You can spend 10,000 yen on whatever you want... can I accompany you on your shopping trip?

This "shopping documentary" explores the lives of people who shop at MaxValu Kami-Ebetsu.

This time, the person who cooperated with our interview was Kanako Zengo (42 years old), who met her husband in an unexpected place!

Program staff member: "You were buying a huge amount, and I felt like saying hello."

Kanako: "I'm shopping for work. I'm a farmer, right? I'm just buying snacks and drinks for my break."

Program staff member: "I'll pay up to 10,000 yen, so can I accompany you on your shopping trip?"
Kanako: "Eh, 10,000 yen... 10,000 yen is tempting, but I don't have anything here. Hmm, okay."

Our interviewee is Kanako Zengo, a farmer in her hometown of Ebetsu.
She said she had nothing to talk about, but there was a surprising story behind her words!
After finishing her shopping for work, I accompanied her on her shopping trip for home.

Kanako: "We grow rice, wheat, soybeans, adzuki beans, and sugar beets."

She married her husband, the heir to a third-generation farm in Ebetsu, 10 years ago.

It was a most unexpected encounter.

Kanako: "I've been a farmer since I was a child. I knew how hard it was, and I thought I'd never become a farmer, but by chance, we met..."

What exactly is this "by chance" connection?!

Kanako: "I committed a traffic violation when I had just gotten my driver's license. He (her husband) also committed a traffic violation. When you first get your license, you go back to driving school to retake lessons, and that's how we ended up in the same group. We were two bad guys, and that's how we met. (laughs)"

Kanako and her husband both committed traffic violations, and went to driving school to take violator's classes.
There she met her fateful partner!

Kanako: "Everyone there was male, and I thought they were all really intimidating, but then the man sitting in front of me turned out to be my current husband..."

They became close and got married a few years later.

They were blessed with children, but the birth was another upheaval!

Kanako: "It was my eldest daughter. I gave birth naturally, but she just wouldn't come out. She didn't come out for about two whole days. The doctor had to get on top of me and help her out. You often see this in TV dramas, but it really happens. I think it was the most difficult time of my life."

Kanako: "I think because I was able to persevere through it, I can do anything."

After overcoming a difficult birth, she is now a mother of two.
She spends her days working on the farm and raising her children.
When we asked what she was having for dinner that day...

Kanako: "I received a lot of cabbage today from a farming acquaintance, so I'm hoping to make okonomiyaki."

Program staff: "Do you make okonomiyaki quite often?" Kanako: "Yes, we do. My kids like it too."

And that's where her shopping ends. The total was...

8,321 yen.
Finally, we asked her what her wishes were for her family.

Kanako: "I hope everyone can get along and have fun, with health as their number one priority."

Second Child: Children are Treasures - Kaneko Manami (31), a Mom Who Works as a Nurse and Enjoys Raising Her Child

Program Staff: "What should we have for dinner tonight?" "I'm still thinking..."

Program Staff: "So, while you're looking at your phone?"
Manami: "I was thinking about what to have. I thought Pepper Lunch, the kind you can eat on a hot plate, would be good for them. I'm looking for corn."

Program Staff: "We have a segment where we pay up to 10,000 yen and ask if we can accompany you shopping. What do you think?"
Manami: "Yes, that's fine."

Next to cooperate with our interview was Kaneko Manami, a neighbor.

She is a family of four, including her husband and two sons, ages 3 and 6.
On this day, they stopped by this supermarket to buy ingredients for dinner.

Aimi: "My child likes natto, and this one (Alaska) because he likes this."
Program Staff: "Is this Alaska?"
Aimi: "Yes. He'll eat this."

Aimi: "He's a picky eater, so it was a bit of a gamble as to what he'd eat. This one's a banana for breakfast, and he wanted a salad, so I thought I'd add some maitake mushrooms."

Actually, on this day, she had planned to cook dinner for the first time in a while.

Aimi: "My husband usually cooks 90% of the time, and I rarely cook, so it's been a while."
Program Staff: "Why does your husband cook?"
Aimi: "He works late. He's a nurse."

Since she gets home late, her husband usually makes dinner.
This curry is a hit, even with her picky child.
It apparently took a whopping five hours to complete, starting with making chicken stock in a pressure cooker.

The two met eight years ago.
They were introduced by a friend and began dating.

Program Staff: "What was your impression when you first saw your husband?"
Aimi: "I thought we might get married. I had a sudden hunch. There was no particular reason, but I just felt like we might get married."

Seven months into their rel...