Tattoos Here? Be Ready for Judgment.

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Hello, you lovely, lovely people.

[00:00:02]>> [clears throat] >> Welcome back to the channel on a Sunday afternoon, a very, very hot Sunday afternoon.

[00:00:08]Uh tattoos, body art, whatever you want to call them. I still call them tattoos. I'm old school, and I have them.

[00:00:16]And this is the uh topic of conversation.

[00:00:19]Here in Asia, here in Asia.

[00:00:22]Um >> [clears throat] >> and how some people look at them and are judgmental of you.

[00:00:31]And I know this through experience.

[00:00:33]Um First off, we'll talk about uh you know, when I was in um uh Japan and South Korea, and then that I'll go into the Philippines.

[00:00:43]When I first went to um uh Japan, and I was there for quite some time, and uh I was walking through a park, very close to where I lived, and the first time I went there, it was uh what they call Golden Week, and it's it's a big holiday in Japan.

[00:01:02]And people come from all over to visit their family, friends, relations, all that sort of stuff.

[00:01:10]>> [clears throat and cough] >> Anyway, I used to walk through this park very regular in the mornings with just a T-shirt on, and you know, I I I've got sleeves, you know, tattoo sleeves.

[00:01:23]And um I didn't really observe it to begin with, but then I slowly observed how people were avoiding me.

[00:01:33]Uh for an example, I'll be walking through the park, and you know, you'd see, and it's normally older people.

[00:01:41]And this goes for most places that I'm talking about. It's not so much the younger generation, but the older generation.

[00:01:51]And they would give me me of a wide berth, and I just thought, well, that's fair enough, you know.

[00:01:59]The Japanese are very uh you know, very conservative.

[00:02:03]Maybe they're a bit shy. But, it wasn't shy of me as such. It was shy because I had tattoos.

[00:02:08]And uh in Japan it is uh it's normally looked upon like the Yakuza, where they have tattoos. And you know, you might belong to a certain gang or you know, something like that. And the older generation in Japan are still like that today.

[00:02:29]And I had a perfect example of this.

[00:02:31]Because everyone who has been to Japan will know about the uh onsens.

[00:02:39]Which is the the the natural springs, where there's warm water and you go off.

[00:02:44]Well, I would try to go to one, and I was there refused uh you know, to [clears throat] you know, try to actually go in there because of tattoos.

[00:02:52]Uh and I I kind of didn't understand why. I didn't kick up a stink or anything. But, I yeah, that's fair enough, you know.

[00:03:01]And um I saw people like talking, you know, they were like looking at me, then talking, then kind of looking away.

[00:03:10]But, that was because I have tattoos.

[00:03:12]Now, South Korea, when I was there, and I was in South Korea for longer. Now, it's not as bad there, but it's still with the older generation frowned upon. Because in the East especially in China um >> [clears throat and cough] >> the older generation look at it as a disrespectful thing to do to the parents. Meaning, if their their uh children got tattoos at whatever age, not young age, obviously, but at the age where they were allowed to get them, that is a mark of disrespect to the parents.

[00:03:56]Um but more and more younger people are [snorts] getting tattoos.

[00:04:05]Um all over the world.

[00:04:09]When I was in I mean I never saw young people in uh in Japan with tattoos, but I don't really know. I didn't really looked to be honest with you, but I think I might have noticed it if they were wearing t-shirts, but when I was aware of my tattoos might have caused a little bit of a problem in Japan, then I started to wear long sleeve uh shirts.

[00:04:31]And also in these countries I'm talking about, if you have tattoos, it can affect you getting a job.

[00:04:39]I know.

[00:04:41]In the West, depending on where these tattoos are, of course, you know, if they are like cut here and stuff like that and on your hands where you can't hide it, then maybe it would. I don't know. But generally speaking, if you can cover them up, it's not a problem in England anyway.

[00:04:59]And I think probably in part of the uh Western world it might have that same outlook. If you can't see them, out of sight, out to mind.

