ARTISTS AND TATTOOS

I have one question :
I'd like to know if some Japanese artists have tattoos ? if so, WHO and what tattoo is it ?

From the band "Dragon Ash", I know that the lead singer KJ (Kenji Furuya) and bandmate Atsushi as visible tats all on both their arms...

Tatoo's are still pretty taboo in Japan. They are associated with Yakuza. I don't know of any big stars who have real one's although some had fake one's for certain parts.

Amuro Namie, one of the biggest JPOP singers (and best in my view) has 4 openly visible tattos. 2 on her wrist and 2 on the opposite arm (top part of her arm). They are 100% real and she's not part of the yakuza. Seriously, it's still a taboo for the older generation but lots of my friends have tattoos.

There are a few pop singers but as far as actors I still don't know of any.

tomiko ban, 3 stars on her left leg i think, same as Michelle Branch

tsuki77 wrote:Amuro Namie, one of the biggest JPOP singers (and best in my view) has 4 openly visible tattos. 2 on her wrist and 2 on the opposite arm (top part of her arm). They are 100% real and she's not part of the yakuza. Seriously, it's still a taboo for the older generation but lots of my friends have tattoos.

I was curious if they were real because sometimes I see her with the tatoo on the right arm and then sometimes it's on the left so I was like... :crazy:

If I understand well , there are not a lot of Japanese people who gets tattoos because it's still very taboo , uh ?
If I come to Japan, will I have to hide mine or what ???? :bleh:

Helene wrote:If I come to Japan, will I have to hide mine or what ???? :bleh:

not if the tattoos are in certain area? :naughty: hahahahaha!

No. Althought it it still fairly taboo to have tattoos, if you are a caucasian (which i think you are) that that should be ok. I pretty sure that they know that you are NOT yakuza. Some bathhouses, however, might not let you in because of the tattoos.

eltinator wrote:
I was curious if they were real because sometimes I see her with the tatoo on the right arm and then sometimes it's on the left so I was like... :crazy:

They are real! :) I can tell you which ones are real.
1. Barcode on her wrist (when scanned shows her BDAY).
2. Haruto (in gangsta style lettering on her arm- name of her baby boy).
3. A crest like oval symbol (has some writing about her murdered mother).
4. A bracelet like tat on her wrist (on the same arm as the barcode)

:hehe: tats make her look like a thug. I like them though.
you can tell im a big fan of hers, eh? :victory:

HYDE ^^)
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amrayu wrote:
They are real! :) I can tell you which ones are real.
1. Barcode on her wrist (when scanned shows her BDAY).
2. Haruto (in gangsta style lettering on her arm- name of her baby boy).
3. A crest like oval symbol (has some writing about her murdered mother).
4. A bracelet like tat on her wrist (on the same arm as the barcode)

:hehe: tats make her look like a thug. I like them though.
you can tell im a big fan of hers, eh? :victory:

Didn't know she has a bar code on her wrist. That's pretty cool though that it can actually be scanned. And yea, I'm a fan of hers too, SHE'S HAWT! :naughty: :naughty:

The tatoos make her look haweter also :hehe: :hehe:

@juliana: the angel wings look cool :D

yeah the barcode thing's cool...Are the wings real?

hmm...can't really believe that tattoos are still taboo in japan...thought it would have been quite accepted already...

I want to try the onsen bathing so much !!! I can't believe they don't let people in because of tattoos ... :banghead: My tattoo is on my ankle so I can't hide it easily ... :puppydog:

juliana_phang wrote:HYDE ^^)
[image]

hyde's tatoo is the BEST! here's another shot of it.
[image]
it looks great ne? :naughty:

My mother always has always said that tattoos are associated with Yakuza. When my father was finally allowed to see my mothers parents, the whole family just about died when they seen that he has a tattoo on his arm. My ex-girlfriend also has many tattoos and my mother almost killed me and would not accept her as my girlfriend. It seem no matter how modern Japan is, tradition is so strong.

yes i agree, tattoos are usually associated with yakuza. no matter how advanced japan is technologically, they are still very rooted traditionally - they are very old fashioned in some ways. a lot of the japanese believe tattoos are tasteless as well.

Hyde's tattoo reminds me of my friend's tattoo, except she has two huge black wings (not just outlines) on her entire back. It's soo cool. Do any of you have pics of Namie Amuro's tattoos? because it doesn't seem to show on any of her pics, so I'm wondering if they're real. :mrgreen:

well i think if you really want a tattoo, you have to be very sure you want it there. Anyway, it is like permanently there unless you remove it by laser.

I think Oshio Manabu has a tattoo of a dragon on his shoulder. Watched one of his MTVs and I spotted the tattoo. Also, some of his fans claimed to have seen his tattoo during a concert.

LiLz wrote:Hyde's tattoo reminds me of my friend's tattoo, except she has two huge black wings (not just outlines) on her entire back. It's soo cool. Do any of you have pics of Namie Amuro's tattoos? because it doesn't seem to show on any of her pics, so I'm wondering if they're real. :mrgreen:

Yup, Namie-chan's tatoos are real ^^ you can see her tatoos closer-->http://www.amuronamie.net/amuro2000/ (profile) :mrgreen: