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.

随着日本离婚率的不断上升，该国的一些夫妇选择举办一种离婚典礼来与不幸的婚姻说再见，他们在家人和朋友的共同见证下最后说一次“我愿意”，庆祝不幸婚姻的结束。

Divorce ceremonies were pioneered about a year ago by a former salesman, Hiroki Terai, who set up a "divorce mansion¹（大厦，宅邸） " in a small undercover space in Tokyo.

Since then about 25 couples have each paid 55,000 yen² ($600) to hold a ceremony with all the pomp（盛况，浮华） and grandeur³（壮丽，庄严） of a wedding that publicly ends their relationship before they officially file for divorce. Terai said he had received more than 900 inquiries⁴.

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（黄包车） 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（粉碎） their wedding ring with a gavel（小木槌） , a gesture signifying the end of their partnership⁵.

The gavel has a frog's head as frogs symbolize⁶ 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（从头再来） ," 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（提出，想出） 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 taboo⁷（禁忌，禁止） , with about 251,000 divorces taking place in 2008, partly blamed on the poor economy taking its toll⁸ on romance.