# Japanese professor: "If people in Japan see that you have tattoos..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950 "2011-02-02T23:23:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mookieblaylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@mookieblaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mookieblaylock)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/1 "2011-02-02T23:23:01Z")
“…they’ll think you’re Yakuza. Except for you.” _points to me_ “At your size, they’ll think you’re three Yakuza.” Normally I don’t like her very much, but that was really funny. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/2 "2011-02-02T23:26:55Z")
Leaving aside the joke, that’s something I really don’t understand. Assuming you don’t look Japanese, why would they assume that everyone in the world gets tattoos for the same reasons as (many? some? most?) Japanese tattooed people do? Are they really that parochial? My Japanese sister-in-law is married to an American who was formerly in the navy. They live and he is employed in Japan, and has been for a long time. He can’t go to any public bath or onsen. He has an anchor on one arm, and something on his chest. It just seems dopey to me. Sorry for the sidebar. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![storyguide3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@storyguide3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyguide3)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/3 "2011-02-02T23:55:32Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Leaving aside the joke, that’s something I really don’t understand. Assuming you don’t look Japanese, why would they assume that everyone in the world gets tattoos for the same reasons as (many? some? most?) Japanese tattooed people do? Are they really that parochial? > > My Japanese sister-in-law is married to an American who was formerly in the navy. They live and he is employed in Japan, and has been for a long time. He can’t go to any public bath or onsen. He has an anchor on one arm, and something on his chest. > > It just seems dopey to me. Sorry for the sidebar. > Roddy Makes perfect sense to me. The baths don’t want yakuza in there but putting up a sign that says “No Yakuza Allowed” is not likely to go over well with the gangs (“Nice onsen you have there, shame if something were to…happen to it”) Also, how do you tell, aside from tattoos, who the yakuza are? They probably don’t have membership cards to check. By banning tattoos, the bath owners can keep a lot of yakuza out. Any gang members without tattoos could go in, but they have to leave their inked brethren outside, so what’s the point. Now, rules is rules. Your SIL’s husband may not be thought of as a yakuza by most Japanese who give it much real thought. On the other hand, how can the bath owner make an exception for him and not let the Japanese dude with the tats in? On the other hand, maybe the Japanese just think that the yakuza are a very open, multi-racial bunch and that they really do recruit foreigners in significant numbers. Could be true.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/4 "2011-02-02T23:57:29Z")
“Yakuza”? ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/5 "2011-02-03T00:06:37Z")
Japanese organized crime. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/6 "2011-02-03T00:08:44Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > “Yakuza”? Members of the Japanese equivalent of the mafia. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/7 "2011-02-03T00:11:08Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > “Yakuza”? [Yakuza](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=yakuza) ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/8 "2011-02-03T00:17:30Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > My Japanese sister-in-law is married to an American who was formerly in the navy. They live and he is employed in Japan, and has been for a long time. He can’t go to any public bath or onsen. He has an anchor on one arm, and something on his chest. > Roddy Oh come on :), there are still sailors with an anchor tattoo on their biceps? Does he eat a lot of spinach? Seriously, **Guinastasia** you had never heard of the Yakusa?? Or did you mean something else by saying that? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/9 "2011-02-03T01:11:07Z")
There are onsen that yakusa can go to even if they have tattoos. Arima onsen, for example doesn’t ban tattooed customers. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/10 "2011-02-03T01:19:17Z")
“onsen”? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/11 "2011-02-03T01:20:35Z")
Question mark? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/12 "2011-02-03T01:49:08Z")
Anecdote: my oldest son has 3/4 sleeve tattoos, his back is covered and so is much of his chest. Most of it is Japanese in nature. He and his wife like to vacation in Japan when they can afford it. Last time he went, they stayed at a hotel in Kyoto with a pool. He went outside for a swim and the manager came running out almost immediately and told him he could not expose his tattoos, as he was scaring the Japanese guests, who assumed that he must be a criminal. It was quite a deflating experience for him, as he thought he was quite cool. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/13 "2011-02-03T02:05:23Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > “onsen”? [Hot-springs resort](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen). ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/14 "2011-02-03T02:19:27Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > [Hot-springs resort](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen). Bad title? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/15 "2011-02-03T02:28:58Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Bad title? > **[Onsen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen)** > > In Japan, onsen (温泉; .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced \[oɰ̃seɴ\]) are hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 onsen establishments use naturally hot water from these geothermally heated springs. > Ons... They’re most wonderful before and after a day of skiing. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/16 "2011-02-03T02:51:28Z")
The average foreigner with tattoos will not be considered a Yakuza member, but they are nevertheless frowned upon. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/17 "2011-02-03T04:01:29Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > “onsen”? Sorry I didn’t answer - I genuinely thought it was a joke from upthread. And yeah, what Auto said - nobody with a functioning brain would think a non-Japanese-looking person could be a Yakuza member. ---
**Author:** ![mookieblaylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@mookieblaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mookieblaylock)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/18 "2011-02-03T04:13:57Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > The average foreigner with tattoos will not be considered a Yakuza member, but they are nevertheless frowned upon. I’m aware. The topic came up in class because she noticed a Korean student had a tattoo, so that might be a bigger problem for him. She made the joke about me because I’m 6’5 and built roughly like Jason Segel. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/19 "2011-02-03T05:33:23Z")
> [@mookieblaylock](#): > > She made the joke about me because I’m 6’5 and built roughly like Jason Segel. Some people say you woulda been safe, anyway. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950/20 "2011-02-03T07:05:12Z")
I’ve always assumed that these rules banned two undesirable groups: 1. Yakuza 2. Gaijin Some Japanese people think that Americans/Europeans etc. are just there to start shit, ogle women, and so forth. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-professor-if-people-in-japan-see-that-you-have-tattoos/569950.md?page=2)