It’s not every day that popping the question earns someone a spot in Guinness World Records!
Yasushi “Yassan” Takahashi is now the proud recipient of a world record thanks to the 4,451-mile journey he meticulously planned in order to create a secret message for his girlfriend, Natsuki. His story starts in 2008, when he had the idea to spell out “Marry Me” using GPS art.
GPS art involves traveling with a GPS device along a predetermined route. After the journey, you can upload the route to a mapping tool like Google Earth. The lines of the journey form a large drawing of the artist’s choosing.
Yassan started by mapping out his trip on Google Earth. He decided to drive from one end of Japan to the other, island-hopping from Hokkaido to Kagoshima. In June of that year, he quit his job and hit the road!
“I hadn’t really ever gone outside of Tokyo,” Yassan explained in a video. “I was able to discover all kinds of things that I had only known in books. I ate well; maybe too well. At night, I camped out in my car. There was heavy rain, snow, and earthquakes, but I never gave up.”
Yassan ended up driving 4,451 miles, which took six months. When he was done, he uploaded his GPS data to Google Earth and watched his hard work materialize on the screen. There it was: his secret proposal! The only thing left to do was show Natsuki.
Don’t worry! She said yes.
After his elaborate proposal earned him a Guinness World Record for “largest GPS drawing in history,” Yassan was encouraged to keep making GPS art. He’s now a full time professional GPS artist who, according to his website, has created more than 1,400 works of art covering 62,000 miles in 24 different countries.
GPS art is such a clever way to combine a love of travel with an artistic vision! Just look at how far this new form of art has taken Yassan! There’s just no limit to how far one can go.
Share this story with anyone who ever went the extra mile for a labor of love.
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