Tattoo BasicsTattoo Pain
How Painful Are Tattoos? A Body Part Pain Chart and Tips
Tattoo pain by body part: the most and least painful spots, what a study of 1,092 people found, whether tebori hurts more, and safe ways to ease the pain.
Tattoo Japan Blog
Stories on Japan's tattoo culture, studios, and tattoo-friendly places, written by the Tattoo Japan team. Search by keyword to find the article you want to read.
46 articles
Tattoo BasicsTattoo Studios
Tattoo Prices in Japan (2026): Costs by Size & Placement
How much is a tattoo in Japan? Small pieces start at ¥5,000–¥10,000 and most hourly rates are ¥10,000–¥15,000. Data from 275 studios, plus deposits and tax.
Tattoo-Friendly OnsenKusatsu Onsen
Is Kusatsu Onsen Tattoo-Friendly? The 3 Baths That Say Yes
Kusatsu Onsen’s three public baths, Otakinoyu, Gozanoyu and Sainokawara Rotenburo, officially accept tattoos. 2026 prices, hours and the three-bath pass.
Celebrity TattoosAyaka Miyoshi
Ayaka Miyoshi's Back Tattoo: Hollyhock and 1351 Explained
Ayaka Miyoshi's back tattoo is a blue hollyhock, her birth flower, with a line down her spine and 1351, the time she was born. See who inked it and why.
Anime & Manga TattoosOne Piece
One Piece Ace Tattoo Meaning: ASCE and the Crossed-Out S
What does Ace's ASCE tattoo mean? The crossed-out S stands for his brother Sabo. See his Whitebeard back tattoo and how both designs changed in the manga.
Celebrity TattoosKoshi Inaba
Koshi Inaba's Tattoos (B'z): Wrist, Arm and What's Confirmed
Koshi Inaba of B'z has a tribal band on his right wrist plus arm, stomach and finger tattoos. Here is what photos and reports confirm, and what they don't.
Celebrity TattoosCovering Tattoos
Ryuto Kazuhara's Tattoos: Neck Tape on TV and What We Know
GENERATIONS singer Ryuto Kazuhara's tattoos on his neck, chest and arms, including "No Pain No Gain," and what is (and isn't) known about the tape on his neck.
Tattoo BasicsIrezumi
Irezumi vs Tattoo: Meaning, Tebori, Pain and Cost Explained
Irezumi just means tattoo in Japanese. The real differences are style and method: hand-poked tebori vs machine, motifs, pain, time, cost and onsen rules.
THE SCALP INKREPLAY
Solving thinning hair concerns with an “esthetic salon feel”—We asked YUI, owner of Okinawa's Uruma City salon “REPLAY,” about scalp tattooing as a new option.
YUI operates “REPLAY,” a scalp tattoo specialty salon in Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture. She is also an active certified instructor for THE SCALP INK, gaining nationwide recognition for her technique and counseling-focused approach. Leveraging her experience managing beauty salons, she boasts top-tier results in Japan for both scalp tattoo treatments and education.