Hot spring resorts consider lifting traditional curbs on displaying body art, which is associated with criminal gangs

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Thousands of hot springs in Japan are rethinking their long-standing ban on tattooed bathers, as the country prepares for the arrival of an estimated 400,000 fans for this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.

Visitors are accustomed to warnings to cover up their body ink while they are in Japan, where tattoos are traditionally associated with membership of yakuza crime syndicates.

But the expectation that a large number of visiting fans with tattoos will want to soak in the restorative waters of Japan’s thousands of hot springs has led some operators to relax their restrictions.

Tourism officials near Sapporo, which will host England v Tonga, said they would leave individual onsen owners to decide whether to admit tattooed bathers, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Rugby World Cup committee warns Japan not to run out of beer Read more

The famous onsen resort of Atami, near the Fukuroi venue for Ireland’s match against hosts Japan, has taken a similar approach. “With the Olympics coming up as well, we feel the need to discuss the issue of tattoos,” an Itami official told Kyodo.

Oita prefecture, region of south-west Japan famed for its hot springs, appears more willing to embrace tattooed customers, publishing English-language guidelines on onsen etiquette and an online map of dozens of facilities in the onsen towns of Beppu and Yufuin that will accept tattooed bathers during the six-week tournament, which opens on 20 September.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Japanese women relax in traditional barrel-shaped open air bathtubs at a hot spring resort in Tokyo. Photograph: Yuriko Nakao/Reuters

Some establishments will provide stickers to conceal smaller tattoos while others will designate certain times of the day as “tattoo-friendly”.

“There are many Japanese people enjoying tattoos as well, and we would like to avoid treating only foreigners differently,” Seiji Hori, a Beppu hotel association official said, according to the news agency. “We hope we can enhance our tolerance and understanding on the occasion of the Rugby World Cup.”

Quick guide Rugby World Cup Japan 2019 Show Hide When is it happening?

The action kicks off on 20 September with the hosts, Japan, taking on surprise package Russia in Tokyo. The holders, New Zealand, begin their campaign against their main pool rivals South Africa the following day while England’s first match is against Tonga on 22 September in Sapporo. The final takes place on 2 November at the 72,327-capacity International Stadium in Yokohoma. What is the format?

There are four pools of five teams with the top two advancing to the quarter-finals:

Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa

Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Namibia, Canada

Pool C: England, France, Argentina, USA, Tonga

Pool D: Australia, Wales, Georgia, Fiji, Uruguay How do you get a seat?

Tickets went on general sale on first-come, first-served basis on 19 January via www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets. There are 1.8m tickets available across the tournament and so far more than 4.5m applications for tickets have been received via the respective ballot phases, making Japan 2019 the most popular Rugby World Cup to date. Japan, England, Ireland and New Zealand matches are in most demand. A limited number of tickets are currently available via the general ticket sales phase. There are also official supporter tour and hospitality options available for fans around the world – see www.rugbyworldcup.com/supportertours and www.rugbyworldcup.com/hospitality. Overall, 400,000 international visitors are anticipated over the six-week period, delivering a record economic impact for an event in Japan, and a Rugby World Cup, of £2.97bn.

Despite the growing popularity of fashion tattoos, including among young Japanese with no yakuza connections, cultural resistance is proving hard to break down, with onsen owners citing objections from other bathers.

A 2015 survey by the Japan Tourism Agency found that around 60% of onsen operators banned people with tattoos.

Last September, World Rugby, the global game’s governing body, warned players and supporters to keep their tattoos covered when visiting gyms and pools to avoid causing offence.

The All Blacks, who have a huge following in Japan, are among the teams that have said they will comply.

Tattooed or not, first-time onsen users are being encouraged to follow a few simple rules to ensure their Japanese communal bathing experience is memorable for the right reasons. Bathers should rinse their bodies before getting in the bath. And remain naked at all times.