Japan is a giant big ball of contradictions.  That statement in itself might seem entirely vague and a little presumptuous, but speaking as someone who lived there for 3 years, I stand by my belief that though beautiful and magical in so many ways, the world that the Japanese inhabit has more than its fair share of brain boggling contradictions.

By this point I’m sure that most of you out there know that tattoo in Japan is fantastic but also quite taboo.  Yes, things are slowly but surely changing, but the general opinion toward tattoos and tattooed people is more than a little archaic.  Ditto for marijuana.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to encourage anyone to smoke pot, but it seems that in Japan when something is taboo, there are often very extreme opinions of that specific thing.  A Japanese friend once confessed to me that she believed that marijuana and heroin were one and the same thing.  It may sound bizarre, but it’s not an uncommon belief in Japan at all.  This extremity of opinion is also a part of the reality that affects those who are tattooed, as well as tattoo artists themselves.  The most common belief in Japan of tattoos is that they are a direct link to organized crime, or the Japanese mafia, known as the Yakuza.  This misunderstanding of the unknown sometimes gets a little crazy in Japan.

An example of such craziness is a new idea by the Kobe municipal office in Kobe, Japan.  This summer during a music event at a beach in Kobe’s Suma Ward, several college students were arrested for alleged marijuana possession.  Taking this as their cue to “make a safer environment for the citizens”, the municipal office is now coming up with a law that will ban tattooed people from the beach.

‘‘It is our duty to make a safer environment for the citizens,’’ said a city official as senior officials of the city and Hyogo prefectural police are set to form a special team to work out details such as ways to restrict entrance to the beach.

Suma beach saw the lowest number of visitors in 25 years this summer, with about 620,000 people in 46 days. Some citizens have told the city office that they ‘‘hesitate to go near the beach’’ amid an increase in young people with tattoos, the officials said.’

I haven’t seen something this stupid and ignorant for a long time.  Banning people with tattoos from a beach because some kids were arrested for what may or may not be marijuana possession?  Are you kidding me?  First of all, this is Japan we’re talking about.  These people who are complaining about hesitating to go near the beach because of people with tattoos?  They’re living in a dream world.  Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire world.  It’s not like these fear-filled residents are dealing with ghetto beaches, as if Kobe’s Suma Ward was worse or even comparable to South Central LA or something.  Come on.  Second, I fail to remotely see where there is any link between people with tattoos, marijuana and some sort of level of crime that apparently has still not occurred, but the threat of which is alive and well in the minds of local residents.

It consistently blows my mind how a country that is so many light years ahead of the rest of the world in technology and industry, to name a couple of examples, remains so depressingly ancient with regards to attitudes towards tattoos and the reality of the people who have them.

Get a clue, Japan.

Tags: Dislike, Japan, Japanese, japanese opinion of tattoo, kobe, marijuana in japan, News, south central la, Stories, suma beach, suma beach banning tattoos, suma ward kobe, tattoo blog, Yakuza

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More than a decade ago, Los Angeles County adopted a rating system for restaurants in which health inspectors, after finishing their inspection, made their important decision as to what letter to hand out.  The letters A, B and C quickly became the norm, with A being the best and C being the worst.  Whatever letter the inspected restaurant was given was determined by calculating the manner in which the restaurant lived up to health and sanitation regulations in their kitchens.  Naturally there are standards – that is, any restaurant that fails its health inspection isn’t simply given a C and told to shape up.  C is the bottom of the barrel in terms of health department score, but it’s still passable in terms of staying in business.  Regardless, if you had the choice to eat your next meal at one of three restaurants, one with an A displayed in their front window, one with a B and one with a C, which one would you choose?  I sure as hell know which one I would choose.

Though this system might seem overly strict to some, the vast majority of LA County residents like it a lot.  It’s also gained in popularity over on the east coast, where New York City restaurants began adopting it this past July.

Now then, tattoos may seem to be on a completely different level than food and restaurants, but when you really think about it, they aren’t so different at all.  No matter which way you slice it, at the heart of either issue the most important thing is a sanitary environment in which clean preparation and execution are performed.  Health, safety and quality are at the forefront of what matters to a costumer as well as what should definitely matter to an artist.  This being the case, the state of Georgia’s Columbia County is currently considering a policy in which a grading system that is more or less based on the LA County and NYC restaurant models is used.

