But they don't have what he's looking for: the centuries-old Japanese art of tebori, or traditional "hand-carved" tattoos. In the West, a longstanding fascination with this style has become a full ...

The Japanese government banned tattoos in 1872, as while the practice ... which is derived from the word hori, meaning to carve or engrave. The controversial history of Japanese tattooing, or ...

However, since there is yet to be regulation against private establishments discriminating against those with tattoos in Japan, technically, the final word is up to the onsen on a case-by-case basis.