It's Summer! So it's the best time to cool off with a swim and chill out on the beach, park or wherever you get to go to beat the record high heat. Unless, you live in Japan and you see this sign. Which at first sight is like, WHAT!
I saw this sign at Suma Beach 須磨海水浴場 (すまかいすいよくば) a cool little place a short train ride from Kobe 神戸市 in Hyogo Prefecture 兵庫県 where a lot of Osaka people would go to have a beach day, and in September they have a Steel Drum Festival where different groups get up on stage and play Steel Drum calypso music. It was lots of fun!
But this sign caught my attention, which it should, because unless you can read Japanese, the picture doesn't make any sense at all. The sign itself has a good design and uses nice beach colors of blue 青 and white 白 to represent the sea, with the universal DON'T circle in red 赤.
Then the two characters inside 中 are doing what exactly?
My initial interpretation is there is an argument, and the character closes to us is breathing a sigh of anger, while the character in the background is nervous about what is going to happen.
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他人 (たにん) - Other people, Another person, Stranger
に - Particle used for movement, purpose or as preposition
恐怖心 (きょうふしん) - Fear, Terror
を - Noun to Verb connecting Particle
与える (あたえる) - To give, cause
行為 (こうい) - Act, deed, conduct
の - Possessive Particle
禁止 (きんし) - Stop, Don't, Forbidden
Translation: Causing other people fear is forbidden conduct!
(In parenthesis):
入れ墨 (いれずみ) - Tattoo, Japanese style tattoo
等 (など) - Etc.
の
露出 (ろしゅつ) - Exposed
Translation: That means you tattooed people.
Well, my first impression was somewhat true. The character in the background is nervous about what is going to happen, but not because of any prior argument. They are nervous because they believe every person with a tattoo is the ヤクザ!
The Yakuza or ヤクザ! are the Japanese mob or gangsters who initiate their members with shoulder and sleeve tattoos of traditional Japanese iconography of dragons, Samurai, cherry blossoms or Oni, and often includes this spiral of lines incorporating all of them together.
Which, I'm wondering now, if this fear of spiral tattoos was an inspiration for Junji Ito's manga Uzumaki??? そうかなぁ...
Regardless of if you're ヤクザ! or not, tattoos in Japan have a stigma attached to them. They represent rebellion and independence from the conservatism and conformity of Japan's ancient traditions and social structure.
Even as a foreigner with tattoos of kittens and butterflies, be prepared to be shunned and excluded from certain activities as bathing in hot springs, wearing tank tops at the gym or going to the beach. And especially if you want to get a job, make sure they are covered up at all the times, no matter how uncomfortable during the Summer months.
And I knew many foreigners who complained and whined about this cultural exclusion who think they can break down barriers and changed the mind of 5 million people. But they're not and you're not. Every country or region of the world has their cultural rules, and as a respectful traveller, you have to follow them or face the consequences.
If you have a tattoo, you made a choice. I have tattoos and like tattoos, but while living in Japan I had to keep them covered up in situations that called for it. Even Japanese people who aren't ヤクザ! who get tattoos are making a choice and also have to face the consequences of that choice. Although they are in a position to break down barriers and change cultural perceptions in their communities. Which you never know what the future holds, until then BE WARNED!
他人に恐怖心を与える行為の禁止！(入れ墨等の露出)
じゃあ、いい夏がありますよ！WWWWW
ジョシュア
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