Japanese Tattoo Culture: All You Need to Know Before Visiting Japan

Yuki and Hannah0 Comments

Understand the Japanese perspective on Ink

As many of you know, some public spaces in Japan won’t allow you to enter if you have tattoos. But is it really true or just an old stereotype? In this post, we dive into the tattoo culture of Japan and answer questions like “I want to visit Japan but is it okay to go there with tattoos? “, “Can I go to hot springs with tattoos?”, or “Why are people with tattoos ostracized in Japan?”

Before we start, a little background on Hannah; she is American and has 14 tattoos (some quite large) and Yuki is a Japanese native. Since she has so many tattoos it’s impossible to hide them all. Therefore, we decided to research where she can go and not go when we visit or live in Japan in the future. 

Can you go to onsen (hot springs) with tattoos?

According to a survey conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency on bathing facilities in 2015, 56% of bathing facilities refuse people with tattoos. In response to the question “Why do you take such measures?”, nearly 60% of the facilities created such restrictions voluntarily, while 20% of the facilities refuse people with tattoos based on guidance or requests from the police or local government. 

Cons of having tattoos in Japan

Yuki worked at a gym with a hot spring and pool facility for several years and they don’t allow people who have tattoos to even enter the gym. If you have only a small one, there might be an exception. Several times he saw foreign residents rejected to be members at his gym because of their tattoos. The gym’s patrons tended to be older Japanese people, so this policy was probably to make them feel comfortable. 

Working in Japan with tattoos

Since tattoos have such a negative reputation in Japan most Japanese companies have strict rules when it comes to their employees having tattoos. In Yuki’s experience, when he got his part-time job as a gym attendant he had to sign a statement proclaiming his lack of tattoos. He did so because at the time he didn’t have one, but a few years ago he got one. Most of the time his tattoo is covered, however when he lifeguards it’s visible. The first time he lifeguarded post-tattoo his boss pulled him aside and said if he didn’t cover the tattoo that he would be reported to higher management.

It’s not unheard of for people to lose their jobs over their tattoos. However, despite this occurrence there definitely are Japanese companies who have lenient tattoo policies. This is even more true if you work for a foreign company with offices in Japan. Yuki worked for a time for a German company and many of the Japanese employees had tattoos. His boss actually had tattoo sleeves!

Places to avoid if you have tattoos

So the question is what kind of facilities will most likely deny entry to tattooed patrons? This is important for us to check beforehand since Hannah has tattoos all over her body. Here are some public spaces that will most likely stop you at the door when they see your ink. 

  • Hot springs
  • Pools
  • Tanning salons
  • Yoga studios
  • Gyms

What younger Japanese people think about tattoos

Even the Tokyo Disney resort had a policy saying “no tattoos at the park” on their website a few years ago. Recently however, the younger generation are getting tattoos in a fashionable and casual manner, just like in many other countries around the world. This led to a decrease in the number of people who have a prejudice or aversion to tattoos. As a result, tattoos are gradually becoming more accepted in Japanese society.

Not only have younger Japanese generations changed Japanese tattoo culture but also foreign travelers. The number of foreign visitors to Japan is rising steadily every year at an astonishing rate and Tokyo plans to host Tokyo Olympics 2021, increasing the number even more. Therefore, it’s unfair for foreigners to be denied public spaces like hot springs because of having tattoos. Japanese government is currently conducting research about tattoo culture to improve these situations. 

Why do people frown upon tattoos to start with?

To understand the reason behind the reputation of tattoos in Japan, first we need to take a look back at Japanese history. According to Irezumi by Willem R. van Gulik, the first mention of tattooing is found in the Nihon Shoki, sometimes translated as the Chronicles of Japan which is the second oldest book on classical Japanese history. The Nihon Shoki’s mention of tattoos referred to a derogatory feature of the Emishi (an indigenous people who lived in what is now Japan.) Starting in the Kofun period (300AD-600AD), irezumi aka tattoos in English, were adopted as a punishment for minor theft. This penal usage of tattoos was perhaps borrowed from the Chinese but there is debate among scholars on the origin. 

Eventually tattoos were used to mark more serious criminals. Officials inked criminals on their arms or forehead, since this made it easier to check for criminal records and alerted the people around them that they were criminals. However, due to the inability to remove the tattoos, some people lost any chance to reform and eventually despaired because they could not escape their criminal past. In 1870 ,at the beginning of the Meiji period, tattooing as punishment was abolished, but tattooing for other reasons was also outlawed until the early 20th century.

Literary inspiration for tattoos in Japan 

In the Edo period tattoos came into use as art and expression in Japan. Some postulate this is due to suikoden, a 14th century Chinese story. The Japanese translation of the story featured woodblock prints depicting people with elaborate full body tattoos. The demand for such tattoos skyrocketed in response to the story’s success in Japan.

