Abstract

Why is it that we can no longer forgive the person we once loved enough to marry?

Today, we’re all capable of living independently. There’s no longer a need to endure a difficult marriage just for the sake of it.

But if you once chose to become a family,
why not take this opportunity
to revisit how you communicate as a couple?

With 40 years of lived experience—some of them spent yelling across the dinner table—the Sudo couple overcame their own marriage troubles through the study and practice of psychology. They now counsel other couples, offering practical tools and exercises for emotional and communication healing, grounded in real-life case studies.

Contents
Prologue:
The Key to Happiness Lies in Both Independence and Interdependence

Chapter 1 – The Runaway Couple
Case 1: A husband who opposes his wife’s passion

Case 2: A husband who always moves at his own pace

Case 3: A husband who never gives compliments

Case 4: A wife who vents endlessly about work

Case 5: A wife who constantly lashes out

Case 6: A husband who never initiates intimacy
→ Communication and emotional exercises for runaway couples

Chapter 2 – The Combative Couple
Case 7: Differing views on money

Case 8: The unsolicited advice-giving husband

Case 9: The overly rigid husband

Case 10: A wife who apologizes with no sincerity

Case 11: A husband who dismisses his wife’s desire to see their daughter married

Case 12: A husband who always shouts over others

Case 13: A husband who leaves everything out after cooking

Case 14: A couple who always says, “You always do this!”
→ Communication and emotional exercises for combative couples

Chapter 3 – The On-the-Brink Couple
(Distance-Based Disconnection)

Case 15: A wife who loses energy after her son leaves home

Case 16: A wife who says "NO" to post-retirement plans

Case 17: A husband who leaves all caregiving of his mother to his wife

Case 18: A husband who avoids deep conversations

Case 19: A wife who is completely absorbed in tennis
→ Communication and emotional exercises for distance-type couples

(Love Triangle-Type Disconnection)

Case 20: A wife who excludes her husband

Case 21: A husband overly devoted to his mother

Case 22: A wife who has an affair
→ Communication and emotional exercises for triangle-type couples

Final Chapter – The Path Toward a Happy Marriage

Author’s Information

Married influencer couple, relationship and partnership experts, and certified psychological trainers.

After 40 years of marriage—with daily arguments but endless love—Mr. and Mrs. Sudo now dedicate their lives to sharing the lessons they’ve learned. Their short videos, titled “Sudo Fufu: Middle-Aged Moments”, have been viewed over 8 million times across social media. With a mission to “change the world through couples’ smiles,” they lead seminars and lectures across Japan, promoting the idea that when adults live joyfully, their children will follow—and peace will spread.