For Christians, marriage is a sacred vow between a man and a woman in the eyes of God and the public. This holy union was sanctified by God in the story of Creation, as told in Genesis 2:23-24 of the Holy Bible.
This Bible verse on marriage reads: "The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called "woman," for she was taken out of man.' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
In the modern day and age, however, more and more people are choosing to set aside marriage, and choosing divorce instead. Interestingly, some Japanese couples have found a way to live apart to fulfill their lifelong dreams, while staying married.
This practice called "sotsukon" is becoming more and more popular in Japan, which has an ageing population.
According to a report on CNN, "sotsukon" is for couples who are still in love with each other but have decided to live apart to achieve their dreams separately.
The idea was first raised in 2004 by Japanese author Yumiko Sugiyama in her book "Sotsukon no Susume—Recommending the Graduation from Marriage."
For instance, 66-year-old Yuriko Nishi chose to live separately with her husband to pursue her lifelong goal of becoming a fashion designer. The couple nevertheless stayed married, for the sake of their three grown-up sons.
"We started wondering what path we should be walking on," Nishi told CNN. "We told our children it was a good chance to evolve our family."
Her husband, a former cameraman, meanwhile chose to go back to his home town and became a rice farmer.
"He visits me once a month. I visit him for a week at a time, too... Our marriage is in good shape," she said.
