Tokyo: The Japanese government will review a ban by Japanese traditional hot spring spas or "onsens" on foreign tourists with tattoos.
The Japan Tourism Agency launched a consultation among spas in Japan to explain their policy on tattoos to analyse and develop recommendations for the future, reported state broadcaster NHK.
Many of these facilities - where customers are completely naked - forbid entry to people with tattoos, as they are considered a symbol of yakuza, or the Japanese mafia.
However, this traditional linking of tattoos with yakuza contrasts with its fashionable use in other countries, head of the agency, Shigeto Kubo, told NHK.
Authorities are considering new measures to attract tourists and facilitate their stay.
Japan has more than 3,700 hot spring establishments due to volcanic activity that bustles under the Japanese archipelago.
The onsens are also "important means by which tourists can dip in the Japanese lifestyle and culture", said Kubo.
The Japan Tourism Agency launched a consultation among spas in Japan to explain their policy on tattoos to analyse and develop recommendations for the future, reported state broadcaster NHK.
Many of these facilities - where customers are completely naked - forbid entry to people with tattoos, as they are considered a symbol of yakuza, or the Japanese mafia.
However, this traditional linking of tattoos with yakuza contrasts with its fashionable use in other countries, head of the agency, Shigeto Kubo, told NHK.
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Authorities are considering new measures to attract tourists and facilitate their stay.
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Japan has more than 3,700 hot spring establishments due to volcanic activity that bustles under the Japanese archipelago.
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The onsens are also "important means by which tourists can dip in the Japanese lifestyle and culture", said Kubo.
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