Job Discussion Forums

[globetrotter]

Hi. I'm about to take an interview for my first teaching job in Japan and am a little nervous about it. I've read various things about tattoos in Japan and the stigmas associated with them by the Japanese on a few different places on the net. The thing is, I have a really large one covering the upper half of my arm and part of my chest. I spent the last year in Korea and,although it got many looks, it never caused me any inconveniences or problems. I'm a gym rat and I'm worried that I won't be able to find a gym to work out in and worse yet, I'm worried that I could get canned by my employer if my tattoo is visible. My tattoo is of a large dragon and I know that many yakuza diplay similar tattoos, so I guess my question/concern is, am I going to have problems and or face discrimination in Japan for my tattoo even though I'm foreign? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[TokyoLiz]

Globetrotter,

Be prepared. That means make sure that all the shirts you wear cover your tattoo completely. Take this into consideration not only at work but at play, too. Generally, Japanese people don't appreciate tattoos on foreigners or locals.

One of my fellow Aikidoists has tattoos on her anke and wrist. When she practices, she wears an ankle support and a wrist band to cover them, and nobody in the club knows about it. At work, she always wears opaque stockings to hide the anke and a chunky bracelet for the wrist. She can't go to hot spring spas because the management at these places generally prohibit tattoo-flaunting people.

I, too, thought long and hard about getting a tattoo this past year and decided against it because I really like hotsprings and short sleeve clothing.

Be prepared to keep your dragon secret. It's actually kind of fun trying to keep a large tattoo concealed.

I'm curious to hear what other English teachers in Japan think about this - and don't worry, your tattoo secrets are safe with me

[David W]

One of my students is a tatoo artist. He plans to one day open his own tatoo shop in Australia. I hope he can do it. Now in Japan, I think a lot of his customers are Yakuza. He told me once that he was going to be busy on the weekend because one of his customers wanted a tat finished quickly because he was going into prison on Monday morning
My student is not a Yakuza but obviously knows people in those circles. He himself is tatooed so some (not all) onsens and sentos will bar him. I don't know if it's much of a problem for foreigners with tatoos but as Tokyo Liz says, don't go showing it to the housewives in your Thursday 2pm class If you have to wear a long T-shirt to cover your tats in the gym then so be it. If it means you can't go to a sento or an onsen well, too bad. Don't let it stop you coming, most people won't care that much about them.

[TheyCallMeTrinity]

On Kyushu I had no problems at ANY of the onsen I went to, and I have tattoos covering my arms. I was sitting in the sauna of a wonderful onsen in Kumamoto and a man (Japanese) showed me his back tattoo (not a Yakuza, but a businessman who lived in Chicago for nearly 20 years) and commmented that many Japanese don't understand "body art."

It's more often to keep out yakuza. As a foreigner I wouldn't worry.

[idaho]

you shouldn't have too many problems.

I taught in Gunma-ken (north of Tokyo) for two years, and in that time went to several different onsens and sentos. In that time I was only hassled (sp?) once, which was in a sento in downtown Yokohama. My Japanese and Japanese-speaking friends talked them out of booting me, thankfully. All the other places it was generally understood that the big white gaijin they were looking at was NOT yakuza (who are readily identifiable by flashy clothes and an unmistakeable "You can't mess with me" attitude.)

Naturally at school, a typical junior high, I kept a pretty low profile. With all the different times I went to onsens with coworkers the word about my ink inevitably got out to the kids. No, I wasn't fired. No, no one ever asked me if I was yakuza. Everything was fine. It was a matter of reaping what you sow - If you have good relations with your coworkers and kids, there's nothing to fear. In fact, a good number of Japanese were captured by my tattoo, leading to some interesting conversations. For instance, at the winter teacher's party in a resort my Harley-riding and "drinking is my hobby" principal asked me "Darren-sensei: You are chotto (kind of a) bad-boy?" Yes, he was the kind of guy who got a kick out of stuff like that.

Well, that's my experience at least.

Darren
San Francisco

[nakanoalien2]

I think tattoo concerns or rules are often aimed at keeping out yakuza and cronies of, but some gyms (Tipn*ss is an example) also have in there contracts a tattoo exclusion which says something like, "including designer tattoos". I presume this is aimed at the general public as well. I don't know how well enforced it is, though.

[matko]

I tried to join 2 gyms.
Both asked me if I had a tattoo. I said yes.
They said sorry, you are not welcome.
I said, it's really small and I can cover it.
They said, you told me so I can't let you in.
I phoned the head office. They said, you can join but don't tell anyone. I asked, what about your sales person? They said, we'll take care of it.
I went back. They said sorry.
I said
"I don't want to join your gym, just wanted to see how STUPID this tattoo thing could actually be"

Don't worry about your tattoo. Hide it as much as possible BUT have fun with it just to mess around with the locals minds

[genkiT]

Here in my small town I joined the local gym without incident. I figured if I wore shirts that covered my tattoo in class it wouldn't be a problem and it wasn't. I went swimming once and one of the staff told me I wasn't allowed in the pool because of my tattoo. Luckily for me a few stategically placed band aids do the trick and I can swim. Everyone at the gym knows I have a tattoo (through social contact and the change room etc) and I haven't been asked to leave...BUT every foreigner who has since tried to join the gym has been told if they have a tat they can't join So if you are asked if you have a tattoo and you choose the not so truthful option be prepared to forego the change room entirely. That means arriving with your longsleeved gym shirt already on and going home sweaty. There are plenty of great friends to be made at the gym, so good luck. GenkiT