The idea is causing a great deal of debate amongst health officials and tattoo artists alike.  Some tattoo artists embrace it wholeheartedly, while others complain that it will simply create more paperwork.  If you ask me – and no one did, but when has that ever stopped me? – this is an excellent idea.  Like it or not, the tattoo industry, just like any other industry, is about keeping up.  If a tattoo studio or an artist can’t put forth the effort and prove the quality of their establishment when it counts, then I don’t feel sorry for them.  A rating system is something that should be implemented everywhere for all tattoo studios.  I mean, think about how much easier it makes it for first time tattoo costumers, who may not know much about tattoos but want to go somewhere that offers quality work and professional care.  It’s a great concept and one that I really hope to see a lot of in the future.

Tags: columbia county, health department, Health Risks, Inspired, los angeles county, new york city, News, restaurant letter rating system, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, tattoo studio letter rating system, Video, Workforce

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Temporary tattoos just aren’t interesting.  No matter how good the artwork is, the fact will always remain that it’s temporary and that alone just leaves a lot to be desired.  But uh…well, I just discovered a temporary tattoo that most likely will change the disinterested opinion that a lot of people have toward temporary tattoos.

They’re called “Vatoos”, although some bloggers out there are pushing for that name to be changed to “Twattoos”.  If you don’t know what the hell either one of those names is supposed to refer to, here you go: “Vatoos” or “Twattoos” (if you prefer) are temporary vaginal tattoos.  Apparently this trend is growing and everything from basic small designs to glow in the dark surprises are being air brushed on to the nether regions of hordes of temporary tattoo hungry women.

Hmmm…after watching this video from the Completely Bare spa in New York City, I’m of the opinion that the skill level involved in applying these things needs to improve a great deal.  However, that’s probably nitpicking on my part as I can’t really see many guys (or girls) complaining when they make the discovery that their partner is sporting some airbrushed art (which may or may not glow in the dark) down under.

At $115 (which includes the necessary bikini wax), I kind of wonder why you need to go to a spa like Completely Bare to have the process done.  I mean, can’t you just head over to Toys R Us and pick up a package of temporary tattoos for six bucks or whatever?  Well, whatever the case, I have to admit that the concept of vaginal tattoos is just too much fun to ignore.  If the ladies are liking it, then I say have at it and have fun.  Though I do admit that I prefer the name “Twattoo” over “Vatoo”.

Tags: airbrushed tattoo, completely bare spa, new york city, News, Products, Stories, tattoo blog, temporary tattoo, toys r us, twattoo, vaginal tattoos, vatoo, Video

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This past weekend was a big one in Phoenix, Arizona as the 2010 Hell City Tattoo Fest took place.  If you’re not familiar with the Hell City Tattoo Fest, then you most likely don’t pay much attention to tattoo conventions/festivals, because Hell City is one of the biggest ones currently going.  Music, tattoos, competitions, up and coming tattoo artists as well as current tattoo legends, vendors, seminars and judging by this photo, some dude in a red, white and blue spandex suit who can fold himself into strange yet intriguing positions.  And that’s only a fraction of everything that goes on at the Hell City Tattoo Fest.  It’s all pretty spectacular, alright.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to be in attendance at either the Columbus, Ohio Hell City Tattoo Fest or this past weekend’s Phoenix Tattoo Fest, but digging around on the internet and finding pictures, video and news about the entire event is kind of like being there, right?  Yeah…I know, it’s a very sad attempt on my part.  I plan to get there one day, but this just wasn’t my year.

At any rate, check out this article for a bit of a taste of the sort of tattoo competitions that went on during the Pheonix Hell City Fest.  There were some outstanding tattoos on display as well as some not so outstanding tattoos from the looks of things, which of course is to be expected any time something as massive as the Hell City Tattoo Fest kicks off.

Tags: columbus ohio, Conventions, durb morrison, hell city phoenix, Hell City tattoo festival, News, tattoo blog, Tattoo Pictures, Workforce

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Italy is a very beautiful country, so it makes sense that it would also be home to a tattoo artist who does very beautiful work.  Miss Arianna makes her home on Italy’s Adriatic Coast at Skinwear Tattoo in the city of Rimini.  For more than two years, Arianna went the traditional route of paying her dues and learning the ways of the tattooist through an apprenticeship.  To her, the apprenticeship is a vital part of a tattoo artist learning to find their way as a serious artist.

It’s this respect for tradition and understanding of its importance that underscores Miss Arianna’s tattoo work, yet at the same time the need to modernize and to move forward with her own twist on the classic American tattoo makes her work fresh and intriguing.

“The style I love to perform is my personal version of the traditional.  I like it because it’s similar to me: it’s direct, clear and solid.  It has a unique strength and balance.  I deeply admire big names such as Sailor Jerry, Bert Grimm, Percy Waters, etc, but I think it’s so limiting to use their flash and only employ the colours of that period.  I don’t like to reshape their flash and put my name on it, as though they were my drawings.  I respect those who do it, but I think that working out my own drawings is definitely more interesting, perceiving what my customer wants, and then perform it in my personal traditional style: solid line, tonnes of black, and full colours.”