The style of these tattoos reflected the woodblock prints or ukiyo-e. This style of artwork has continued to dominate Japanese tattoo designs. It often pictures animals, both mythical and real, people, and plants.    

What’s the difference between Western and Japanese tattoos?

In the West Japanese style tattoos are typically called irezumi, however in Japan they are referred to as horimono (engravings.) The term irezumi was almost exclusively for penal tattoos, and in modern day usage it carries with it a negative connotation. Japanese tattoo artists are proud of their work and have insisted on the distinction. They prefer the term horimono for this reason. 

Traditionally for a horimono the ink is inserted into the skin via a bundle of needles attached to a piece of wood/bamboo. This tool is used by hand and the method is called tebori, or hand carving. This differs from Western style tattoos where ink is inserted using a tattoo machine. In recent years in the US hand-poked tattoos have seen a comeback, especially amongst younger creatives. These western hand-poked tattoos are definitely more similar to the tebori method but not quite the same.

Horimono are distinguished not only in the method of ink insertion from other styles of tattoos, but also in their location and subject. They must be on the back, arms, and legs, and must cohesively fit together usually following a theme or story. Even though it may take a long time before a tattoo is complete, a horimono is seen as one piece. At their core they show artistic excellence and oftentimes they have a spiritual element in them. Those who have horimono consider this form of body art  to be an important aspect of Japanese culture. Sadly in the 20th century horimono became associated with yakuza (Japanese gangs) which created the current attitude towards tattoos. 

The impact of yakuza on Japanese tattoo culture

After World War II, tattoo culture in Japan was once again legal and on the rise. In conjunction with this in the 1950s a new genre of film emerged focusing on the activities of the yakuza. These films were very popular in Japan, and they often depicted yakuza with elaborate horimono. The art on the skin of the actors made the setting and story of the characters visually compelling and dramatic, captivating the audience.

However, as a result there was a large negative impact on people’s opinion of tattoos. These movies and other pop culture created an image in the Japanese public’s mind which connected yakuza and tattoos. While this stereotype formed, in real life gang warfare using smuggled guns intensified, resulting in a series of incidents in which ordinary citizens were injured or endangered. These events hung heavy on people’s minds and there was a growing fear in the Japanese psyche of the yakuza. 

At this time since gang activity was so publicized, society started rejecting gangs and tried to restrict gang members’ ability to use public areas. In order to be more discrete, businesses simply put up signs barring tattooed individuals from entering instead of directing the restriction at gang members. They did this out of fear that the yakuza might retaliate if they felt directly discriminated against. 

The future of Japanese tattoo culture

As we mentioned earlier, some younger Japanese people have tattoos. Tattoos for them are a way to express their personalities, interests, and creativity. We hope the stereotype that tattooed individuals are inherently dangerous will die out in Japan. In the near future it’s our hope that all people, those who are tattooed and not, will be treated equally in Japan. Individual appearance is a personal choice, and people should not face discrimination simply because they choose to express themselves via permanent art on their skin.

Yuki took a risk as a Japanese native and got a small tattoo on his shoulder. He says he will never regret getting it. If you are Japanese or a foreign visitor of Japan who has tattoos, Yuki wants you to know that you shouldn’t feel bad or not do things that you want while in Japan simply because of your tattoos. The reason you got tattoos was most likely not because you intended to hide and you should be proud of them. Although some people think tattoos are bad in Japan, there are so many talented Japanese tattoo artists who are highly skilled at carving Japanese tattoos. They believe tattoos are a valuable part of Japanese culture and they continue their art, loved abroad and hated in their homeland, in order to preserve the beautiful Japanese tattoos of the Edo period. 

Where to get Horimono

If you’d like a Japanese tattoo, you should definitely check out some tattoo shops in Japan when you visit! Yuki got his while he was in the US. But there are many famous tattoo artists in Tokyo. The price might be a little bit more expensive than the US or other countries but it’s worth getting a traditional horimono. The most famous living Japanese tattoo artist is Horiyoshi III who is based out of Yokohama. You can check out this video about him and the current underground tattoo scene in Japan. 

If you’d like a tattoo while in Japan, here are some well-known English speaking tattoo shops in Tokyo:

If you can’t make it to Japan but still want to get a Japanese style tattoo. Here are some tattoo shops professional tattoo artists based in the US who specialize in Japanese styles. Please check them out!

Things to look into before traveling in Japan if you have tattoos

If you have tattoos and want to use public hot springs in Japan, you might want to check whether they allow people to have tattoos beforehand. According to Japan’s guidelines for tourism companies, they recommend that people cover their tattoos area with a sticker, etc., so that it cannot be seen by other bathers.

Stickers to cover your tattoos which you can order on Amazon

Thank you so much for reading. we hope you have an amazing trip to Japan. Let us know if you have any questions! Don’t worry about your tattoos too much while visiting Japan. It’s going to be fine! Simply be respectful and polite. 

Have a nice day!