Tattoos?

[eskimobasecamp 0]

what you boys need is some waterproof concealer. go to your nearest yves saint laurent make up counter and test out the colours, to see which match your skin tone best.

[Ocean11 0]

> I would like to know how have people with tats been treated in different resorts.

 

Unless you've gone in for a Mike Tyson tat, how would the resort know? And if it's a question of going to the hotel onsen, if they didn't make the tat issue clear when you booked, there's not much they can really say.

[Kumapix 0]

yeah, the Japanese are a bit tight about tatts. I was talking about it with a guy who does his own tatts ( ). He says the main reason that it's banned is because of the yakuza connection. Regular people (ie with no tatts) might feel scared and uncomfortable if a guy with a tat gets in the bath with them (and never come back = lost business & maybe a bad rep?).

 

dude, if you're going to get a tat then great but this is not the best country to be living in if you have one. You might find some doors closed to you in the future. ie if you're teaching english to kids and someone sees your tat and tells their parents you might find yourself out of a job. Imagine not being able to have an onsen or join a sports gym?

That said, I've heard that Japan is one of the best places to get a tat done because you need an apprenticeship before you can open your own tat parlour.

 

btw I was set on getting a tat when i was in highschool. I was a big Kiss fan and I was going to get this put on my arm (without the word kiss though)

 

I don't think I'd regret it now but I'm glad I didn't.

[Oyuki kigan 0]

i have a small tat around my bellybutton.

 

It is pretty easy to cover when i go to the onsen, but even the times when i don`t bother, there hasn`t been any problem. and i have been to a few now, all without incident. Plus, i am still seeing full-back piece yakuza-style ones sometimes, so i don`t know if the rules are being strictly enforced.

 

i also have been going to a gym the past few months, and nobody from the locker room has complained. There is also another foriegn guy with a big tribal armband who frequents the gym, even though it also has a `no tattoo` clause.

 

not that it matters, but tattoos in japan have a long history, and are not neccassarily connected with the yakuza anyways. Before they tried to outlaw it in Meiji times, many professions (like firefighting, for example) used tattoos, and had their own special symbols and whatnot.

[panhead_pete 27]

 Quote:

Originally posted by eskimobasecamp:
what you boys need is some waterproof concealer. go to your nearest yves saint laurent make up counter and test out the colours, to see which match your skin tone best.

Cool, I love wearing make up

[eskimobasecamp 0]

alternatively you could put lots of plasters on yourself

[Fattwins 0]

I dont think tats say anything about a person at all.... Yakuza aside but their tats are large and cover mostly the back only.

 

Japan isnt exactly a freedom of expression country though so do expect at times certain things or doors to be closed for no reason.

 

Getting a tat doesnt make one foolish, You can like them or not but it doesnt determine if the person is a fool.

[eskimobasecamp 0]

do you have tatoos FT? lol

[powwwers 0]

"Someone without a tattoo is only one step away from getting one, and someone with one is only one step away from getting ANOTHER one."

If ya really wanna get one, go ahead. Don`t let what others think influence you.

 

I`ve had two `happenings` at onsens the whole time i`ve been in Japan. (my tatts are almost insignificant in size. I`ve got one arm band, and a Hindi good luck symbol not even the size of your palm.)

both times it was bcos another `patron` complained. what is the deal with that??? i mean, we`ve got grown men getting around in a public bath baring all and sundry to whoever wants to see, and have probably done a few things in life tuff, and yet they`re so thin skinned they have to go out of their way to complain to managment. if it`s tha whole Yakuza argument i just don`t buy it. all they had to do was look at my face and they`d realise that there is no way i could be assocciated with Yaks!

Rather, i think it`s got EVERYTHING to do with rules. if the rule says, "No tatts." then some peeps feel it`s their `right` to complain. Sure, both times were uncomfortable. I wasn`t even asked to leave, they just asked me to put a `modesty` towel over my shoulder. That was more trouble than it was worth so I got out shortly after. If management had a problem then I`m sure they wouldn`t have served me a beer afterward. It`s just narrow-mindedness from a `minority`.

 

The local tattoo artist where i live is covered in the things -as you`d expect- he never has a problem when he goes to onsens. on occasion, when they are real busy or have some young crew in attendance, they politely ask him if he wouldn`t mind coming back later in the evening?? to which he obliges, and he has no Yak connections.

 

SKI, i didn`t appreciate your coment about me being a fool. For starters you have never met me. I may very well be a fool, or stupid, or dumb, or ignorant,,, but until you meet me, i don`t think you have a right to generalise like you did. thats all

[Oyuki kigan 0]

Hey Powwwers, you riding again soon?

Say hi to Akio for me. I saw that he had a big article on his tattoo guns in a recent magazine.

[dizzy 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by YellowSnow:
Japanese feel that you are disrespecting your parents for damaging the body they gave you. (anicdotal but this is what I have heard the most)

To anyone who believes this:

[dizzy 0]

i have a small one on my shoulder, want another on my other shoulder. i see plenty of fully or nealy fully covered sketchy yak dudes in onsens.

 

six years here, hokkaido to oki, never once has anyone said anything to me. even if they did, you just tell them it's henna or that it's temporary and will fade in a week.