- Miss Arianna, Skin Deep Magazine, September 2010

The importance of tattoo artists who want to move forward and yet at the same time maintain links and a strong respect for the past is undeniably important.  After all, trends come and go, but there is never a substitute for hard work and originality.  Miss Arianna proves that.

Tags: Inspired, Italy tattoo, meet miss arianna!, miss arianna, Rimini, skin deep magazine, skinwear tattoo, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, tattoo blog artist profile, Tattoo Magazines, Workforce

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Tattoos have been accused in some instances of being about personal vanity.  I personally don’t agree with that sort of assessment.  I mean, after all, this is an art form that is so diverse and ultimately so personal that it kind of transcends any attempt at pigeonholing it.  No one ever knows for certain why a person gets the tattoo that they get without outright asking that person their reasons for doing so.

There’s also a somewhat blurred line in some respects as to what exactly qualifies as a tattoo.  Take permanent makeup, for example.  Not a tattoo in the traditional sense, yet it still remains on the body for anywhere from 2-5 years before fading.  Because the makeup does disappear after time and does not remain absolutely permanent like a tattoo puts it on a different level of classification.  In England, anyone under the age of 18 can get permanent makeup put on and that is where a new controversy has started.

Sophie Watson is a 14-year-old girl whose parents have recently allowed her to have her eyebrows, lips and eyes done with permanent makeup.  Watson regularly takes place in beauty pageants and says that she likes having the permanent makeup done because now she doesn’t “need to bother with it every morning”.  The issue has caused people to question what sort of values that this is imparting on a 14-year-old girl, but even beyond that it seems to me that 14 is far too young to be tattooed with anything.

This is a particular scenario in which tattooing is about personal vanity.  If a 14-year-old boy has to wait until he’s 18 (or in some places, older than 16) to have a tattoo done because there is a definite lack of maturity toward the commitment that a tattoo involves, then why should a 14-year-old girl be permitted to be tattooed with makeup, which in some ways is a far more mature commitment than a basic tattoo?  If there isn’t a basic respect for tattoos from an early age – whether they be makeup or traditional – then what’s the point in having laws that dictate when a child can or can’t have a tattoo?  For her part, Sophie Watson already has two very real and very illegal tattoos on her body.  Does this disregard for the law and for the responsibility related to being tattooed have anything to do with the conflicting laws between permanent makeup and tattoos?  Hard to say, but I think that they both should at least be on the same terms with regards to a legal age.

Tags: Dislike, england tattoo, illegal tattoo, News, Permanent Makeup, Permanent Makeup, sophie watson, tattoo blog, Workforce

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I try to cover a lot of different angles on the tattoo blog.  If it’s about tattoo and it’s something that I haven’t really seen a lot of before, I tend to automatically gravitate towards it.  One of the easiest and most plentiful topics out there in relation to tattoo is the whole Hollywood angle.  You can barely run a quick search on the topic of tattoos on Google without page after page of gossip about Hollywood stars and their brand new tattoos.  I guess I’ve never really focused a lot of energy on reporting on stuff like this because I’ve never really given a crap if Brad Pitt got a new tattoo or not.

But today I found a brief blog post on the UK Guardian news site.  On it the author listed the various movies which contain tattooed characters.  When you really get down to it, over the years there have been a lot of characters in film with tattoos.  At any rate, the article makes a good point as it talks about tattoos in film:

“Most of us will know someone with a tattoo, even if they’re not willing to show it. Inking has definitely become a part of the mainstream, but in cinema it remains something of a novelty. A lot of film characters have become like politicians; make them as bland as possible so as not to offend anyone. Where are the tattooed romantic leads?”

“Whatever the reason, you can generally pigeonhole film characters with tattoos into psychos, gangsters and Angelina Jolie. But at least one thing is certain: these characters always have interesting pasts …”

I can’t help but agree with all of this – why are tattooed people only used as the trouble makers in film? Even if I try really hard to think of a film in which a tattooed character isn’t a criminal or psychopath, all I can really come up with is Adam Goldberg in the 2007 film 2 Days in Paris.  Goldberg plays the American boyfriend of a French woman visiting her parents in Paris.  The fact that I can only recall one film with a positive (more or less) role for a tattooed character is pretty lame – and I watch a lot of films.

Well it might be a while before Hollywood decides to give us a good hearted tattooed character, so I guess that until they do, we’ll just have to enjoy watching the tattooed psychopaths and criminals cause trouble on screen.

