When many people get married, they take their wedding vows seriously, especially the line that reads, “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” That is what one in Japan man did after his wife lost her ability to see.
Living a long life together
Toshiyuki and Yasuko Kuroki were married in 1956. After getting married, Yasuko moved in with her husband on his dairy farm in Shintomi, Japan. After two kids and thirty years of marriage, the plan was to retire and travel around Japan.
The couple suffered a setback in retirement
Those plans were thwarted when, at age 52, Yasuko lost her ability to see due to complications from her diabetes. Blindsided by the loss of her vision, Yasuko became a recluse, staying inside all day. Toshiyuki hated to see his wife this way and so came up with a plan to try and cheer her up.
Bringing the world to his wife
Up to that point, Toshiyuki had been keeping a small garden of pink shibazakura, more commonly known as moss phlox. Toshiyuki had noticed people stopping by to admire his flowers. That was when he had an epiphany, while his wife couldn’t see the world, he could bring the world to her, all through his flowers.
Thousands of flowers
So, for the next two years, Toshiyuki made it his mission to plant as many flowers as he could. He hoped that a greater number of flowers would bring a larger number of people to see them. Plus, Yasuko, while not being able to see them, could at least enjoy their pleasant fragrance.
By the time he was done, Toshiyuki had planted thousands of tiny flowers. His plan worked and soon many more people were visiting his garden to look at all of the beautiful flowers. In fact, Toshiyuki’s dairy farm has become a major tourist attraction in the rural Japanese countryside where it is located.
Bringing a smile to his wife’s face
When the flowers are in bloom from March to April, the garden can draw up to 7,000 a day. Toshiyuki also turned the cowshed on his former farm into a welcome center which tells the story of him and his wife’s love. Best of all, Yasuko is often seen walking the garden with a smile on her face once again.
And all because of the love of a man for his wife. If only everyone cared for their significant other as much as these two seem to, there would be a lot more happily married couples in the world.
For more of the results of Toshiyuki’s love and devotion for Yasuko, watch the following video.
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Sources: YouTube – 朝日新聞社, Upworthy
