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.
Since then about 25 couples have each paid 55,000 yen ($600) to hold a ceremony with all the pomp and grandeur of a wedding that publicly ends their relationship before they officially file for divorce. Terai said he had received more than 900 inquiries.
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.
"By putting an end to our marriage, we wanted to give ourselves fresh starts and give our lives a sense of renewal," said Mr Fujii, a 33-year-old businessman.
He said he felt responsible for the failure of his marriage as he spent too much time away from home and too much money on his various interests including cars - despite numerous warnings from his wife.
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.
"The moment I saw the smashed ring, I said to myself, 'Yes! That feels so good'," Mrs Fujii said.
Terai, who is believed to be Japan's first "divorce ceremony planner," came up with the idea to help couples celebrate their decision to separate after one of his friends went through a bitter divorce.
Divorce is on the rise in Japan, where it was once taboo, with about 251,000 divorces taking place in 2008, partly blamed on the poor economy taking its toll on romance.
(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.)
點擊查看更多雙語新聞
(Agencies)
隨著日本離婚率的不斷上升，該國的一些夫婦選擇舉辦一種離婚典禮來與不幸的婚姻說再見，他們在家人和朋友的共同見證下最後說一次「我願意」，慶祝不幸婚姻的結束。
離婚典禮服務大約於一年前在日本興起，當時一個曾做過銷售員的名叫寺井廣木的男子在東京一個隱蔽的小場所創立了一個「離婚公館」。
此後，寺井共為約25對夫婦舉辦了隆重程度堪比結婚典禮的離婚典禮，讓他們在正式申請離婚前公開結束婚姻關係。離婚典禮的收費為每對夫婦5.5萬日元（600美元）。據寺井介紹，至今他已收到900多人的詢問。
最近的一次離婚典禮於上周日舉行，當天一對自稱藤井的夫婦在東京老城區淺草區的淺草寺附近會合，之後各乘一輛人力車前往離婚公館。
33歲的藤井先生是一名商人，他說：「通過結束婚姻，我們想給自己一個新的開始，迎接新的生活。」
他說自己應為婚姻失敗負責，他不顧妻子的多次警告，經常不在家，為了滿足自己買汽車等各種興趣，花錢大手大腳。
藤井夫婦的家人和朋友緊跟著兩人乘坐的人力車步行前往離婚公館參加典禮。在典禮上，藤井夫婦用一個木槌將結婚戒指砸毀，宣告兩人關係的結束。
這把木槌上有一個青蛙頭雕飾，因為在日本文化中青蛙象徵著改變。
藤井先生說：「當我們一起砸扁戒指時，我想『哦，這下真的結束了』，那一刻我感覺自己的心靈和靈魂都獲得了新生。現在我覺得自己可以開始新的生活，一切可以重新開始了。」
與他結婚八年的藤井太太也表達了同樣的心情。
她說：「當我看到砸扁的戒指時，我對自己說，『好！這感覺太好了』」。
寺井據說是日本離婚典禮服務的開創者，他從一個朋友的痛苦離婚經歷中得到啟發，萌生為離婚人士提供慶典服務的創意。
離婚曾是日本社會的一大禁忌，而如今日本的離婚率卻不斷上升，2008年日本約有25.1萬對夫婦離婚，其中一部分原因是經濟不景氣對婚姻造成了影響。
相關閱讀
美城市離婚率排行 拉斯維加斯居前列
義大利將舉辦首屆離婚博覽會
社會新現象：「蝸婚」離婚不分家
研究：婚姻有益於心理健康
英98歲夫婦離婚 成世界年齡最大離婚者
經濟危機餘波未平 澳離婚率或大漲
研究：愛情不是婚姻唯一保鮮秘訣
研究：婚前同居不利婚姻長久
研究：離婚會讓人變老
英國女性：為了錢不離婚
美國研究：離婚不利於環保
（中國日報網英語點津 陳丹妮 編輯蔡姍姍）