Tattooed Aussies face Japan bath ban

Tattooed Aussies face Japan bath ban
By Anne Majumdar


Inked-up Aussies could face difficulties when attempting to enter one of Japan’s famous public baths, as a new survey revealed that more than half of Japanese hotels will not let visitors with tattoos enter their public bathing areas.

The new baths survey, conducted by the Japan Tourist Agency, is the first of its kind and comes as the country prepares for a tourism influx to coincide with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

While 56% said they would not allow tattoo-bearing guests to enter the baths, 31% said they would, and a further 13% said they would allow it if body art was covered.

The restrictions could create an issue for Aussie travellers. Around 14.5% of Australians have at least one tattoo, according to tattoo removal clinic Disappear Ink. Of those, 54% have just one tattoo, 23% have two to three and 15% have five or more.

The hostility towards the art of tattooing comes despite Japan’s own vibrant history of body art. Evidence shows that tattooing or “scarification” was carried out in the country as far back as the Jomon Period from 10,500 to 300BC becoming most popular during the Edo Period of 1603 to 1867, according to Jon Mitchell of The Japan Times.

However, the popular art was banned in 1872 as the government sought to avoid western occupation by showing the newcomers that they were not barbarians. The ban was lifted in 1948, but by then the Japanese had become alienated from the practice which had become associated with criminals.

More than 15 million tourists have been recorded so far this year. Of those, around one third listed the hot springs as one of their main motives for visiting.

 

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