Tattoos

I heard that more than one third of North American young people between 18 and 29 have tattoos on their skin. It looks to be a big number for us Japanese because a tattoo has special meaning in Japan and we rarely have tattoos except for a special obligation. Of course it is "Yakuza," Japanese gangsters. In Japan, a man with tattoos is banned to show his skin in public such as in a pool or public bath because other people get scared if he is a gangster. A tattoo is a taboo just as public drinking is prohibited in Canada. When I came to Vancouver for the first time, I was surprised to see a little girl went into a so-called tattoo shop with her parents. I felt she was too young to have a tattoo which won't be removed throughout her life. What if her tattoo is distorted as she grows. They are thinking about tattoos as easy as dying hairs or painting nails. Plus, the quality of tattoos around here is not so good. It is a poor art and it doesn't deserve to the lifetime art. Most of the tattoo design is terrible and aged one is almost a stain on the skin. Using Chinese characters as a tattoo design seem to be popular, but it often contains typos or misuses, which is nothing but a giggle for people who can read Chinese characters. I can't understand why so many people visit a tattoo shop and pay for the ugly and stubborn stain which used to be kind of a punishment in ancient world.