Grab the tissues, we’ll let you know ahead of time that this may cause some misty eyes.
Toshiyuki and Yasuki Kuroki married each other in 1956. The Japanese couple had a dairy farm and looked after 60 cows on their small plot of land. When Mrs. Kuroki was only 52 years old, she began having vision issues. After seeing the doctor, they discovered she was having sight problems due to complications of diabetes. Within a week her vision had fully failed.
The Kurokis worked hard on their farm and it was their goal to save up enough money to be able to take a tour around Japan. After Mrs. Kuroki became fully blind, she was devastated. Her sudden blindness made her deeply sad and she began becoming more and more isolated, prone to long bouts of reclusion and silence. Heartbroken, Mr. Kuroki racked his brain for ways to bring joy back to his wife.
One study looked at 11 different physical activities for their influence on health. While they found a connection between dancing and lowered dementia risk, blindness from medical complications isn’t really something one can take preventative measures against. Mr. Kuroki couldn’t offer any medical fix and was frustrated. So he took a walk.
On their property during that walk, Mr. Kuroki noticed a shibazakura flower. It’s a beautiful, bright pink blossom with a wonderful aroma. Saddened that his wife would never be able to see these flowers, he hatched a plan. She might not be able to see them, but she could smell them. He started off small, just planting a few near the house in a garden. Then he began to expand. He planted thousands of the flowers until their entire dairy farm was transformed into a massive pink flower garden.
People began to take notice of the flowers. It’s hard not to notice a big pink field, so curious people began to stop by the farm and ask about the flowers. Mrs. Kuroki began to blossom again, too. At first, the fragrance drew her out of the house, then she began chatting with visitors and bit by bit, her happiness returned again. Where too many people are concerned about the trivialities of something like their furnace lasting between 15 and 18 years or the color of their neighbor’s house, Mr. Kuroki was on a mission to cultivate something much more important. And he was incredibly successful in doing so.
This was almost 30 years ago. Most hardwood trees take between 40 and 60 years to fully mature, but flower gardens work a little quicker. Now the Kuroki’s farm is a destination. When the flowers bloom every year in March and April, the sprawling garden receives around 7,000 visitors daily to see and smell the manifestation of a husband’s love for his wife.
The only thing left from the dairy farm is the old barn where the cows would sleep. It’s now a little museum dedicated to the story behind blossoming love.
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Dual Income, No Kids launched in the spring of 2006 and is now part of District Media, LLC. With over 10 million visitors and syndication on Google News, District Media delivers high-quality personal finance news and advice. Our 58 blogs inform, empower, educate and entertain the public -- free of charge, with all operating expenses financed by advertising.
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He has a luxury life with beautiful flowers. Although Mr. and Mrs. Kurki have been inviting tourists in Japan to view the flowers for years. their story gained global attention after RocketNews24 wrote an article about them earlier this week.