My name is Akio Nagayama and I’m the owner of Pahi.

We create a variety of goods that we hope are beneficial to those use them, starting from products concerning cars, and then moving onto toys, household electronics, robotics and so on.

This time we’ve looked at creating a product that would be beneficial to both visitors to Japan as well as the owners of onsens. This [Body Concealer] can be used when entering an onsen on those that have tattoos to hide them from plain site.

While not the perfect solution to the problem, trying to change a nation's perception and culture when it comes to tattoos will take a while.

This [Body Concealer] is the result of my connection to both Japan and the West. Being born in New Zealand, a country that also has a very predominate tattoo culture, I have seen how hard it can be for friends that come to Japan that wish to join in with this part of Japanese culture. By trying to solve problems like this, I want to help open up Japan to everyone around me.

The visitors that can't enjoy Japan to its fullest

Japan has a long traditional culture of Tattoos, with tattoos being seen beginning in around the 17th century, using a method called Tebori, or tattooing by hand in contrast to the machine method we see these days. However with the Yakuza crime syndicate appropriated this culture in the 19th Century and since then, the culture has shunned Tattoos, leading to a period up to the Occupation by America after WW2 where Tattoos were illegal.
Although this changed, in today’s society, people with Tattoos are shunned and pushed to the side affecting their ability to enter certain facilities and obtain jobs. One such part of Japanese society that shuns those with Tattoos, is the Onsen culture, with many establishments not allowing those with Tattoos.

Onsens and being turned away

For those of your that live in Japan or have been here before, you may have been to an onsen establishment before. A common site is some of the signs like below.

Establishments that allow for tattoos and so on are few and far between.

What’s more, 45.7% of people that come to Japan, wish to experience onsen when they visit again. To those that wish to enter while having a tattoo it is hard to find places that accept them. For me, it’s a great shame that a fundamental part of Japanese culture is closed off to those that visit for something that can be such a visually stunning piece of art on their bodies. For some, tattoos are used to cover up birthmarks or scars, so this is extra hard on these visitors, and frankly unacceptable.

Sporting Events coming to Japan

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics happening, Japan is set to see a large influx of foreign visitors.
Looking at just the amount of sportspeople hat have tattoos, it would be obvious that something would need to be done to help with accommodating them. Many professional sportsmen and women have tattoos, with reasons such as keeping their spirits up when travelling abroad away from family, or for making a permanent mark of their life's motto, or in the cases of people from New Zealand or other Polynesian Islands such as Samoa, Tribal Tattoos are extremely common.

Photo taken during the AirAsia Hong Kong Beach 5s in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong by "istolethetv"

With this year being the year of the Olympics we expect athletes as well as fans from all over to be coming in droves, all carrying an assortment of tattoos. As our guests we should try our best to accommodate these fans. While it is near impossible to change centuries of cultural opposition to tattoos in a few months, we hope to help by creating a type of bridge to making this possible! Without being able to cause a sudden change in discriminatory policies, the fastest and easiest way is to help those that do have tattoos cover up with a non-permanent solution!

The Main Features of the Concealer!

The [Body Concealer] that we have created has 3 main features to it.

※This concealer can be used for not just tattoos but also for those that have bruises or scars that they wish to cover.

The use of this product is extremely simple. Just choose a spray that matches your skin tone, and apply over the selected area. After it has dried, you can apply baby powder to help blend it even more.



①Ease of Use

Even without going to a Beauty Salon, this product can be used to cover an area! Also with a lasting ability to stay for up to a week, you don’t have to worry about continuous reapplication. For those that wish to remove it, a simple ethanol sterilizer can be used!

②Beautiful Application

Due to being a spray, it is to get an even coverage and hard to create creases and so on. Also as you can choose the perfect spray to get the right tone for your skin, it will look natural compared to the rest of your body. Finally it is completely safe to use and won't cause irritation to the skin

③Highly Waterproof

After drying completely, even if you try to scrape it, it’s extremely hard to remove! This means it won’t make marks on the your clothes! As well as this, even if you sweat a lot, or are in a body of water, it won’t come off meaning you can enjoy yourself to your heart’s content!

Who this product might suit and what types of situations it could be used in

Those that have tattoos, those that have marks they wish to hide, those that wish to hide scars. etc might wish to use this spray.
※Not to be used on the face, on the genitals or on open wounds.

・Onsen
・Pool
・Seaside resorts
・Gyms
・Wedding Ceremonies
・Formal Occasions
etc…

If this type of spray was used at a salon, the price for covering a size of a postcard would cost around 5,000 Yen -10,000 Yen and for a full covering of the back it would cost around 20,000 Yen to 40,000 Yen! With this product you can make a large amount of savings as well as have enough concealer to use for up to two times covering!

Four colours to choose from

There are four different tones to choose from when selecting the Body Concealer! This following chart should help you to decide which tone is best for you!

What about other methods?

There are of course different methods of covering tattoos.
For example, some people try to use stickers to cover the area, but they look unnatural as well as not faring well in water! Many establishments also look down on this method and won’t allow for people to cover it via these stickers.
Another product that we created was an airbrush version of the Body Concealer that was more focused on Beauty Salons and so on, and is quite hard for an individual to use.
But as more visitors come to Japan, we wanted to find a way to help open up the Onsen culture to them!

According to 2018 Dalia Research, the largest amount of people with tattoos aged 14-65 can be found in Italy at 48%! After that people from Sweden (47%), America(46%) and Australia(43%) are quite high in the rankings. For many, tattoos are a form of expression and fashion. This is compared to the population in Japan that have tattoos, which sits at just about 2.5%. It’s not hard to see why Japanese culture shies away from tattoos.

※Reference: Dalia Research

It is easy to say that with about half the population of America and Australasia having tattoos, it is not seen as a taboo, even more, a new trend of those getting tattoos has surfaced in Europe.

In London, a large event is held - [LONDON TATTOO CONVENTION] which celebrates the culture of tattoos.

Finally with stars such as former football player David Beckham or movie star Angelina Jolie sporting tattoos, it can be said that tattoos are seen as being as natural as piercings and so on.