[00:05:07]Now, when I first got with uh Myra >> [clears throat] >> and we went to the I'll never forget it.

[00:05:16]We went to the 3,000 steps uh in Dipolog.

[00:05:20]And I was wearing a t-shirt knew about my tattoos. She saw them all the time.

[00:05:24]But she said to me, you know, before we went out and uh "Steven," she says, "you know, you know, you should cover them up a little bit, you know, with a" And I said, "No, why's that?" And she says, "Because people might think you're an addict." I said, "What?

[00:05:36]Are you serious?" She said, "Yeah, really, you know."

[00:05:39]But that's how my wife was looking upon it as well. So, my wife is quite old fashioned like that as well.

[00:05:46]And uh I try to explain to people here I didn't explain anything in Japan. I was never given an opportunity to talk about, uh, tattoos or anything. But, in here in the Philippines, I would say to people that people in the military back in the UK, even people in the police in the police force, you know, you see them with tattoos. Not all of them, but, you know, uh, nurses uh, you know, and people like that.

[00:06:15]So, with me and this is what she would say, "What?" And the people here would say, "Really?" And I said, "Yes. Yes. It it it's just a way of self-expression."

[00:06:25]Now, if they were homemade tattoos, you know, like cut here and that, you know, and the borstal spot. I don't know what the borstal spot used to be, but there was something in the UK called a borstal spot. Have you been in um, uh, young offenders, uh, institutions and borstals? You have, you know, just the mark of I've been in a borstal. He's got a borstal spot, like a tattoo.

[00:06:50]And it was even in the UK a while ago that if you had tattoos, they kind of related it to a prison or a bit of a bad boy or you belonged to, uh, you know, you you belonged to a gang or an organization that was up to no good. But, that's changed in the UK.

[00:07:11]But, here it still hasn't, here in the Philippines.

[00:07:14]Now, because we come from the West, they look at us a little bit differently as Filipino with tattoos. Now, I've seen many Filipinos with tattoos, many, many, and some are very good. And some of them are absolutely hideous and terrible.

[00:07:31]And the ones who have the hideous and terrible ones, and I don't mean this in to, uh, you know, discriminate, but some of them are not very nice people.

[00:07:45]And my wife has you know, actually said that to me.

[00:07:50]And um so or they might not have been in their younger time, you know, when they're a little bit older, they probably, you know, they mature a bit more and keep out of trouble.

[00:08:01]But here uh there are some tribes in the Philippines where they do get tattoos.

[00:08:07]And also in Thailand, you know, where they the uh they are Buddhist monks.

[00:08:12]Now, I forget what you call it.

[00:08:13]There's a name for it and you go there and it's uh you know, they they um uh tattoo you and it's a mark of uh spirituality and good fortune.

[00:08:26]So, different countries have different outlooks on tattoos or body art, like I said, whatever you want to call it.

[00:08:33]But here in the Philippines the older generation still have that it's just you know, they they still class that a little bit as it. But most people say, "Ah, with the people from the west, it's okay. You know, from your country, it's normal.

[00:08:50]But here, not so normal." Now, it's changing, you know, it's becoming more cosmopolitan, I suppose. But in these these little provinces um I I don't see many, if any. I'm just trying to think if I have seen if I've seen any people here with tattoos. Maybe I have, but if I have, it can't be that many, otherwise I wouldn't be able to say, "Yeah, this person had one or that person had one."

[00:09:16]But I get a lot of people here saying, "Where'd you get your you know, your tattoos done?" England, uh you know, "Why?"

[00:09:26]And >> [laughter] >> why was the question.

[00:09:29]Why? Because it meant something to me.

[00:09:31]And mine um uh my tattoos are related to the history of England. And if anyone knows the history of England, I'm sure you do, we were a nation of pirates and you know, uh >> [snorts] >> smugglers. So, my tattoo is all to do with um the history of the pirates, you know, you know, the pirates here and the pirate ship and the pirate all that.

