Argentine tango entered Koichi “Koh” Masaki’s life as a coincidence—on trips between automotive engineering work in Brussels and consultancies in Bangkok and Manila. In the Philippines, dance lessons became a place of pause and, through a shared teacher, a conduit to Ivy Almario, the celebrated interior designer who would become his life partner.
The bride in a fine Joel Escober gown, her makeup by Leo Posadas
Ivy took up Argentine tango in the early 2010s after she and her husband saw Nina Halley, the late businesswoman-socialite, dancing a milonga, the name for a fast-paced Latin-American dance, as well as the dance event itself. A natural dancer, Ivy’s husband, restaurateur Guillermo “Yong” Nieva, took it up with ease and used tango to yank his workaholic wife from her desk. Not only was it an intimate conversation between the couple; it was also motivation for Ivy, the achiever that she was, to aim for the best.
First dance as newlyweds–Argentine tango on uneven pavers just like the streets of Buenos Aires.
The couple started with Ogie Mendoza and moved on with Argentine tango couple Jang and Jenn Lopez. In December 2023, Yong died in his sleep—heart failure, according to medical findings.
Meanwhile Koh had been flying frequently to Asia for work. In Manila, he took to tango to find solace and connection after losing his wife during the pandemic. He confided in his teachers that he was ready to be with someone again, preferably an elegant lady who shared his passion for Argentine tango. Asked if he was interested in a younger woman, the intelligent widower said he’d want a woman with a mind that could match his.
In Jenn Lopez’s mind, Ivy ticked all the boxes. She called Ivy to tell her about Koh, and to ask if she would be interested in dating again. It was February 2024, and Ivy was still trying to come to grips with the death of Yong. Yet her well-meaning friends continued to offer her a glimpse of a potentially different future.
Jeannie Javelosa, Ivy’s longtime astrologer, noted that Ivy’s chart indicated a forthcoming relationship. During her grief counseling sessions with Jungian psychologist Bernie Nepomuceno, the latter would pull out a tarot card—one of which happened to be a rare Lovers card, hinting at significant choices. A BaZi reading, an ancient Chinese astrological system, conducted by a Chinese metaphysics master Venus Wang, predicted a defining event in July.
In April 2024, Jenn called up Ivy to say that Koh was in town. Ivy was in Milan and would be back only before his departure. Jenn asked if she could meet him during that time, but Ivy was noncommittal. The day before he was to leave, Ivy had to attend an Artists and Company event in BGC, which she cofounded. She agreed to meet Koh in a restaurant, on the condition that Jenn accompany him.
They had snacks in the hotel coffeeshop, but Ivy was embarrassed that the food was not up to par. She asked Koh about his favorite Filipino dish; halo-halo, he said. To give the visiting businessman a better impression of Filipino cuisine, she took Jenn and Koh to Romulo’s Café, on her way to her event. They later met again at a milonga, a tango social at Bugsy’s Bistro.
Their dancing was initially awkward. Koh suggested that they take a remedial class with his teacher. The next day, it turned out the issue was technical. Koh’s body angle left no room for Ivy’s cruzada, the tango’s signature crossing step. Once they corrected this, they were able to tango.
Before he returned to Brussels, he gave Ivy all his calling cards, where she could reach him in different places. Apparently he was already smitten. Upon arriving home, he sent her a photo of the classical garden park, Jardin du Roi, in a view from his condo, which Ivy politely acknowledged.
Before he returned to Brussels, Koh gave Ivy all his calling cards, where she could reach him in different places. Apparently he was already smitten
One day Jeannie Javelosa asked Ivy to get Koh’s birthday so she could make a synastry chart, the comparison of charts of two people to understand chemistry, harmony, and growth points in a relationship. It turns out that their birthdays are 10 days apart in April; she is an Aries, and he Taurus. Jeannie concluded, “He will be the source of your greatest healing.” They can travel a lot. There is strong compatibility, Jeannie noted, and they could build something together.
