When 'I do' means 'I don't anymore'

With divorce on the rise in Japan, some couples are choosing to celebrate the end of an unhappy marriage by saying "I do" for a final time at a divorce ceremony before friends and family.Divorce ceremonies were pioneered about a year ago by a former salesman, Hiroki Terai, who set up a "divorce mansion" in a small undercover space in Tokyo.
The latest couple, who called themselves Mr and Mrs Fujii, met near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's traditional Asakusa area on Sunday and rode in separate rickshaws to the divorce mansion.Friends and family of the Fujii couple followed closely behind the rickshaws on foot, arriving at the divorce mansion for a ceremony where the Fujiis smashed their wedding ring with a gavel, a gesture signifying the end of their partnership
The gavel has a frog's head as frogs symbolize change in Japanese culture."When we smashed the ring together, I felt like 'Oh, this is the end of it, really' and my heart and soul felt renewed. Now I feel I can have a new life and start all over again," said Mr Fujii.His wife of eight years also expressed relief.

My opinion

Divorce is on the rise in Japan, where it was once taboo, with about 251,000 divorces taking place in 2008. I feel it is so strange! Japanese are always so funny. Why does someone want to celebrate divorce? If you get a divorce, it means you have a fail marriage. It is really not worth celebrating. Maybe they think they will begin a new life, but I cannot accept it. I think it is so ironic.