hi all, i was wondering if people can share their experience having tattoos on jet? does your school require you to cover them? or can you show them while at work? i figure esid but was just curious
I have a cross tattoo on my left pec and would often go jogging without a shirt. I would tell people that it had religious meaning and everyone seemed to be ok with it. My BOE was a bit surprised that I prefer to run shirtless, but I had a great relationship with them and they just joked about it. Some kids wanted to see it at school and I always said no, but I did do kendo for a bit and it was visible at times. A few Elementary schools had me over for swimming competitions and the dress code was a swimming suit so those kids saw it. Never had a problem at any beach, pool, or hot spring – but I have heard JETs of asian descent that have had different experiences with tattoos.
The attitudes towards tattoos have softened for foreigners. Having obscenities or offensive tattoos might be a problem, but if it is something benign then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Part of the job is cultural exchange, tattoos can be part of that.
My school was extremely relaxed in general; I was still advised I needed to cover up while at work but otherwise, they did not care. Before I left, during one of my ‘goodbye’ classes, some of my students who had probably seen that I had tattoos when I was out and about requested I show the ones on my arms. JTE deliberated, said go ahead, then went and furtively closed the blinds lol.
Unless you’re placed in a really small town (and therefore likely to have a more conservative attitude) I imagine they won’t have too strong an opinion if none of your tattoos are offensive in nature. If they do end up preferring that you be covered during work, and you have any on forearms/wrists that wouldn’t be practical to keep covered during the summer months, talk to a JTE. ESID, as you’ve said, but some consessions are made for foreigners and I’m sure they’d be reasonable.
As someone with both of their entire calves tattooed, and with 11 ear piercings, I was pretty interested in this topic as well. Everything that I have seen says that yes, tattoos must be covered when working, and no more than one pair of earrings. Outside of work is your own time, but I did hear of one instance where parents complained to the school about an ALTs tattoos that they saw around town outside of school. This is all secondhand knowledge but figured I’d try to help out anyway – I’ve just kinda reconciled with the fact that my ears will likely need re-piercing and I’ll be wearing a lot of pants and tights if I make it on JET. But I’m looking forward to seeing what others have to say on the topic.
As much as we are all tired of it, ESID. I was at a private high school in Tokyo and a few people made a big deal about me keeping mine concealed at all times while at work or the few times I practiced with the judo club.
Its ESID 😅 depends on schools and COs. A fellow JET I came with has tattoos, my BOE asked them to cover them up during work which my friend (the JET) agreed.
My BOE 😭 also did try asking them to cover up outside work while in town and my friend said no and my BOE let it go after. I’m glad my friend stood their ground, they didn’t mind covering up for work but their off time is their personal time.
Yeah while you always have to abide by ESID (I hate this term btw) go under the assumption that you will have to cover them up at work. I have some tattoos on my thighs and because of that I have to wear pants to work even in the summers.
The school told me they want to let me wear shorts cause they think my tattoos are cool/interesting but they don’t want to risk offending any of the parents and getting a complaint so pants in 40-46 degree weather for me it is. Outside of work though I haven’t been told I need to worry about my attire.
I worked with a JET who had an arm tattoo. The first six months, the school said nothing about covering it. Students and teachers said it was cool (it was anime themed). Then suddenly the vice principal (a relatively conservative woman) told the JET it was inappropriate and needed to be covered.
My advice is to just go without the cover at first and see how the school reacts. Have a coverup plan (such as a sleeve, patch, etc. you can apply) just in case they say they want it covered. If they don’t demand you cover it, it’s one less thing you need to worry about.
almost every JET i know in my prefecture covers theirs, but not all. i met one person from here who told me his school doesn’t mind if he keeps them uncovered and visible because it’s a way to expose the students to different cultural standards. his tats were small and inoffensive, so that might’ve had something to do with it. i also have a small tattoo on my arm, and i keep it covered always at work. even if i didn’t *have* to, i wouldn’t really want to deal with any looking or commenting on it.
i will say when i’m out and about on my days off, i used to cover it (put a band-aid over it or something) but that became really annoying, and as far as i can tell, no one seems put off by my tattoo being visible if i’m just at the mall or whatever. in the big cities you might even see some japanese people with tattoos–i bonded with a waitress at one of my favorite cafes in hiroshima over our tats!
tl;dr: at work, do what’s asked of you. when you’re not working, do whatever you’d like!
Japan is socially behind on dress attire.
