Stigmatic Risks
I got my tattoo done last Saturday in some trendy area a few minutes walk from Shibuya station. I just searched for anything recommended and stumbled across this place. The parlour has two Japanese tattoo artists and a guy from Venezuela who is being trained. He speaks fluent English if you're interested in going and don't speak much Japanese. I wasn't really nervous about it but they were friendly, professional and gave me some good advice. In the end, I abandoned trying to get one stupid font I found and went for a famous artist they recommended. You can still read the 岩 but I think it's better than a generic style that you can find on a computer font. These tend to be the type that people get done in other countries without checking anything about the kanji or the artist's ability. I hope this along with my borderline, pretentious explanation will be enough to save me from the dreaded stigma of the kanji tattoo.
The tattoo itself didn't hurt at all and felt fairly similar to that of drawing on your hand with a pen. However, my only memory of this taking place was during the 1998-99 phenomenon of forcibly scrawling your name on your friend's arm at school. The strangest thing was having my arm hair shaved off and watching the five o'clock shadow appear the next day.
I don't think I'll regret getting it done in the future. I've always fancied getting a tattoo but was never really sure of anything I wanted. I don't think images or colours are particularly attractive myself and so a black kanji seemed like a good idea. The only problem I had with this is that I tend to hate people who get kanji tattoos (or something in another language they don't really know) and those who get their own names written on them (although only in English). Therefore, I'm a hypocrite and went for almost everything that turns me off them. Nevertheless, I'm fairly pleased with the result and feel it will be happy lasting memory of my time in Japan.
August 4, 2011 at 15:24 
Reader Comments (3)
As much as I also dislike kanji tats, I have to say that this looks really good. Well done mate! Hope you arrived safe back home, jealous!
No Water Parks for you guys with Tattoos
I don't regret my tattoo yet. Hurrah.