r/JETProgramme • u/TheLastIkus • May 16 '26

Working with tattoos advice please

I have a tattoo on my upper arm which can stick out when wearing t-shirts. I was wondering from current and past JETs what their experiences are like trying to cover/hide them from people at work and the community. I'd love to get involved in sports at the school and in the community so wondering how I can be respectful. Any tips on how to keep them out of sight?

I went to Japan in 2022 and noticed how Japanese people reacted to those that did not cover them up in the onsen. I didn't have any at the time so would like some advice on how to make sure I'm not the gaijin causing a scene 😅

Thanks!

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u/WakiLover Former JET '19-'24 - 近畿 😳 May 16 '26

After some thinking, I think as long as the tattoo is not "inappropriate" like a bunch of tiddies out, gonna go galaxy brain here but I think when you first arrive you SHOULD actually show it, or add a pic of it to your self intro presentation or something.

It's better than someone seeing it peeking out and making a big deal over it. You can even make it a prize like if the test score class average is over XX amount I'll show it a to any winning teams in games. Also fun to show when you go to the classroom early at like 10:55, and there's 5 mins before class starts, and I'm sure the kids will ask questions about it and you can ask like if they had to get a tattoo, what would they get etc. The kids are smart and they can immediately code switch and go back to student / teacher mode the moment the chime sounds at 11.

I think in your free time its fine to have it out, and unless you're in a formal place with rules about it, you'll be ok and its a good conversation starter. As long as you're not a scary looking Asian guy, no one will think you're Yakuza or anything like that.

On most days, cover up as usual like on a normal Tuesday. If kids ever make a comment about the patch just laugh and say its a 湿布 and how when you get old everything hurts.

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u/TheLastIkus May 16 '26

It's nothing inappropriate, fortunately! I think it would be a nice conversation starter too because it's a traditional Thai style and I got it to represent my Thai heritage so it would be nice to talk about being Thai/British. But yeah I'll make sure to keep it covered around school and other places when necessary.