This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

Here in Japan, there are strict rules about where you can – and cannot – display your ink. Public pools. Fitness centers. Public baths. No tattoos allowed. What’s with the stigma against body art? Many people want to blame it on the yakuza, the Japanese mob, who use tattoos as a mark of brotherhood. But there’s more to the story than that. Chinese historical records indicate that Japanese men tattooed their faces and their bodies as early as 300 AD. In the 17th century, criminals were punished by having the kanji for “dog” tattooed on their foreheads. In the 19th century, tattoos were banned by a government who thought they might seem barbaric to their new trade partners from the West. The ban was lifted after WWII but now it seems to be back in place. By the way, the no tattoo sign? It’s the universal red circle and line over a picture of a tattooed shoulder. It would make a bitchin’ tattoo, dontcha think?

With thanks to Ayako Mizumura for this idea, from the KU Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.

http://kotaku.com/why-is-there-a-tattoo-stigma-in-japan-1249980905