A hit song by The Proclaimers once told everyone just how many miles someone would walk for the love of their life: “… I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more, just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.”

But for one determined Japanese man, 1,000 miles wasn’t quite enough. So he aimed to go even further with a record-setting path that led him to the door of the woman he loved simply to ask — “Will you marry me?”

Photo from YouTube of Yasushi Takahashi and his girlfriend, Natsuki.

Yasushi ‘Yassan’ Takahashi is a widely-known artist in Japan. His medium is an increasingly popular style of work — GPS art. According to Google’s definition, GPS art is “the act of creating a large-scale digital drawing by traveling with a GPS device along a predetermined route. When the route is uploaded to a mapping tool like Google Earth, a form takes shape.” 

Photo from YouTube of Yasushi Takahashi

Up until then, Takahashi had never ventured out of Tokyo, Japan. But he knew he wanted to ask his girlfriend, Natsuki, to marry him, and the traditional way was not going to be enough for the love of his life. So when Takahashi discovered the GPS style of art one day, it gave him the unique idea of what he wanted to do for his girlfriend, and it put him on a course that would change his life. 

Photo from YouTube

He set out on a trip that would take him more than 4,451 miles to spell out ‘Marry me,’ complete with a heart and arrow, on Google Earth. He traveled across all of Japan, to give Natsuki a proposal she wouldn’t forget. And in the process, he walked his way into the Guiness Book of World Records for largest GPS drawing ever made.

His six-month trip started in Hokkaido on the northern edge of Japan and ended in Kagoshima on the southern tip. While others typically make GPS art by car or bike — Takahashi pushed himself by walking for most of the distance. He scaled mountains, traversed islands, covered transportation routes and more.

The 31-year-old, who had quit his job at the time, began his trip, unsure of where it all would lead him. But now, his artwork spans across more than 24 countries and 62,000 miles, and his portfolio contains 1400 pieces. His next goals are to one day set another world record, complete more works of art, all while seeing new parts of the world.

But, like all good stories often do, Takahashi’s journey began with a simple idea: propose to his girlfriend. 

And in case you were curious — Natsuki said yes.

Watch the heartwarming proposal below.

Sources: MyPositiveOutlooks | Interesting Engineering