienne Kamemura Ai from 1998-2005.
Meanwhile, freelance announcer Yamada Rena (31, photo right) is engaged to a fellow Keio University graduate, it was revealed yesterday. Yamada was chosen as Miss Keio 1997 and later joined the TBS network, where she was the weather announcer on the “News23” show. She plans to continue working after her wedding, which the couple plan to hold at a Tokyo hotel in the near future.