Gaijinme...is that 外人め！ or the English word "me"?

No idea, not mines, I posted those to show some nice designs from Tattoo Temple in HK

Your username he means

just a domain I have gaijin.me

This thread reminds me of a story from my Brazilian cousin. He has a 羊 tattooed between his shoulder blades because he was born in the year of the sheep (Chinese zodiac). Anyway, he worked in Angola for a year, where there are a lot of Chinese migrant workers. He got really mad one day because the guy laughed at him for having the character for "sheep" tattooed on his back. I was like, "Serves you right - you'd laugh too if you saw some guy with the word 'ovelha' tattooed across his back!" My cousin did not seem to appreciate the humor.

Gaijinme Wrote:I live in Macao now and most chinese people recognize the sign as "order" (as a general giving orders). Another said it means today. But the first japanese I asked said "now" and I'm happy about that.

So I just showed your picture to my (Taiwanese) girlfriend.

Good news: she instantly recognised it as 今

Bad news: "why has he got 'today' tattooed on his arm?"

But really you get a tattoo for what it means to you; so how others perceive it is fairly irrelevant right? If anything the looser interpretation makes it a talking point, which is kind of fun

I don't know if the 令/今 ambiguity was deliberate or fortuitous, but I think it is part of this design's strength.

To me, it represents the simultaneous coexistence of both the time ordered 令 temporal world and the transcendent now 今. The ying-yang symbol, hinted at in the design, reinforces this.

Of course, all that really matters is that Gaijinme is happy with it.

For those of you inclined to Nihilism...
"Death needs time for what it kills to grow in" Burroughs.

@Gaijinme
Thanks for sharing the story behind your tattoo. I look forward to hearing about its adventures during your upcoming visit to Japan. Let us know what the locals think.

aphasiac Wrote:

Gaijinme Wrote:I live in Macao now and most chinese people recognize the sign as "order" (as a general giving orders). Another said it means today. But the first japanese I asked said "now" and I'm happy about that.

So I just showed your picture to my (Taiwanese) girlfriend.

Good news: she instantly recognised it as 今

Bad news: "why has he got 'today' tattooed on his arm?"

But really you get a tattoo for what it means to you; so how others perceive it is fairly irrelevant right? If anything the looser interpretation makes it a talking point, which is kind of fun

The same happens with a necklace I have.
In Japanese should be Honour. But people in China tell me the meaning is "expensive" (Why would I wear that?") or even worse... "rich". Some say it means "Excellence"

Harpagornes Wrote:@Gaijinme
Thanks for sharing the story behind your tattoo. I look forward to hearing about its adventures during your upcoming visit to Japan. Let us know what the locals think.

Only 15-18 C degrees here in Okinawa so usually I have long sleeves. Lets say I don't want to show my tattoo that often in Japan but I will do/no care in other countries.

Gaijinme Wrote:The same happens with a necklace I have.
In Japanese should be Honour. But people in China tell me the meaning is "expensive" (Why would I wear that?") or even worse... "rich". Some say it means "Excellence"

貴 doesn't mean "honor" in any language (at least not in the sense I think you're imagining). It's used as an honorific prefix to elevate the word it's attached to, so walking around with it on your neck could look a bit arrogant.

Better characters for "honor" would be 誉 or 誠, though the latter has associations with the Shinsengumi.

貴 is also a good example of how the meaning of a kanji/word changes both in time and in context. 貴様 would literally mean (and in the past it did mean) "honored sir" (a polite form of "you"), but currently it's a derogative term meaning "bastard" or "son of a bitch". It's so overly polite that it can only be sarcasm (if there is such a thing in Japan...).

SomeCallMeChris Wrote:... it's generally understood that tattoos are taboo in Japan. While it's true that Japan has a rich history of exquisitely beautiful tattoo art, that art is also - at least in recent decades - closely associated with organized crime. The stereotype is that only Yakuza have tattoos, and many Japanese actually believe it. This creates a certain prejudice against tattoos which many learners of Japanese share.

While it's true that the stereotype is not -entirely- true and that the tattoo culture is changing... it's still very brazen to introduce yourself proudly with your tattoo in any environment with any relationship to Japanese.

While I don't mind, you are going to meet with hostile reactions sooner or later. If you go to Japan, be prepared to hide your tattoo.

While I agree that tattoos aren't common in Japan, I wouldn't say it's primarily because of their organized crime associations. Rather, I'd say it's just a trend that hasn't caught on. You know, 25 years ago in the U.S., almost nobody had a tattoo, and then suddenly it became cool. Now it's a nation of ink.

I've known quite a number of Japanese people with tattoos, and they didn't seem too worried about others' reactions, since they never bothered to cover them up. They were also well employed. I've also run across countless yakuza (including having broken up a fight with one). I'm pretty darn sure nobody would ever mistake an ordinary person for a yakuza.

I don't think it would be particularly "brazen to introduce yourself proudly with your tattoo" here. Unless you look Japanese, you're already going to stand out, especially if you don't shave your eyebrows, tease your hair, and carry a tiny purse. Only then would you look like a Japanese man. Honestly, it's probably more brazen to be 20 pounds overweight than it is to have a tattoo.

As for onsen and sento, most don't allow them, but some do. I've been in plenty of both with tattooed people.

Just my 2 yen.

JimmySeal Wrote:

Gaijinme Wrote:The same happens with a necklace I have.
In Japanese should be Honour. But people in China tell me the meaning is "expensive" (Why would I wear that?") or even worse... "rich". Some say it means "Excellence"

貴 doesn't mean "honor" in any language (at least not in the sense I think you're imagining). It's used as an honorific prefix to elevate the word it's attached to, so walking around with it on your neck could look a bit arrogant.

Better characters for "honor" would be 誉 or 誠, though the latter has associations with the Shinsengumi.

this is it