Could you? Yes, but it will ultimately reflect poorly on you. Should you? No. Full stop. I have tattoos. I keep mine covered. I don’t necessarily agree with it, I think it’s overblown and silly, but it’s not my rules.
ALWAYS cover up your tattoos at work lol Outside of work you can do whatever, but I wouldn’t show them unless you have explicit approval not only from teachers, but from your vice principal and principal
reading other comments here, i realize how good i have it. i work at a high level senior high school and my sleeve is all out for everyone and anyone to see. nobody has bat an eye during my entire five years here, not at my base school nor at my three other visit schools. of course i’m not the type to rub my tattoos in everyone’s faces, when the circumstance calls for it, i do dress more tame to give people the impression that there was an attempt at hiding them but at the end of it, it still didn’t matter if they were visible during opening ceremonies or graduation ceremonies and debate tournaments etc. i think it’s a factor that i’m ethnically asian and size-wise, don’t take up too much space, i don’t really draw eyes on me naturally. maybe that helps with people not seeing my tattoos.
but yeah, i never hid them- better to ask for forgiveness than permission here. i started the precedent with my tattoos exposed and no one ever told me to cover them up!
God..reading these comments made me realize how good I have it at my base and visit schools. I have 12 total tats, but only 2 are visible (one on each forearm, the size of a senbei). A heart and a yin-yang with a kanji.
When I first arrived, obviously I covered them. As I got settled into my role, I asked the vice principal and my sup is it okay if I wear short sleeves and use an arm band to cover my 2 tattoos. My sup consulted with the vice principal and the vice principal (in private) asked me to show him my tattoos. Weird, I thought but I did since it’s not inappropriate or in an inappropriate place. He smiled and said “that’s fine” in Japanese and told me that there was no need to cover them.
Students always compliment them when they see them for the first time and honestly, it’s a good cultural exchange moment to show that it doesn’t mean you’re a criminal if you have a tattoo.
That’s my story and I’ve been here for 3 years. No one has asked me to cover them—not even BOE staff. ESID of course but I really think it’s one of those test out the waters situations rather than beg for forgiveness. Japan has a long, weird and complicated history with tattoos, so this was one of the instances that I felt out first.
I have lots of arm tattoos and two small tats behind the ears. I started off as covering everything up, every day. And then one day I forgot to cover up the ear tats… and nothing happened. No one said anything. So I never covered those again. I continue to wear long sleeves every day, but if it is hot, I roll them up. Not a big deal. I live in the north, so over half the year is cold anyways.
ESID but I feel the majority of placements will tell you to keep them covered. On that note, what your BOE/employer wants may be different than what your school is cool with. Doesn’t hurt to ask. I don’t think my school even knows I have a tattoo to be honest 😅 My BOE wrote in their attire email that tattoos needed to be covered so I just have (ankle tattoo so fairly easy to do with socks/pants anyways).
I have big arm tattoos and a nose piercing. When I arrived I only wore long shirts and, well, masks were still fully mandatory. However, when I rolled up my sleeves or took down my mask to drink, the (senior high school) kids would gasp and start asking questions, but no one seemed to mind it. Eventually the weather got warmer and masks were dropped and I just never tried to hide anything! Some students even sometimes come ask me about it and I show them my leg tattoos too. (worth noting the tattoos are very PG, nothing sexy/violent/yakuza-adjacent)
You already know about ESID, so I’m sure it will be a case of tentatively finding out what’s appropriate with your schools.
That being said, the vast majority of the time, you cannot show any tattoos at school on purpose. I have tats on my arms and I wear long sleeve shirts all year round. Sometimes when I’m writing on the blackboard or stretching my arms, my wrist tat is visible and has been noticed by students, but hasn’t caused any issues for me at all.
Hope your placement is open minded and values things that are different from the Japanese norm !
I have tattoos on my arms but they’re small. I don’t bother hiding my wrist tatts but the ones on my biceps I try to, though with it getting hot I stopped caring and the kids have seen them. My kids have also said I don’t need to hide them lol. Honestly adults care more than the students, but no one has ever said anything to me about hiding them That being said I’m rural and everyone at my schools and BoE are very chill and relaxed so ESID
I have no issues with my tattoos. My advice to new JETs who have tattoos, colored hair, or piercings is always to show up at your first day how you want to look. Look put together and dress nicely, but come as your authentic self and if they have a problem they can tell you to your face.
Do not ask them if it’s okay because they will almost always say no because that’s the official rule. But usually they don’t actually care.
