Japanese Man Plants a Field of Flowers for His Blind Wife

Most husbands send their wives a bouquet of flowers to show their affection, but one man in Japan took this romantic gesture to the next level: When complications from diabetes caused his wife to go blind, Mr. Kuroki planted a field of fragrant blossoms for her. Today, the Kurokis’ garden is a popular tourist attraction.

According to RocketNews 24, Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki, an elderly couple who once ran a dairy farm in Shintomi Town in Miyazaki Prefecture, had planned on taking a trip around Japan after they retired. Then, after 30 years of marriage, Mrs. Kuroki suddenly lost her sight at the age of 52. Saddened over the prospect of forgoing her dream trip, she became withdrawn and shuttered herself inside the couple’s home.

To cheer his wife up, Mr. Kuroki spent two years planting a field of thousands of pink shibazakura flowers, or moss phlox, in their garden. He hoped that his wife would enjoy the smell, and that visitors lured by the vibrant blossoms would keep his wife company.

That was 10 years ago. Now, according to The Telegraph, the garden draws up to 7000 people each day during the spring. Visitors take pictures of the flowers, introduce themselves to Mrs. Kuroki, and wander into old sheds that were converted into photo displays of the couple's life.

Mr. Kuroki isn’t the only spouse who’s demonstrated his devotion with a massive floral display. After his wife Babbette passed away from cancer in 2014, a man named Don Jaquish in Eau Claire, Wisconsin planted 4.5 miles of sunflowers—her favorite flower—along Wisconsin’s Highway 85. Similarly, in 2010, Woody Thomas of Knotts Island, North Carolina, sowed 3 acres of sunflower seeds across a barren field after his wife, Diana, asked him to plant a few blossoms in front of their house to liven up the empty stretch of land.

And it’s said that King Nebuchadnezzar II performed one of history's grandest displays of public affection when he built the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the 6th century BCE, reportedly to cheer up his homesick wife, Amytis of Media, who missed the lush nature of her native land.

Take a tour of the Kurokis' fragrant flower field via the above video.

All images courtesy of YouTube.