Koichi Masaki comes from a lineage that denotes both historical prestige and personal discipline. His mother, Etsuko, was a descendant of the samurai Masaki Tokishige, a 16th-century feudal warlord who served Lord Satomi Yoshiyasu. Etsuko herself mastered spear and naginata tactics, methods of fighting with a spear or a curved-blade polearm, focusing on precision, reach, and coordinated movement. His father, Yutaka, belonged to the Ainu, Japan’s indigenous people, and worked as a nuclear engineer for Tokyo Electric Power Company, an expertise Koh witnessed firsthand in his youth on a visit to Manila in the mid-1970s for the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
Koh’s credentials are formidable. He completed postgraduate studies in engineering in Tokyo, pursued business administration in Switzerland, studied mathematics in Tokyo and Paris, and explored development work in handwritten character recognition in both Tokyo and Stanford. He holds a second-degree black belt in judo and has built a career in engineering that spans Europe, where he has held top executive positions in the automotive industry.
The bride with sons Mikey and Kenji Onglao
Personal life and pursuits are equally rich. Koh was married to a Belgian aristocrat who passed away in 2021, and he maintains close ties to family in Japan and Nepal.
Off hours, he is an accomplished athlete and musician, dancing Argentine and Latin styles, playing the flute, and enjoying a range of outdoor sports. His pedigree, intellect, and breadth of experience have shaped him into a man of discipline, curiosity, and refined taste
“You better pay attention to this guy,” Jeannie advised.
The newlyweds
Koh and Ivy decided to synchronize their schedules, since both traveled frequently for business. Rather than waiting until August for his Manila trip, he met her in July in Amalfi, where she was attending a wedding. True to the BaZi reading prediction, their first date took them from Amalfi to Naples to catch a milonga.
By the day’s end, they had missed the milonga. What they gained was a long, luminous day in the city. Ivy recalled it as the moment their conversation deepened, with two adults speaking openly. He was a widower, she a widow. There was much to say, and that was where it began.
Their first trip together was to Japan in August, visiting Tokyo, Osaka, and Miyajima. He had lived in Europe for 38 years and went to Tokyo only for board meetings, yet Ivy appreciated that he still spoke the language. In the Philippines, their relationship remained L/DL—low-key and on the down-low—since she was newly widowed and preferred to keep things private. They would meet up in her places of work.
Over the following months, they traveled between Metro Manila, Brussels, and Paris, taking time to see if life in each other’s world fit. He introduced her to his home and to his late wife’s Belgian family, whose continued warmth reassured Ivy of his character. By Christmas, they were celebrating in Istanbul, and soon their visits became a rhythm of two mature souls moving thoughtfully through life together.
Throwing feathers and confetti, boho style, for happy new beginnings
There were many cultural nuances Ivy had to learn along the way. In Tokyo and Brussels, Koh told her he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. “It just went over my head,” Ivy recalled in a chat with TheDiarist.ph, noting the casual way he expressed it. “It turns out that’s the Japanese way of proposing.”
On February 14, 2025, he formally proposed with a beautifully written card, expressing gratitude to God and calling her a miracle in his life. He wrote that it would be an honor to spend the rest of his life with her.
An emancipated woman, Ivy was never drawn to the idea of a single engagement ring. To her, it carried an implication of possession—an idea that didn’t sit well with her, and she took her time, despite his gentle nudges in Tokyo and Brussels, even from well-meaning relatives asking where the ring was.
Eventually, she proposed a practical solution: She would choose her rings from a jeweler she trusted in the Philippines. All he wanted, he told her, was that she wear a ring. She chose three. One stayed in Brussels; two traveled with her and were worn interchangeably. It suited her temperament—pragmatic, independent, and happily unbound by convention.
If the rings reflected Ivy’s independence, the marriage itself was sealed by something far less ornamental. For her, the non-negotiable was her family. Had her sons, Kenji and Mikey Onglao, disapproved, the relationship would have ended there. She saw no reason to reshape a life for someone her family could not accept. Her sons and siblings approved wholeheartedly.
Sealed with a kiss
For Koh, the choice was made with the clarity of a consultant accustomed to weighing risk. Once most of what mattered was evident, he was satisfied, leaving the rest to time. What he watched for, above all, was consistency in her kindness, her respect for people regardless of status, and the way that respect was reciprocated. In his culture, respect was foundational, and he recognized it as intrinsic to who she was. Attraction mattered, too, but it followed character.
Ivy’s work traveled easily with her. In Brussels, Koh helped set up a studio in their condominium, including a desk, drafting tools, the familiar geometry of her practice. An engineer, he became a collaborator, stepping in when a design needed mechanical sense, or a drawing needed solving. Their skills complemented each other naturally.
