Tattooing in Japan – Working Holiday Visa

Hello all !

I have recently obtained a working holiday visa and intend to travel to Japan in January and stay for one year.

I am based in the UK where I work as a (fully licensed, of course) tattooer and fine artist, selling prints and tees etc alongside my tattooing. Although I am more than happy to put a pause on this for the sake of the year in Japan and find alternative employment I have been trying to research and figure out if I might be able to find work as a tattooer whilst in Japan.

The visa guidelines prohibit working within establishments that would be considered negatively impactful on public morals, and I understand this to refer to industries such as nightlife or gambling etc, but am uncertain on how it might pertain to tattooing.

While in Japan last year I was tattooed by an American artist who resides there on a permanent visa and I would like to contact them and ask their opinion (they offered me a guest spot at the studio if I were to ever return and fancied working there for a short time) but also appreciate that it is a different visa for a different nationality and that there are likely individuals in this subreddit that may be more familiar with the working holiday visa.

Although tattooing in Japan is now fully legal without obtaining a medical license I cannot find any clear information on obtaining licensing to tattoo as a foreigner, would my license from the UK be considered viable ?

Alternatively, is it best to put the idea to bed altogether and not risk it coming under the umbrella of ‘morally reprehensible’ ?

I appreciate this is quite a niche enquiry and any and all advice or help is greatly appreciated and welcomed, thank you for taking the time to read !

(Please forgive me if this should be tagged under logistics, I wasn’t entirely certain due to the nature of my enquiry on how tbest to tag.)

by frills-and-needles

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