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Foot Tattoo Benefits

There are many different reasons that people get a foot tattoo. You may be unsure about the advisability of getting tattoo on your foot and even wonder why the foot is such a great place for a tattoo. One of the major reasons that the foot is a great place for a tattoo is that they aren’t as common as tattoos on the arms and lower back of women.
A tattoo on the foot is also less obvious than those tattoos that are located in other areas. This may be important to people who have a desire to keep their tattoos discreet. If you have a desire to get a significant tattoo but prefer to keep it to yourself, a tattoo on the foot is perfect. You can have a small tattoo design that you can hide or show as you see fit.

The Disadvantages of Foot Tattoos

There are many tattoo artists who refuse to put a tattoo on a foot. The reason for this is that there can be a couple of problems with a foot tattoo. This is because the ink on tattoos on the foot tends to blur, scatter or spread more rapidly than those on other tattoo locations.

Foot tattoos are also usually more painful than other tattoos. The reason for this is that the foot’s flesh is close to bones and capillaries. Most tattoos are located in areas that have a lot of flesh. Additional flesh minimizes the pain during the tattooing process. Actually, the pain of a foot tattoo can last well beyond the process of tattooing.

You should also consider your activities and recovery after getting a foot tattoo. It can take as long as 2 weeks for a tattoo on the foot to heal. During this time, the tattoo should be kept clean and dry. Also, you should avoid rubbing on your foot tattoo which is obviously difficult to do when wearing shoes.

Precautions

These are just a few of the unique challenges of getting a foot tattoo. In spite of these challenges, you may still want to get one. Ii is always a good idea to find an experienced tattoo artist. Keep in mind that there are some tattoo artists who will not do foot tattoos. Therefore, you should select an artist who knows how to do it properly and with the least amount of pain. You may also want to settle for a smaller design. A smaller design is perfect for feminine feet. In addition, a smaller design means less burning and pain.

A foot tattoo can be an entirely unique experience for even the most avid tattoo fan. Be sure that you are absolutely ready and willing to deal with the unique concerns of a foot tattoo.

The dragon is a legendary and mythological creature that has been around for centuries. The Asian dragon tattoo is one of the most popular tattoos since it has various meanings and cultural significance all around the world. For many Americans, a dragon tattoo represents supernatural powers, courage, and a sense of strength, dragon tattoos are usually worn by males more often than females, but dragon tattoos on females is not uncommon.

Two of the most popular type of dragon tattoos is the black dragon and the Chinese dragon tattoos. Other types of dragon tattoos that are somewhat less popular are the Pernese dragon, the Hydra dragon, and the Faerie dragon.

When choosing a dragon tattoo, many people go with the Eastern dragon tattoo because they are the protectors. Dragon tattoos for men represent protection, strength, wisdom, courage, and power. Eastern dragons and men were considered to be the protectors of their loved ones. Dragon tattoos for women represent the beginning of a new life because and women create new lives.

Western dragons were considered the abductors of children and women, destroyers of lives and villages and just evil. Normally, they looked serpent like, had a tail like a rudder, spines running down their backs, horns, elaborate ears, sharp pointed teeth, a head that was shaped like a wedge, four strong legs, powerful muscular bodies, and large wings that helped them to fly.  In the middle ages, brave knights fought the dragons, killed them and took over the protected treasures, and saved the maiden in distress. Usually, the prison tattoo artist is the one who inks the Western dragon tattoos for men. However, the Eastern dragon tattoo is by far the more popular.

Lip tattoos will usually last for about one to five years, although in some cases they haven’t lasted over a few weeks. Like any other tattoo, lip tattoos do hurt. The amount of pain that is felt varies from one person to another. Because there is a degree of pain that is associated with getting a lip tattoo and since they fade so quickly, you will have to determine if the pain is really worth getting a lip tattoo. You should also read about the care that is required for a lip tattoo.

There are numerous lip tattoo designs. However, you should find the right tattoo artist in order to get the design of your lip tattoo implemented. The inner lip tattoo isn’t visible to the public. The only time people will see it is when you show it to them.

One very popular idea for a lip tattoo is the name of your loved one. The lip area is small and therefore the lip tattoo will have to be small. People frequently either use either small words or small designs or maybe even a small phrase. You should always select a simple design for the lip area. People usually select a black colored tattoo since the tattoo artist won’t have to use a lot of strokes on the tattoo machine. But, this doesn’t mean that a lip tattoo can’t be meaningful or unique.

With the above lip tattoo ideas you should have enough information to get a lip tattoo. However, one word of caution: In case you happen to suffer from a herpes viral infection, it isn’t advisable, that you get a lip tattoo because it can lead to eruption of sores.