In Brussels, Koh helped set up a studio for Ivy in their condominium. An engineer, he became a collaborator, stepping in when a design needed mechanical sense. Their skills complemented each other naturally
Language, too, became part of the exchange. Koh spoke five languages, explaining etymologies with the precision of someone who enjoyed clarity. Ivy learned to slow down her English, aware that American idioms—so Hollywood—did not always translate. They adjusted, explained, listened. Each day, he insisted, she would learn one French word.
The couple’s dream wedding in a garden setting at Antonio’s, surrounded by people they love, blessed by Msgr. Manny Gabriel
They were married on Jan. 28, 2026 at Antonio’s in Tagaytay. It was not only an auspicious date for a later life marriage, but it reflected how they entered marriage—not impulsively, but consciously—after everything essential was already clear.
Ivy described the wedding as the kind of moment that feels orchestrated by the universe. She smiled as she admitted she belongs to the tribe of brides convinced that their wedding was the most beautiful.
The couple chose Hom Amara as their Tagaytay base for three days, a newly opened Airbnb, whose design, Ivy proudly noted, was created by a husband-and-wife team of Atelier Almario alumni. More than 150 guests gathered for the garden ceremony at Antonio’s Tagaytay, including Koh’s family from Belgium and friends from France, Singapore, and Japan.
Luncheon setting by Gideon Hermosa
Backdrop of swirling wings, foliage and flowers set up by Gideon Hermosa
Ivy’s dream team was led by Berlyn Yap Events Management, with flowers and décor by Gideon Hermosa. Nice Print Photo documented the day, while TinoLey Digital Photography provided the photo booth. Makeup artist Leo Posadas insisted on beauty sleep for the bride; Ivy woke refreshed for a softly dramatic smoky look. She wore a nude gown by Joel Escober, with floral cut-out details and wisps of tulle, paired with shoes by Lori and Lila Almario. Koh wore a montsuki haori hakama, the formal Japanese wedding attire in black silk kimono and coat, bearing his family crest, with a white silk cord and pleated striped trousers.
Cake with bougainvillea flowers by Ginny Roces
Layered delight of spiced carrot cake and brown butter pecan cake with sugar flowers by Alexine Narvasa
At the reception, Chef Tonyboy Escalante prepared a memorable lunch, with wedding cakes by Ginny de Guzman and Alexine Narvasa. Ivy’s sister Cynthia and Ivy’s son Mikey hosted the program, and Kenji proposed the toast to his mother and new stepfather. Performances by Pinky Marquez and Cathy Castañeda lit up the stage. Guests later moved to the lanai for music by Frigora and the cousin of Koh’s late wife, Countess Daisy Le Grelle, on the drums, tango performances by Jang and Jenn Lopez, and finally, by the newlyweds themselves.
At this writing, Ivy and Koh are on a relaxed “buddymoon” with Koh’s friends in Anilao, before heading to Coron.
On the drums, Countess Daisy Le Grelle, cousin of Koh’s late wife Marie Therese, practised bossa nova numbers for months to play with Frigora
With the marriage, Koh found himself anchored in family again. It was something he valued deeply. For Ivy, the effect was expansive. Her world opened outward, spanning what she considers the two great geographies of her life: Japan and Europe. From Brussels, cities she loves such as Paris, Milan, and Madrid were only a train ride away. They spoke early on about pace and intention. There was nothing left to prove, only time to be lived well. They agreed to divide the year simply: summers in Belgium, winters in the Philippines, and four months given over to travel. Ivy felt it must be an easy life that should be unhurried, grateful, and shaped by the understanding that whatever number of summers remains, each one matters.
The newlyweds with the Almarios–Chona, Cynthia, ‘Mama’ Dang, Cecile, Bobby, Louie
Koh’s friends and relatives flew in from Brussels, France, Singapore, Japan to share the joy of the garden wedding.
The newlyweds with her Onglao family–Bronija and Kenji, Mikey and Kate and little Olivia
The Almario sisters Chona, Cynthia, Ivy and Cecile with their mother Pacita Syquia Almario (center)
The Almario, Syquia, Adriano, Onglao families