I have bright purple hair, piercings, and some tattoos and have never had an issue. 🤷♀️
I wear my tattoos openly in JHS and ES. No issues in my prefecture (I’m living on an island in Shimane with a population of 13,000).
The kids are really interested in the tattoos and can get a bit distracted, but it’s a good point of cultural exchange (like hey, it’s not taboo in Australia). After a few lessons, they calm down.
It doesn’t help that one of my tattoos is literally a manga panel from Attack on Titan. Kids be like “IS THAT LEVI?!?!” *proceed to lose their shit*. Although I’m concerned that 3rd Grade ES students have seen AOT since it’s pretty intense.
I have a tattoo, but it’s really small and on my ankle, so no one really sees it anyways. I have a friend who got a forearm tattoo done and didn’t cover it. After a couple of days she got called into the boe for a sit down talk about “we respect that tattoos are a part of your culture, but we’re going to need you to cover it while you’re at work.”
Idk about other countries, but when I was growing up in the US (2000s, 2010s) teachers always covered their tattoos and it was a considered a given that you would need to cover tattoos in an office setting. Showing tattoos at work may have become more common recently in the US, but it’s not like Japan is super duper behind the rest of the world when it comes to tattoos at work or anything. Maybe tattoos have been normalized for longer in the UK and Australia? But that’s not been the case for the US. Tattoos in the office is a relatively new thing
Absolutely ESID, but my experience: I’m SHS, got two shoulder tats and a back piece (although that’s obviously covered at all times). Most of my shirts cover my shoulder pieces just because I’m not wearing anything sleeveless to work, but I’ve never had an issue on days when the sleeves leave them more visible. The kids think they’re cool.
If you’re interested in going to onsen, though, heads up that you need to check if they allow tats. It’s pretty 50/50 in my experience, just depends on each place.
For further context, I’m pretty urban and pretty close to Osaka, both of which may have an impact on this kind of thing.
I have one on my neck that a lot of collars just won’t cover. I was told by my BoE to cover it but I arrived in summer and patches would just peel off with the sweat so I gave up. Nothing ever happened after and it was never mentioned again.
The kids love the tattoos and I think its a great topic to discuss with them. Plenty of young Japanese have tattoos too now so I think its different compared to even 10 years ago.
22 comments
I have a cross tattoo on my left pec and would often go jogging without a shirt. I would tell people that it had religious meaning and everyone seemed to be ok with it. My BOE was a bit surprised that I prefer to run shirtless, but I had a great relationship with them and they just joked about it. Some kids wanted to see it at school and I always said no, but I did do kendo for a bit and it was visible at times. A few Elementary schools had me over for swimming competitions and the dress code was a swimming suit so those kids saw it. Never had a problem at any beach, pool, or hot spring – but I have heard JETs of asian descent that have had different experiences with tattoos.
The attitudes towards tattoos have softened for foreigners. Having obscenities or offensive tattoos might be a problem, but if it is something benign then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Part of the job is cultural exchange, tattoos can be part of that.
My school was extremely relaxed in general; I was still advised I needed to cover up while at work but otherwise, they did not care. Before I left, during one of my ‘goodbye’ classes, some of my students who had probably seen that I had tattoos when I was out and about requested I show the ones on my arms. JTE deliberated, said go ahead, then went and furtively closed the blinds lol.
Unless you’re placed in a really small town (and therefore likely to have a more conservative attitude) I imagine they won’t have too strong an opinion if none of your tattoos are offensive in nature. If they do end up preferring that you be covered during work, and you have any on forearms/wrists that wouldn’t be practical to keep covered during the summer months, talk to a JTE. ESID, as you’ve said, but some consessions are made for foreigners and I’m sure they’d be reasonable.
As someone with both of their entire calves tattooed, and with 11 ear piercings, I was pretty interested in this topic as well. Everything that I have seen says that yes, tattoos must be covered when working, and no more than one pair of earrings. Outside of work is your own time, but I did hear of one instance where parents complained to the school about an ALTs tattoos that they saw around town outside of school. This is all secondhand knowledge but figured I’d try to help out anyway – I’ve just kinda reconciled with the fact that my ears will likely need re-piercing and I’ll be wearing a lot of pants and tights if I make it on JET. But I’m looking forward to seeing what others have to say on the topic.
As much as we are all tired of it, ESID. I was at a private high school in Tokyo and a few people made a big deal about me keeping mine concealed at all times while at work or the few times I practiced with the judo club.