[damian 0]

Shock horror, ultra conservative SKI, conformist and some might say bland, reacted in the expected manner when tattoo was mentioned. If ever there was a 'just ignore him' moment, that was it.

 

The problem with tattoos is that undoubtedly, a lot of absolute morons have them whilst a lot of clearly not-morons don't have them...and that makes the entire idea easy to dislike.

 

In terms of appearance, who cares? Some people are born plain ugly, some people choose to get permanent tattoos, and some people dedicate their life to owning a home entertainment centre, a two car garage and a suburban home. Big deal.

 

In terms of being a social impediment: they are, unless you choose your social and work environment to suit your skin, in which case it controls you. And that issue doesn't just apply in Japan.

 

Yellowsnow, one possible take on this question:

 

> .... planing on getting my first one. But I like onsen after a good run on the slopes.

 

If something so small is a factor, then perhaps you shouldn’t jump at the chance to get a tattoo. Who cares about an onsen? I wouldn't let that shape my life and decisions. If that minor aspect concerns you then a tatt isn’t right for you at the moment. And if being judged and excluded concerns you then same result: don’t get a tattoo.

 

And, take this the right way: if, as it appears, you felt subconsciously motivated to tell people about your tattoo plans on the forum then… don’t get one.

 

 

Pan_head: Yeah, I know you have heard it before.... but you have quite a bit yet to personally discover about Japan. Mate, don't rush into buying anything just yet, not before living there for some time. That place is a different world in ways that you cant imagine and whilst I now have stronger connections than ever to Japan, and quite miss many positive aspects, after 1 year living there I couldn’t get out fast enough, a common response. I ended up being stuck there for two years. Someone like me will go back there, but it will be with the benefit of programming my head in anticipation of the way things are; I’ll hit the ground prepared having put in a 2 year initiation/reconnaissance mission earlier on. Some popole love it off the bat and man more don’t. My advice: spend some serious time there first, get a job in a bar, live in the community. Do it for long enough so that the honeymoon is over. Then consider buying, not before.

 

Of course, you could all tell me to stick my advice in my pipe and smoke it.

[SKI 15]

 Quote:

Shock horror, ultra conservative SKI, conformist and some might say bland, reacted in the expected manner when tattoo was mentioned. If ever there was a 'just ignore him' moment, that was it.

Haha. Spoken just like a person with a tattoo. I find the tattoo gang quite amusing more than anything actually. Some common "qualities" I have noticed (in my extensive research of course):

- overly sensitive;
- try to convince themselves that they do it for themselves and don't give a damn what people think. Yeah, right.

[Fattwins 0]

Man you seem to know alot about other people just cause they have tats.

[YellowSnow 0]

Whoa there seems to be a lot of judgemental people on this thread, from both angles. You know that not every argument has to be polar, dont reject an experience in life just because your peers(in the case of ski, parents) have told you not to.

 

Thanks powwwers, Oyuki kigan et al, for your positive inputs.

[samurai 0]

First on topic, no tat problems at onsens here in yamagata. You're fine at Zao. Hello...

I like skiing better than tats

[Ocean11 0]

Perhaps you could get a Zao tattoo on your forehead to remind yourself that you actually went there. It would be really mean of the management to then throw you out of the baths.

 

 

I spent a jolly few moments checking out these really bad tattoos .

(WARNING - not work safe, and some people are not discriminating about where they choose to get tattooed.)

[samurai 0]

my mommy always told me never to get names as tats.

[skidaisuki 0]

Yellow Snow - I wouldn't get one anyway if I were you. Nothing to do with onsens.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

SKI, Its truly amusing how you can speak for the rest of Japan/foreigners based on your own views.

 

Had one more conversation last night with 6 other blokes in the sauna. Guess what?

 

1 outta 6 said they wouldnt like to see somebody with full body tattoos like a Yak - though if it was something small or less conspicuous he wouldnt care nor probably even notice.

 

The others said they didnt care. That makes, lets say, 15 people Ive spoken with now. They dont seem to mind. Though, once again, they must be in the minority for good measure

[The Takayama Tearer 0]

Quote.."I would like to know how have people with tats been treated in different resorts."

 

It depends on the place. I've never had problems with the country/ ski resort places, but I've been asked to leave a few times closer to the urban super cento type things. Each time I have argued that I am not in the yakuza, Im a paying customer and if they want me to leave then call the police. It kind of stuns them into submission and they leave you alone.

 

City gyms? faggeddabout it unless you can cover them up with bandaids.

[YellowSnow 0]

skidaisuki I am getting one, the topic is not really if i am getting one or not. I am looking for experiences on people who have them and what they face in Japanese onsens. Especialy public onsens that you can get free passes to with your lift pass.

I have already designed and priced my first tattoo. Its only a matter of time.

Besides I am not an English teacher, I have a good job with a long term goal of working in Japan. What would be truly stupid is not gathering other peoples experiences as the phrase goes "forewarned is forearmed".

[SKI 15]

 Quote:

SKI, Its truly amusing how you can speak for the rest of Japan/foreigners based on your own views.

Hmmm, I don't.

I wondered how long it would take for the ducking ropes thing to appear.

[Fattwins 0]

Yes rope ducking a tats are pretty much the same thing and make us fools for doing so i guess.

 

I dont know how they are linked either but people dont like being called fools i gather and wil bring up the past.