There’s a new trend in Japan among couples seeking a divorce: instead of just signing a bunch of papers, they’re having divorce ceremonies. The service was devised by a former salesman named Hiroki Terai, who — for about $600 a month — will bring the unhappy couple into a small room called the “divorce mansion” and smash their wedding rings with a gavel in front of witnessing friends and families. One relieved husband who recently underwent the ritual told Reuters:
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.
His wife expressed similar sentiments:
The moment I saw the smashed ring, I said to myself, “Yes! That feels so good.”
Terai is planning to expand his services to other parts of Asia too. In cultures where rituals are an important aspect of officiating milestones and getting closure, I think it makes sense that divorce ceremonies exist.
Japanese couples say I do in divorce ceremonies [Reuters]
(Thanks, Jake Adelstein!)