[00:09:59]So, mine has like a relevance to what I'm interested in and I I love history.

[00:10:05]Uh and when I try to explain to people here and they say, "All right. Okay." They they can't get it. Some of them can't get it.

[00:10:18]But the people say here, normally people with tattoos is the same as Japan, like they think that they are bad people and they try and avoid them.

[00:10:29]But that's how I'm in Japan.

[00:10:32]Ev- it The worst place I've been to for that kind of uh action that was being uh you know, pushed towards me, where people were avoiding me. They really were, in the parks and you know, when I was going into um I can't remember the burger place there.

[00:10:53]But there's a burger place there. It's a bit like McDonald's, but it's not.

[00:10:58]And t-shirt, you know, and you know, you can see people looking.

[00:11:04]But because they are not rude people, you know, they would like look and then quickly look away. But I knew what it was all about.

[00:11:11]But I've never heard a video done about this, about coming to Asia with um tattoos.

[00:11:18]Because many of us you know, uh Westerners do. Now, depending on where you are, if you're in a big city, Manila, uh Cebu or you're like in other countries, Seoul in South Korea or you know, Tokyo in uh Japan.

[00:11:34]It's probably not frowned upon as much, but depending on the generation, depending if they are older people, younger people. I did notice a couple of uh young people in uh South Korea with uh tattoos, only small.

[00:11:48]Nothing like mine, the bloody sleeves, aren't they? But, nevertheless, and I got some uh you know, some compliments of a couple of the uh the South Korean people who you know, who did have the uh tattoos. Ah, you know, like tattoos, where did you get them done and blah blah blah. And but uh just like you know, bear it in mind, especially if you go into China as well, China, Japan, you know, uh just bear it in mind um to maybe cover them up at certain places.

[00:12:19]If you go into an onsen, you can't cover them, but they won't let you in. But, apparently, there are onsens where you can go if you have uh um body art, tattoos.

[00:12:30]But, I didn't go, you know, once I was uh refused into that one. And I was like I wasn't offended, I was just like a bit taken aback. But, then that's their custom.

[00:12:40]That's you know, that's their uh culture. And I as I said, there's certain generations in Japan where if you have tattoos, you are related or you are involved in some kind of nasty syndicates. That's that's what they think, even today.

[00:12:57]But, here in the Philippines, it's not so bad.

[00:13:00]Uh because I think here they they are more they are more open-minded. But, in these provinces, not so much.

[00:13:10]Um in Dipolog, I see many many, but not really my age. It's the younger generation who uh have tattoos.

[00:13:20]But, here, I don't know how it would affect you getting a job here in the Philippines with tattoos. I've never seen any military with tattoos. I've never seen any police with tattoos. And when I've been to you know, the attorneys here, there's uh certain uh bits and pieces and they have like t-shirts on or something like that. I've never seen them with tattoos.

[00:13:42]And I do look, actually. I you know, like you know, I do kind of observe it just to see, but I haven't seen any with. I'm not saying there isn't, but I've never seen any with.

[00:13:52]But it's just it's just uh it's just what I was thinking about and I thought I'd never seen a video about it and because we are in well, we are in Southeast Asia. But I just thought it was worth mentioning.

[00:14:08]Um but here no one looks at me now with the tattoos. You know, they all know me. I don't think anyone judges in the Philippines Western people with tattoos as much. But when my wife said to me before when we're going 3,000 steps, "Steven, put like a long sleeve on, you know. People will think you're an addict." I said, "What? Are people What?" "Why? [clears throat] Cuz you got tattoos." I said, "But they're not prison tattoos. I've never been to prison in my life and I've never been part of any organization or untoward gang in my life." But she said, "Yeah, but they don't know that." I yeah, yeah, true, true.

[00:14:39]>> [laughter] >> But there we have it. Anyway, people, that's it. Just a very quick video on that. Listen, I'm over and out. Catch you next time. Take care, people.

[00:14:47]Bye-bye.