When I first met my wife's parents I knew a good bit of Japanese. I knew enough to realize that her mother kept calling me "kono hito", which is this person, rather than my name. I didn't let it hurt too bad.
When I later asked her parents if I could marry their daughter, in better Japanese, her mother said she would think about it. So in the months to come I studied Japanese, Okinawan history, culture, and learned to love my soon to be mother-in-laws cooking.
My advice to someone thinking about marriage is to learn Japanese and eat everything her mother cooks.