A couple uses a hammer to smash their wedding ring to symbolize the end of their eight-year marriage during a "divorce ceremony" in Tokyo. So far 25 couples have held such ceremonies, each costing around 55,000 yen, which includes rides in separate rickshaws to a "divorce mansion" to conduct the ceremony in front of friends and relatives in Asakusa district, according to the ceremony producer Hiroki Terai.
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Carcharodon
Is that a frog on the hammer?, good luck trying that with a titanium ring
caribjustice
I don't know whether to praise them for being amicable or to attack them for treating their divorce so cordially. I'm leaning toward praise because if they have kids this could mean having a mutual understanding about visitation.
bobbafett
Love it. smash up that metal ring of death!
caribjustice
"...treating their divorce so *cordially".
I meant "casually".
Triumvere
Well, atleast they didn't take the hammer to each-other.
marcels
Don,t know why they,re smashing it up, most Japanese couples never wear them.....
Gurukun
Small price to pay to get you freedom back.
kokorocloud
Well that's... cheery.
TheRat
WHEN, WHEN is Japan ever going to just get to "contract marriages." People have NO idea who they are married to until after three to six months, and then the HORROR. I say, start of with a "TIN marriage" of six months. IF you complete this, you move up to "Bronze marriage of one year." IF you complete this, you move up to...well you get the idea. It would save everyone the loss of face that comes with a divorce. Once the contract is up, and you are not happy, then you just go your separate ways. The present situation is just too dang costly for everyone involved and most of the time it never works out, so WHY do it? I am rather a hypocrite on this one as I have been married 20 years--some good years and some bad ones, but still there, but I realize that most people simply are not "wired" for this kind of "endurance."
masterkun05
A sledge hammer would have been more effective. Why not just snip it in half with garden shears and split the proceeds. Other ways to flatten a ring include placing it standing up at an angle under a car tyre and driving over it. Putting it between the door and door frame and closing the door....how poetic. Leaning back on the fridge and placing it under one of the fridge legs. All of these methods have a subtle symbolic meaning. Then u can go out and by a shiny new one. Matching ones even. After your spat. lol. Nice shot too. Focus point and DOF.
Jbeezy
Rat: i agreee. last night my girl was telling me that her best friend who has been married all of six months is contemplating divorce. the reason is because her husband won't "change". after 6 months of marriage "tet-chan" continues to go to snack bars, smoke cigarettes, and drink until he is incoherent. Granted they do have a newborn but it hasnt stopped ol tet-chan. now she wants to leave after six months. i toils her to tell her to stick it out.
Gurukun
Jbeezy-you from Okinawa? Sounds exactly like my wife descrbing me.
tkoind2
Business opportunity!!!
Starting today.
Divorce Ceremony with officator: JPY60,000 Pre-Divorce Party: JPY250,000 + alcohol costs. Post Divorce Party: JPY600,000 including dinner + alcohohol Gold emossed Divorce Paper: JPY15,000 Commemorative Hammers: JPY30,000 each.
Could throw in some add ons like, English (or language of your choice, Speaking Divorce Facilitator. Campaign girls for the guy, guys for the girl. Pre-cermony hammer technique and training sessions. Costumes. Even Divorce Dresses and Attire.
The next big fad in Japan.
OneForAll
WHen we find out we married real people, warts and all, we all begin to wonder how they compare to the hollywood ideal. Well, another will just have their warts and all. We have our own. I say get over it, let your love grow for that warty person and the warts may disappear. I think Japanese do hang in there for the long run. I have and am thankful and would never have it any other way. We are a family thru good times and bad. We help each other even though at times we have our disagreements. Shogunai. I love my wife and children.
Gurukun
@tkoind-Great idea! But it would be funny to see the divorcee and divorcor getting drunk at the after party, get a little touchy feely and then get married again. LOL
my2sense
I would say most marriages suck in Japan. A good little portion of the GDP is cheating business....straight up. I actually had to put a sign on my mailbox that said "no sex soliciting spam" in a frigin family style apt building (my 2 yr old kid picked one up in our lobby) . The ring thing doesnt work in this culture.... marriage and bonking your mate faithfully should be the goal of this rotting society. Might wanna start with the smut racks in conboni and the guy wearing his ring at it... Japan has to be one of the most unfaithful cultures on the planet. In some countries you get your bits cut off... Guys in the mideast have 5 or 6 wives- the most loved walk directly behind him in public. All of the Japanese guys you know will play single biz guy when leaving Japan. In fact- I rarely see a guy on a departing flight from the airport with one on and have actually witnessed a few taking their ring off on landing (Bangkok/HK) I am on the Pitt-Jolie plan myself......
