Are tattoos looked down upon in Japan?
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at
11:22 am
I want to get a tattoo. not some yakuza looking tattoo. I was thinking an eagle, dragon, or tiger on my chest or arm. I'm Chinese American by the way.
I stayed in Tokyo for a summer and i don't think I saw anyone with a tattoo...
canyou get thrown out of a public bath or onsen? i don't get it, why?
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US $.99
no.
Nobody cares about you unless you go to public bath in Japan.
no, it isn’t frowned upon but be prepared to have to cover it should you visit a public pool or bath. asian or caucasion…you’ll be asked to do that if it is too large. i have a dreamcatcher on my back and just cover it over. if you are out and about in tokyo or eslewhere, it really isn’t a big deal at all.
Tattoos can be annoying when you want to join a gym or visit an onsen, where they have rules in place to keep tattooed people out. The No Tattoos rules are to prevent the yakuza from coming in, since they have historically used tattoos and like to cause trouble (or at least that is the perception, but not always the truth). So it is super irritating to get tossed out of a place because you have a tattoo when it is obvious you are not part of the criminal element, but you learn to live with it.
There are people with tattoos here. Generally these people and their tattoos are not looked down upon.
Many yakuza (gang) have tattoos in Japan. So it’s seen as scary rather than looked down upon.
>canyou get thrown out of a public bath or onsen?
Yes, it’s possible. As I told you, since many yakuza have tattoo, they want to keep anyone with tattoo out of their facility, for security reason.
For most foreigners it is not a big deal as long as they are not too extreme. Most Japanese are aware that they are popular in other countries and don’t have the same significance as they do in Japan. Many young people will even think they are cool.
Most Gyms and Onsen ban people with Tatoos going back to their Yakuza implications. If it is small you can cover it with a bandage. My wife has a small tattoo on her ankle and covers it with a bandage when going to the gym or onsen. They can ban anyone they like they are provate business. There is no law in Japan that says they must serve everyone. Also very few but some refuse any foreigners period.
As you are Chinese American and not caucasian more people may be put off by you. In Japan there is a kind of problem with Chinese gangs so the tattoo may cause a connection in some peoples minds. I don’t expect you will have a problem about this but people may be less inclined to chat with you and may be a bit more suspecious of you than others.
Person who has a tattoo cannot enter public bath in Japan.