[citydreamer]

Originally Posted by Sashimister

I hope that you are aware that Japan is exactly the place where you will be prohibited to enter certain places because of your beautiful Japanese tattoo.
Those places include hot springs, swimming pools, saunas, etc.

Originally Posted by cranks

Well, if you are actually planning to live in Japan, getting a tattoo, especially the Japanese style one, isn't a good idea. It is still considered a taboo, and traditional Japanese tattoo has been for Yakuzas. Yeah, people will understand you are from another culture and it is different from a Yakuza guy getting tattooed to intimidate people and to show loyalty to their "family", but still, I don't know how it'll come across. You will be technically banned from public baths and Onsen too (Though I went to an Onsen with my American friend with a tattoo once without any problem).

Hi guys,

Thanks for the heads up! -- I forgot about the taboo aspect of the tattoo in Japan. Some mistake me for Japanese too -- Maybe this is a bad idea? I recently saw a documentary on Japanese tattoo artists and hobbyists (living in Japan), and they spoke about trying to eliminate the taboo aspect of tattooing and promoting more embrace and acceptance.

Anyway, while this does prompt me to contemplate more about the tattoo, I'm certainly still interested in researching symbolism surrounding Japanese art.

Originally Posted by Sashimister

Something in me tells me that would be the carp.

Thanks for your response Sashimister!

Carp definitely matches the description (and would make a beautiful piece), but I wonder if there's more imagery out there that I can explore. I'm so hard-pressed to find more beyond the tiger, dragon, koi, samurai, etc -- if not for a tattoo, then for my own enlightenment when it comes to symbolism in Japanese art. Maybe I'll ask a professor I had once who was passionate about different types of art in the world.