gogogo
How stupid is this!
lovejapan21
my2sense..only the royal (or really really rich) have 5 or 6 wives in the mideast. Rat, best idea ever! too bad nobody takes advice well... the best part is that Japanese women know that 80% of J men cheat..they just think they can teach old dogs new tricks. Thanks for the idea tk..im gonna honestly think about it!
seesaw
What a silly ceremony! Marriage and divorce seem to be taken so lightly in terms of emotional values...
genji17
Wow...Id sign a paper hauck the ring and be done with it. Why smash something you can sell.
yasukuni
"I am rather a hypocrite on this one as I have been married 20 years--some good years and some bad ones,"
So, there were bad years when you might have been tempted to end it. Maybe two years in a row. Are you happy that you stuck with it? Sounds like a good story to tell the ring smashers.
"the best part is that Japanese women know that 80% of J men cheat"
Don't know about the 80% figure. But plenty of Japanese women cheat too. Just that they are much better at hiding it and also better at finding out about their husbands.
yabusama
not to mention pathetic.
yasukuni
This was on TV too. It's like with the latest developments in funerals. It's the business people who change the culture. What a terrible way to make money.
nedinjapan
There is a trick behind this! Women love ceremonies, so the husbands fool them to have a divorce BUT with a ceremony! Great idea! : - )
moonbeams
Crap, they stole my idea
timorborder
Why does there have to be a "ceremony" for everything? And why do you have to drag along the relatives? If the soon-to-be-separated couple really wanted to whack something with a hammer, why not make the whole process somewhat "gladiatorial" in nature? How about winner takes all? You could arm both partners with a range of non-lethal weapons (at a nice mark up) and let them go at it. Indeed, I think the soon-to-be-ex in-laws would really be into such an idea. Sort of like Tiger and his Missus on Southpark.
jessssicaaa
er... timorborder LOL,
no, i say however people want to divorce is there choice, if they want to do a ceremony let them.. lol i reckon its a way to end it peacefully, it's better than going to the lawyers and paying hundreds to get screwd over by another lawyer your ex was paying, then have war lol I reckon the best end is a mutual agreement between divorcees, that allows them to conduct the most peaceful method to seperate from eachother... -.- but thats in an ideal world right? haha
KinuyeOshiro
I would be more interested in seeing a 5 kilo hammer and used with the fingers inside the rings, then you will know they mean business. Also a good idea for a TV show, called "Who wants to feel the pain?" Divorce couples get to answer 5 questions, the winner gets to smash the loosers ring with finger inside, then the looser gets to be officially divorced courtesy of NHK.
TheRat
Oh, yeh, I am happy that I stuck with it. Getting a new wife, would mean 10 more very SERIOUS problems. Like, who gets the children, children are messed up from divorce, alimony and child support = no money, um, new girlfriend and dating, trusting new girlfriend, possible marriage (more money) and then children NOT like new wife and wife not liking old souvenirs from old wife, and then wanting HER children. Oh, it gave me a headache to think about it. Thing is, if you go into history, during the American colonial period and foundation of the country 18th, 19th century, 1/3 of the children were illegitimate (as men would just move west and have a family, then move on and then have another family and then move further west and have another family, and during the colonial period, indentured servants were raped and then turned out once they started showing. Nothing else to do. I read in the New Times, that girls as young as 7 could get married. Jesus was also ranting about marriage as the Jewish men would just go through a SLEW of women, marry, divorce, marry divorce and that is why you have all of those bible verses. Kind David had 900 concubines, 3 women a day, so J-men today are pretty tame.
Yeh, what is she looking for, the perfect guy? Doesn't exist, and so she better look for just a little compromise. Just a little drinking, not just get smashed. I have heard of so many J-girls trying to get their guys to not drink. Ridiculous! It is like the guy telling them not to use make-up! A few beers might help reduce the stress so he doesn't jump out the flippin window. More communication is what she needs Jbeezy. Learn to talk with husband instead of TO husband. Otherwise, it will be VERY hard for her. Really. "Used" and not trusting of any men, so in the end, very, very lonely and bitter. Not good, you know.
Cherryblossomgirl
It's just a symbol, why not ?