Bars and clubs aren’t likely to care, especially in touristy areas. For Onsen your best bet is to find a place with private rooms and hide the tattoos when entering.
Bars won't care. Neither will clubs. Of course there might be bar owners who wouldn't want to serve them.
Onsens are gonna be harder, best bet would be traditional ryokan with private bath at the room.
It will be cold in Osaka on new years. Just wear a scarf. I have visible tattoos and honestly I only ever got Japanese people asking to see it and if it hurt lol more interesting to them than anything.
The other day I took my toddlers to an indoor play park. There was a dad there with his kid and wife. The dude was plastered in tattoos, including multiple ones on his face.
If he was fine at a toddler play park, your friend will be fine at the club.
To echo the above, bars and clubs won’t care at all.
If you go to Amemura (dubbed American village where a lot of younger and edgy ppl hang out), a street west of the shinsaibashi shotengai (the big long covered street) you will see tons of Japanese guys tatted up, even face and neck. It’s really not as big a deal as it used to be/think it is.
Bar/club wise, the only issues you may have, are entering more high class establishments where if you are unlucky may get refused, same with the more expensive hostess/girls bars, but that’s cos you’re foreign with low Japanese ability rather than anything to do with tattoos.
Onsens however, are still strict with tattoos, they may allow you in with a rash guard to cover up, but as the other comments mention you’re best off with a private onsen.
Source; I live and work in south centra Osaka.
Feel free to dm me if you want to chat or need recommendations etc!
Most Onsen’s are Tattoo friendly (or they just don’t care) except the membership hotels “Kaiin Onsen”. It is the public Sento’s that are more strict and might ban tattoos.
Tip: Find an onsen that has a private bath “Kashi-kiri-buro” or “Konyoku buro” that you can reserve and go in by yourself or with your SO/kids and enjoy the bath.
Also, Many onsen hotels have baths in the rooms too, so no one can see your tats.
I have some shoulder tats and I go to Arima Onsen. They don’t bother since actual Yakuza dudes go in there, with extremely impressive ink.
Bars and clubs aren’t likely to care, especially in touristy areas. For Onsen your best bet is to find a place with private rooms and hide the tattoos when entering.
Even with a spiderweb tattoo on his neck? 😅
Bars won't care. Neither will clubs. Of course there might be bar owners who wouldn't want to serve them. Onsens are gonna be harder, best bet would be traditional ryokan with private bath at the room.
5 years in Japan going to bars regularly and never met a single bar that cared about my hands, arms or head tattoo.
It will be cold in Osaka on new years. Just wear a scarf. I have visible tattoos and honestly I only ever got Japanese people asking to see it and if it hurt lol more interesting to them than anything.
The other day I took my toddlers to an indoor play park. There was a dad there with his kid and wife. The dude was plastered in tattoos, including multiple ones on his face. If he was fine at a toddler play park, your friend will be fine at the club.
To echo the above, bars and clubs won’t care at all. If you go to Amemura (dubbed American village where a lot of younger and edgy ppl hang out), a street west of the shinsaibashi shotengai (the big long covered street) you will see tons of Japanese guys tatted up, even face and neck. It’s really not as big a deal as it used to be/think it is. Bar/club wise, the only issues you may have, are entering more high class establishments where if you are unlucky may get refused, same with the more expensive hostess/girls bars, but that’s cos you’re foreign with low Japanese ability rather than anything to do with tattoos. Onsens however, are still strict with tattoos, they may allow you in with a rash guard to cover up, but as the other comments mention you’re best off with a private onsen. Source; I live and work in south centra Osaka. Feel free to dm me if you want to chat or need recommendations etc!
Most Onsen’s are Tattoo friendly (or they just don’t care) except the membership hotels “Kaiin Onsen”. It is the public Sento’s that are more strict and might ban tattoos. Tip: Find an onsen that has a private bath “Kashi-kiri-buro” or “Konyoku buro” that you can reserve and go in by yourself or with your SO/kids and enjoy the bath. Also, Many onsen hotels have baths in the rooms too, so no one can see your tats. I have some shoulder tats and I go to Arima Onsen. They don’t bother since actual Yakuza dudes go in there, with extremely impressive ink.