As the title states, just on the hunt for some good tattoo artists in the area. Been living here just shy of a year and, while its now legal, tattoos still seem at least moderately taboo so just wondering if anyone knows some good spots.
I don’t often give unsolicited advice, but in all friendliness, don’t do it. Most people getting tattoos end up regretting them and disrespect themselves. Rather, build muscle and mind.
There are easier ways to secure yourself from ever getting a job in Japan than getting a tattoo
Plenty of great tattoo artists in the Tokyo area and a TON of great visiting artists rotate In all the time. I hold down a job with no problem and have multiple tattoos never been rejected from a resort or onsen worst has been asked to cover up the tattoo. No one is going to mistake you for a japanese gangster so I say live your life. The whole “your body and mind is a temple” nonsense is pretty insulting to cultures that value it as a ritualistic rite of passage. That being said Tattoos in central Tokyo do come at a price so high hundred to thousands of dollars add up quick. I would recommend doing some additional research on Instagram of active tattoo artists.
Some shops with great service and artists that I can recommend:
RIN-KG tattoo studio and Tokyo Three Tides. Every artist has a different speciality and style so once you spot one you like reach out via line or Instagram then go through the whole consultation.
My only advice is don’t do something stupid you will regret in five minutes like “I love tacos”. Each tattoo I have gotten ties into my ancestors, culture, children etc something in my core that I would never regret.
Last but not least many Japanese do have tattoos despite it being a taboo and they just placed them so they easily covered up seen plenty of hearts and tribal tattoos and what not at the beach, the fact that people are more and more comfortable showing them off has been a slow but noticeable change since I started living here.
There are quite a lot of good artists in Tokyo. I recommend browsing through insta or twitter for the style that you like. Some of the really good ones have year-long waiting lists. It’s also quite expensive. Just a small simple lettering is 10k yen. If English only, you’ll have limited options. You can check masa sakura tattoo on insta.
Not directly relevant, but I’m pretty sure tattoos have never been illegal in Japan: they’ve been associated with particular groups of people (yakuza, yes, but also firefighters) for a long time.
I went to Tokyo Three Tides and loved it. My artist is no longer there though, she opened her own store in Nagano. You can find her as @azusatattoo on instagram if you like fine line. Three tides still has amazing artists around tho
Had my first ever tattoo done by Shinya of Studio Muscat. One of the most popular tattoo shops here in Japan as far as I know.
Three Tides Tattoo in Harajuku has many great artists. I’ve seen 三巴 彫ひろMITOMO HORIHIRO for both traditional Japanese style (tebori) and with the tattoo gun.
Just be advised that people with tattoos are still banned from certain onsen facilities and beaches. You can wear special tattoo cover ups/patches at the beach. (Anecdotally, I just got back from Okinawa and I didn’t cover anything up and I had no issue.)
You can try OTtattoo but his schedule is tight, might be difficult to get a sitting anytime soon. Speaks good English as well!
Yuki from Sunsqlit in Shibuya. Specializes in American Traditional and will design the tattoo for you if you give him an idea of what you want.
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I don’t often give unsolicited advice, but in all friendliness, don’t do it. Most people getting tattoos end up regretting them and disrespect themselves. Rather, build muscle and mind.
There are easier ways to secure yourself from ever getting a job in Japan than getting a tattoo
Plenty of great tattoo artists in the Tokyo area and a TON of great visiting artists rotate In all the time. I hold down a job with no problem and have multiple tattoos never been rejected from a resort or onsen worst has been asked to cover up the tattoo. No one is going to mistake you for a japanese gangster so I say live your life. The whole “your body and mind is a temple” nonsense is pretty insulting to cultures that value it as a ritualistic rite of passage. That being said Tattoos in central Tokyo do come at a price so high hundred to thousands of dollars add up quick. I would recommend doing some additional research on Instagram of active tattoo artists.
Some shops with great service and artists that I can recommend:
RIN-KG tattoo studio and Tokyo Three Tides. Every artist has a different speciality and style so once you spot one you like reach out via line or Instagram then go through the whole consultation.
My only advice is don’t do something stupid you will regret in five minutes like “I love tacos”. Each tattoo I have gotten ties into my ancestors, culture, children etc something in my core that I would never regret.
Last but not least many Japanese do have tattoos despite it being a taboo and they just placed them so they easily covered up seen plenty of hearts and tribal tattoos and what not at the beach, the fact that people are more and more comfortable showing them off has been a slow but noticeable change since I started living here.
There are quite a lot of good artists in Tokyo. I recommend browsing through insta or twitter for the style that you like. Some of the really good ones have year-long waiting lists. It’s also quite expensive. Just a small simple lettering is 10k yen. If English only, you’ll have limited options. You can check masa sakura tattoo on insta.
Not directly relevant, but I’m pretty sure tattoos have never been illegal in Japan: they’ve been associated with particular groups of people (yakuza, yes, but also firefighters) for a long time.
I went to Tokyo Three Tides and loved it. My artist is no longer there though, she opened her own store in Nagano. You can find her as @azusatattoo on instagram if you like fine line. Three tides still has amazing artists around tho
Had my first ever tattoo done by Shinya of Studio Muscat. One of the most popular tattoo shops here in Japan as far as I know.
Three Tides Tattoo in Harajuku has many great artists. I’ve seen 三巴 彫ひろMITOMO HORIHIRO for both traditional Japanese style (tebori) and with the tattoo gun.
Just be advised that people with tattoos are still banned from certain onsen facilities and beaches. You can wear special tattoo cover ups/patches at the beach. (Anecdotally, I just got back from Okinawa and I didn’t cover anything up and I had no issue.)
You can try OTtattoo but his schedule is tight, might be difficult to get a sitting anytime soon. Speaks good English as well!
Yuki from Sunsqlit in Shibuya. Specializes in American Traditional and will design the tattoo for you if you give him an idea of what you want.