Do Japanese Wear Wedding Rings?

The answer is no, not at all. I know that Western society has long had wedding rings for spouses to wear.

Still, since Japan’s etiquette differs from that in Western countries, it’s essential to be informed about customs like this before you come here or marry a Japanese person.

However, there are rare cases of Japanese people wearing wedding rings.

For example, people who have been overseas often and become used to the customs there or even those who grew up abroad as children then returned with their parents as adults and married. In such cases, they might wear wedding rings.

But generally speaking, the Japanese think of wedding rings as something for women to wear (rather than men), and they are seen as accessories like necklaces or earrings rather than items for men to use.

Usually, newlyweds will register their marriage with the local government and then hold a party where people congratulate them.

Most of the presents are items they will need to set up their house with rather than luxury items, so there isn’t a lot of pressure on the couple to have an expensive wedding ring.

There’s also the fact that Japan is a country where women have long taken care of the home, and men have been breadwinners, which means that even today, women usually receive “pocket money” from their husbands rather than the other way around.

In such a culture, women receiving a ring as part of a marriage ceremony is rare because traditionally, if a woman had a call, it would be one she had bought for herself on her earnings.

What hand do Japanese wear wedding rings?

What kind of ring is the most popular?

There is no clear answer to this question. Western society, rather than Eastern, mainly influences weddings in Japan, so no specific ring style can be the most popular among Japanese couples. However, the majority of engagement rings sold in Japan are diamond rings.

Today, the wedding ring is usually made of white gold or platinum. The history of wearing diamond rings for engagement in Japan dates back to around 1955 when Mokoto Taisho (the former head of Shinoharano Jewelry) introduced diamond rings as an option for Japanese couples.

The Japanese wedding ring has no connection to the Chinese concept of yin and yang. For this reason, no traditional “right” or “left” hand should be used to wear it.

At what age do Japanese get married?

According to a survey by statista.com, the average age at which men get married was 31 years old in 2020, while women got married on average at 29.4 years old.

Post-war baby boomers are partly responsible for this increase in average age, as their children are the ones who are getting married later nowadays.

Another reason is that more people live together or have children before officially marrying. Many couples also decide not to get married, instead choosing to live together as “Fūfu-ren.”

Living together and having children first: Couples may want to enjoy living together before getting married or having children outside wedlock. There is no legal obstacle to cohabitation in Japan.

Is Divorce High in Japan?

Yes, it is. The divorce rate in Japan is one of the world’s highest at more than 30%, a seemingly sharp rise from one out of every ten couples walking down the aisle to newlyweds divorcing soon after.

This has been partially attributed to economic instability and changing social norms.

In addition, some have attributed the rise in Divorce to unmarried young people, with an increasing number of Japanese adults choosing to either walk down the aisle around age 30 or not at all.

Divorce rates in Japan today are comparable to those found in European countries like Switzerland (40%), France (51%), and Italy (38%).

However, the number of divorces has declined in Japan over the past decade and is currently the lowest since 2000.

So this isn’t a problem anymore?

While Japan’s divorce rate may have declined from its peak between 1996-2003, it seems unlikely to return to rates comparable to those before the bubble economy burst in the early 1990s.

This is because Japan’s increasing number of single-person households doubled between 1985 and 2012.

The percentage of married couples living without children has risen from 22% to 29%, with many choosing to remain unmarried.