Tattoo artists in Japan say their art is often misunderstood and associated with the "yakuza" organized crime gangs. People with tattoos are often banned from public ...

At a small, clinically-lit studio in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, fearsome warriors and mythical creatures glare out from paper drawings lining the perimeter of the space. The tattooist here, who asked ...

From starkly rendered waves crashing over a shoulder to a stern samurai warrior wielding a sword on one’s back, the striking designs expressed in Japanese tattoos are among the most iconic in the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jonathon Keats is a writer and artist who critiques museum exhibits. According to legend, the tattoo was elevated to an art form ...

For Horimitsu, the sound of needles painting skin is a soft, rhythmic scratching, like a solitary cricket - "sha, sha, sha". For 30 years he has tattooed by hand in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, needing nothing ...

On Tuesday, a meeting was held by Japan’s House of Councilors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense. Among the topics discussed: tattoos. Japanese society has traditionally taken a dim view of ...

It’s a question that’s crossed the mind of every inked-up person wanting to travel to one of the famous hot spring facilities in Japan. To help travelers navigate the country’s tricky policies on skin ...