Loving Husband Plants a Field of Scented Flowers for His Blind Wife to Smile Every Day

When Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki married in 1956, they took on a difficult, yet gratifying, life together. Every morning, the pair would rise early to care for their 60-cow dairy farm and they raised two children along the way. They barely had time to rest, but hoped their hard work would one day pay off when they retired and took a trip around Japan. Unfortunately, these plans changed when Mrs. Kuroki’s diabetes caused her to unexpectedly lose her eyesight at the untimely age of 52. She was absolutely heartbroken and began to isolate herself from the rest of the world. Mr. Kuroki couldn’t stand to see his wife like this, so he started thinking of ways to cheer her up.

Before long, Mr. Kuroki was inspired by a single a pink shibazakura flower that blossomed in the family’s garden. He instantly realized that this flower’s beauty didn’t have to be an exclusive treat for those with the gift of sigh–it could also be experienced and appreciated through a sense of smell. That’s when he aspired to create an entire garden filled with these flowers for his wife. That hope was that this fragrant garden would not only delight his wife’s palette, but also attract visitors to make Mrs. Kuroki smile again.

For two years, the devoted husband worked to produce this garden as he cared for the young plants that would soon encircle their home. Now, up to 7,000 people visit the Kuroki home from March to April, delighting in the sea of pink flowers that represent this poignant love story. Some are lucky enough to meet Mr. or Mrs. Kuroki and, when they do, they immediately notice that Mrs. Kuroki has a beaming smile spread across her face.

Above photo via Shintomi Machiyakuba

Photo via Shintomi Machiyakuba