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Actually, thos're hardcore enthusiast and proud yakuza members. Some yakuza (the truly high ups) don't wear them at all, because they enjoy being covert and undetected by anything and everything.

biggest thing being public bathhouses, a huge favorite for all japanese.

Anyone, woman or man, with a tattoo, is banned from there since any and all tattoos symbolize yakuza affiliation. No exceptions even to white sailors or soldiers from the US with american flags.

My brother isn't exactly a Yakuza, and he claims he's not, but he's got a huge tattoo of multicolored flowers with a large bengal tiger on them. he's in the process of getting a hanya-wearing samurai with crest-embellished spear on the other shoulder, supposedly to balance the other shoulder.

it's cool and all, but he'd be spotted as a yakuza in a heartbeat.

Wow... *stares at the pictures*
I love the look of Irezumi (japanese tattoos), but I'd never get them myself... too colorfull.

Is it really still this hard to do a normal life in Japan if you have tattoos?
I guess many young people are tattooed without being a Yakuza...?

I have three tattoos as well (wanting to get more), but I live in Germany, there it's no problem, unless you're looking like a picturebook or trying to work in an expensive shop with skulls on your hands...
Of course, tattooed people here (if they don't have the common "modern" tattoos) are said to be tough and maybe not 'clean' (some people mistrust them), but I can't imagine to be thrown out of a public bath...

These are really cool. I have a friend that's going to Japan in a few months but he has tattoos on his shoulders so I have to keep reminding him to pack long sleve shirts because otherwise he's not going to be able to do much of anything.