I am Jimmy Buffett fan, :)

the pics are on my myspace page at myspace.com/ScottBurnham

I will note that! Thanks!

Ah! I thought that sounded familiar. xD

Sorry to bring this thread back up but I just thought of something that never occurred for me to bring up earlier. Let's say you have a very elaborate back piece tattoo but possibly cannot be hidden while unclothed and in a "no tattoo" onsen you can't possibly get away with it. But if it can be easily hidden with clothing why not go in a private onsen? Rent your own room by yourself or with a couple friends and none of the employees or other patrons will see it. You'll still get to enjoy the onsens and keep your tattoos. They have very elaborate private rooms depending on where you go.

...sounds almost hopeless if you have a half sleeve of yokai....

Oedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba is, from what I hear, a very tourist friendly place. Do you think they are much more lenient about large tattoos?

Is their a website of an onsens/sentos that allows tattooed patrons?

My friend has a tatoo and he is going to school in Japan has never been given any trouble just because he has a tatoo.

It's not necessarily tattoos in school we've been talking about. More along the line of onsens, thanks.

I have a question about something, if you were to get a tattoo that was in Japanese that respected the culture (even though that idea blatantly contradicts itself) would there be less of and ordeal about it or no? And what if you got a tattoo in Japan? I have a few friends who have lived in Japan their entire lives and have gotten tattoos in Japan and were still able to go to public bathing houses.

~Tokyo

Japanese don't tend to use Japanese characters in their tattoos. Mostly tradtional images (gods, samurai, carp, pheonix, etc.)

Every onsen surely has their own policy based on problems they have had to deal with. Ask at the counter so you know for sure.

EDIT: Let me caveat my post by saying "TRADTIONAL Japanese tattoos don't use Japanese characters". Modern-day Japanese (rockers, bikers) who do tattoo lean toward non-traditional Japanese images, but often imitate the Western styles...

^ Good Advise!

Tattoos in Japanese society
 

Hello everyone,

I'm traveling to Japan in October. I heard/saw couple of times, if you got tattoos then you can't go to an onsen, because they will deny you going there. And I really want to enjoy these onsens. Same with some capsule hotels! I know about this Yakuza stuff and the older generations are scared about them. Maybe some of these old-timers are afraid of AIDS or some ink in the water. I don't know what else? What, if I will cover my tattoos with waterproof tape? It's just my right upper arm. It's cartoon and not monster skull or tribal or whatever.

What can you say about this topic. Thanks for your help.

Marco