Its ESID 😅 depends on schools and COs. A fellow JET I came with has tattoos, my BOE asked them to cover them up during work which my friend (the JET) agreed.
My BOE 😭 also did try asking them to cover up outside work while in town and my friend said no and my BOE let it go after. I’m glad my friend stood their ground, they didn’t mind covering up for work but their off time is their personal time.
Yeah while you always have to abide by ESID (I hate this term btw) go under the assumption that you will have to cover them up at work. I have some tattoos on my thighs and because of that I have to wear pants to work even in the summers.
The school told me they want to let me wear shorts cause they think my tattoos are cool/interesting but they don’t want to risk offending any of the parents and getting a complaint so pants in 40-46 degree weather for me it is. Outside of work though I haven’t been told I need to worry about my attire.
I worked with a JET who had an arm tattoo. The first six months, the school said nothing about covering it. Students and teachers said it was cool (it was anime themed). Then suddenly the vice principal (a relatively conservative woman) told the JET it was inappropriate and needed to be covered.
My advice is to just go without the cover at first and see how the school reacts. Have a coverup plan (such as a sleeve, patch, etc. you can apply) just in case they say they want it covered. If they don’t demand you cover it, it’s one less thing you need to worry about.
almost every JET i know in my prefecture covers theirs, but not all. i met one person from here who told me his school doesn’t mind if he keeps them uncovered and visible because it’s a way to expose the students to different cultural standards. his tats were small and inoffensive, so that might’ve had something to do with it. i also have a small tattoo on my arm, and i keep it covered always at work. even if i didn’t *have* to, i wouldn’t really want to deal with any looking or commenting on it.
i will say when i’m out and about on my days off, i used to cover it (put a band-aid over it or something) but that became really annoying, and as far as i can tell, no one seems put off by my tattoo being visible if i’m just at the mall or whatever. in the big cities you might even see some japanese people with tattoos–i bonded with a waitress at one of my favorite cafes in hiroshima over our tats!
tl;dr: at work, do what’s asked of you. when you’re not working, do whatever you’d like!
Japan is socially behind on dress attire.
Could you? Yes, but it will ultimately reflect poorly on you.
Should you? No. Full stop.
I have tattoos. I keep mine covered. I don’t necessarily agree with it, I think it’s overblown and silly, but it’s not my rules.
ALWAYS cover up your tattoos at work lol
Outside of work you can do whatever, but I wouldn’t show them unless you have explicit approval not only from teachers, but from your vice principal and principal
reading other comments here, i realize how good i have it. i work at a high level senior high school and my sleeve is all out for everyone and anyone to see. nobody has bat an eye during my entire five years here, not at my base school nor at my three other visit schools. of course i’m not the type to rub my tattoos in everyone’s faces, when the circumstance calls for it, i do dress more tame to give people the impression that there was an attempt at hiding them but at the end of it, it still didn’t matter if they were visible during opening ceremonies or graduation ceremonies and debate tournaments etc. i think it’s a factor that i’m ethnically asian and size-wise, don’t take up too much space, i don’t really draw eyes on me naturally. maybe that helps with people not seeing my tattoos.
but yeah, i never hid them- better to ask for forgiveness than permission here. i started the precedent with my tattoos exposed and no one ever told me to cover them up!
God..reading these comments made me realize how good I have it at my base and visit schools. I have 12 total tats, but only 2 are visible (one on each forearm, the size of a senbei). A heart and a yin-yang with a kanji.
When I first arrived, obviously I covered them. As I got settled into my role, I asked the vice principal and my sup is it okay if I wear short sleeves and use an arm band to cover my 2 tattoos. My sup consulted with the vice principal and the vice principal (in private) asked me to show him my tattoos. Weird, I thought but I did since it’s not inappropriate or in an inappropriate place. He smiled and said “that’s fine” in Japanese and told me that there was no need to cover them.
Students always compliment them when they see them for the first time and honestly, it’s a good cultural exchange moment to show that it doesn’t mean you’re a criminal if you have a tattoo.
That’s my story and I’ve been here for 3 years. No one has asked me to cover them—not even BOE staff. ESID of course but I really think it’s one of those test out the waters situations rather than beg for forgiveness. Japan has a long, weird and complicated history with tattoos, so this was one of the instances that I felt out first.
