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Japanese tattoos
A Japanese girl strolling around London streets showing of her tattoos during the 5th International London Tattoo Convention. Probably this girl would have problems if she tries to go to onsens here in Japan, as it is forbidden to enter in most of the onsens if you have a tattoo.
Photo by Daylife.
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Comments
Mikey
11 October, 2009
Why is that? I was recently in Japan, and, while I dont have any tatoos, we were told that..
Is it just because it appears to be unclean?
Mikey
Jeremy Neiman
11 October, 2009
I’m sure no one would notice that she has a tattoo, it’s pretty inconspicuous.
Christine Cassidy
11 October, 2009
Mikey, it is because in Japan it is mostly yakuza (gangsters) that are heavily tattooed and most onsens are family establishments that don’t want to be seen as associating with gangsters and their customers would not want contact with yakuza either.
Mamimi
11 October, 2009
@Mikey: i’ve always heard it’s to keep yakuza out.
Tornadoes28
11 October, 2009
That is correct. Rather than put a sign that says “No Yakuza” they just don’t allow tattoos.
David
11 October, 2009
Imagine the onsen employee who draws the short straw and has to go tell the tattooed yakuza boss and his cronies that no, they’re not welcome in the bath.
Betenoir
12 October, 2009
hmm, I have to say I have a tattoo and I never had any problems, nor did any of my friends… although it could have been because a) we were in Hokkaido or b) we were both foreign and female. in any case, I went to dozens of Onsen and it never even came up.
jamesmallon
12 October, 2009
A shame to do that to such nice young skin!
We Fly Spitfires
12 October, 2009
I’m a big ol’ white boy married to a Japanese lady and I have a kanji word tattooed to my arm. We were in Japan in August and I was very nervous about going to the swimming pool in the hotel because they had big signs up saying “no tatoos”. No one cared though. Us gaijin get away with anything
Mikey
13 October, 2009
I wonder if it’s the Yakuza thing, that seems so obvious. I know way back when, the only people who were legally allowed to have tatoo’s were firemen.
Strange.. Ahh well.
dendoo
14 November, 2009
that is sexy. very, very sexy.
Akiko
12 January, 2010
Wow her tattoos are sooo nice. I wish I wouldnt look like a yukaza girl if I got it. My parents would kill me.