Fumio Funaki lives a relatively quiet life in Japan. At 77, he teaches English and runs a small, cozy café. But his love story—and his stories in general—are anything but small or quiet. And they’re making a splash across social media, moving many by his vulnerability and, quite frankly, his ability to weave colorful memories into mini stories, as if they were romance novellas.

While in New York, Funaki had a chat with social media influencer Preston Rakovsky, who enjoys interviewing random strangers on the topic of love. (In fact, Rakovsky’s pinned post on Instagram is of himself carrying a sign that reads, “I’m bored. Let me ask you vulnerable questions.”) Funaki shared a heartbreakingly beautiful story about a woman he knew named Yoko. It certainly grabbed readers’ attention. And it didn’t hurt that it had traces of the plot from the 2004 film The Notebook.

@prestonrack ♬ Sweet Bye and Bye / What A Friend We Have In Jesus – Elizabeth Cotten

♬ Sweet Bye and Bye / What A Friend We Have In Jesus – Elizabeth Cotten

“Loving someone is both a scar and a gift”

In a series of screenshots, Funaki relays that “loving someone is both a scar and a gift.” He goes on to explain that back in the mid-1970s, when he was in his mid-20s, he met a “girl in Tokyo. “I saw her on the street walking fast with tears in her eyes. And immediately I knew I would love her for a lifetime.”

He explains their trajectory of heartbreak. “We ended up........

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