I have lots of arm tattoos and two small tats behind the ears. I started off as covering everything up, every day. And then one day I forgot to cover up the ear tats… and nothing happened. No one said anything. So I never covered those again. I continue to wear long sleeves every day, but if it is hot, I roll them up. Not a big deal. I live in the north, so over half the year is cold anyways.
ESID but I feel the majority of placements will tell you to keep them covered.
On that note, what your BOE/employer wants may be different than what your school is cool with. Doesn’t hurt to ask.
I don’t think my school even knows I have a tattoo to be honest 😅 My BOE wrote in their attire email that tattoos needed to be covered so I just have (ankle tattoo so fairly easy to do with socks/pants anyways).
I have big arm tattoos and a nose piercing. When I arrived I only wore long shirts and, well, masks were still fully mandatory. However, when I rolled up my sleeves or took down my mask to drink, the (senior high school) kids would gasp and start asking questions, but no one seemed to mind it. Eventually the weather got warmer and masks were dropped and I just never tried to hide anything! Some students even sometimes come ask me about it and I show them my leg tattoos too.
(worth noting the tattoos are very PG, nothing sexy/violent/yakuza-adjacent)
You already know about ESID, so I’m sure it will be a case of tentatively finding out what’s appropriate with your schools.
That being said, the vast majority of the time, you cannot show any tattoos at school on purpose. I have tats on my arms and I wear long sleeve shirts all year round. Sometimes when I’m writing on the blackboard or stretching my arms, my wrist tat is visible and has been noticed by students, but hasn’t caused any issues for me at all.
Hope your placement is open minded and values things that are different from the Japanese norm !
I have tattoos on my arms but they’re small. I don’t bother hiding my wrist tatts but the ones on my biceps I try to, though with it getting hot I stopped caring and the kids have seen them. My kids have also said I don’t need to hide them lol. Honestly adults care more than the students, but no one has ever said anything to me about hiding them
That being said I’m rural and everyone at my schools and BoE are very chill and relaxed so ESID
I have no issues with my tattoos. My advice to new JETs who have tattoos, colored hair, or piercings is always to show up at your first day how you want to look. Look put together and dress nicely, but come as your authentic self and if they have a problem they can tell you to your face.
Do not ask them if it’s okay because they will almost always say no because that’s the official rule. But usually they don’t actually care.
I have bright purple hair, piercings, and some tattoos and have never had an issue. 🤷♀️
I wear my tattoos openly in JHS and ES. No issues in my prefecture (I’m living on an island in Shimane with a population of 13,000).
The kids are really interested in the tattoos and can get a bit distracted, but it’s a good point of cultural exchange (like hey, it’s not taboo in Australia). After a few lessons, they calm down.
It doesn’t help that one of my tattoos is literally a manga panel from Attack on Titan. Kids be like “IS THAT LEVI?!?!” *proceed to lose their shit*. Although I’m concerned that 3rd Grade ES students have seen AOT since it’s pretty intense.
I have a tattoo, but it’s really small and on my ankle, so no one really sees it anyways. I have a friend who got a forearm tattoo done and didn’t cover it. After a couple of days she got called into the boe for a sit down talk about “we respect that tattoos are a part of your culture, but we’re going to need you to cover it while you’re at work.”
Idk about other countries, but when I was growing up in the US (2000s, 2010s) teachers always covered their tattoos and it was a considered a given that you would need to cover tattoos in an office setting. Showing tattoos at work may have become more common recently in the US, but it’s not like Japan is super duper behind the rest of the world when it comes to tattoos at work or anything. Maybe tattoos have been normalized for longer in the UK and Australia? But that’s not been the case for the US. Tattoos in the office is a relatively new thing
Absolutely ESID, but my experience: I’m SHS, got two shoulder tats and a back piece (although that’s obviously covered at all times). Most of my shirts cover my shoulder pieces just because I’m not wearing anything sleeveless to work, but I’ve never had an issue on days when the sleeves leave them more visible. The kids think they’re cool.
If you’re interested in going to onsen, though, heads up that you need to check if they allow tats. It’s pretty 50/50 in my experience, just depends on each place.
For further context, I’m pretty urban and pretty close to Osaka, both of which may have an impact on this kind of thing.
I have one on my neck that a lot of collars just won’t cover. I was told by my BoE to cover it but I arrived in summer and patches would just peel off with the sweat so I gave up. Nothing ever happened after and it was never mentioned again.
The kids love the tattoos and I think its a great topic to discuss with them. Plenty of young Japanese have tattoos too now so I think its different compared to even 10 years ago.