With Japan expecting approximately 400,000 overseas visitors for the 2019 Rugby World Cup set to begin in September, hot-spring resorts across the country are faced with the ever-present issue of how to handle customers who have tattoos.
According to a 2015 Japan Tourism Agency survey, some 60 percent of onsen hot-spring facilities in the country denied entry to individuals with tattoos, with many deeming them taboo as a result of their association with yakuza crime syndicates and other anti-social groups.
Last September, World Rugby, the governing body of the rugby union, instructed athletes and supporters to cover up tattoos when visiting gyms or pools in Japan, as they could be mistaken for being involved with gangs.