They are but it doesn't mean every asian guy or woman with tattoos is in a criminal gang, that is just poor judgement and it happens every day. Their is a gang in the USA who tattoo tear drops under their eyes for every person they have killed (I think, not really sure)
In my opinion judging someone by the ink on their skin is the same as judging someone for being a different colour than you. Some people look down at people with tattoos but some people look up to them.
I have seen a few business men in central on their lunch break either reach up to grab something from the counter to see what appears to be a sleeve of tattoos under their shirts.
Indeed true, but it does not mean that I would be showing off tatt's to clients in a Japanese boardroom.They are but it doesn't mean every asian guy or woman with tattoos is in a criminal gang, that is just poor judgement and it happens every day.
You have not lived in Japan before, then...
Quite a few places like public bath houses and pools, most of them have signs up, banning tattooed people. They take this so seriously that Yakuza members who have ignored this ban, have been jailed for the offence.
It doesn't matter what us Geijin think, they have their cultural values / rules, and we have ours. It shouldn't be made an issue of a right, it is just a matter of cultural difference and perspective. Tattoos will become more accepted as the older generation who still follow the Meiji govt thinking, die off.
If you research as to why they banned tattoos in the first place, you can sort of see their logic, which I do happen to agree with. They managed to achieve their societal goals as a result, from being a divided feudal nation, to becoming a united nation with a central govt. Banning the tattoo helped remove visual identification, ie societal/clan differences.
Last edited by Skyhook; 08-09-2010 at 04:47 PM.
Another example is if you watch Japanese cartoons the characters will have four fingers and a thumb unlike most US cartoons which will have three. This is also due to a criminal linkage.