A Garden that is Built out of Love

In rural Japan, a husband built a garden out of love for his wife who was blind. Toshiyuki Kuroki grew thousands of pink flowers named Shibazakura, or moss phlox, around his home in Shintomi, Miyazaki.
The whole idea came after his wife, Yasuko Kuroki, lost her sight due to problems caused by diabetes. She was badly hurt from this and became very isolated, spending most of her days indoors.
The husband decided that he would need to find some way to make his wife go outdoors again.

Two Years of Growing Thousands of Flowers
Instead of presenting his wife with just another bouquet of flowers, he made a whole landscape that could be experienced by its smell.

The Garden Was Able To Make Her Go Outdoors
Indeed, the strategy turned out to be effective. The smell of the flowers helped Yasuko feel like going outdoors more often, so she was able to get back to the garden and the outside world.
The private garden later became quite famous and people from nearby areas came to admire its beautiful colors and learn about the couple’s moving history.

An Exceptional Story of Love and Devotion
The uniqueness of the story does not only lie in the quantity of flowers planted by Kuroki, but rather in the idea behind such an act of kindness. It has been realized by Kuroki that his wife cannot see flowers anymore.

His two-year-long efforts turned their home into a place brimming with colors, scents, and people – but most of all, it was the additional reason for his wife to go out and live.
At times, love does not mean providing your loved one with something you see. Instead, it can be creating something that he or she feels, smells, or hears – and the flower garden created by this Japanese husband is a wonderful illustration of that concept.