Tattoo artist Asakusa Horikazu poses for a photograph with people who received tattoos from Horikazu and his father, at a Japanese public bath called a "sento" in Tokyo, Japan, September 24, 2020. "It's been a problem at places like super sento and spas. I think it's because there's a strong image that they're against society. I take steps to make sure nothing that shouldn't be shown isn't, and I go into pools and things ," said Horikazu. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Tattoo artist Shodai Horiren, 52, prays in front of an altar before tattooing a customer at her studio in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Restaurant owner Hiroshi Sugiyama, 38, lies in the water at a Japanese public bath called a "sento", as he gets together with tattoo artist Asakusa Horikazu to pose for photographs in Tokyo, Japan, September 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Tattoo artist Shodai Horiren, 52, holds an umbrella as she walks in the rain in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, July 3, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

People with tattoos attend the annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association) in Tokyo, Japan, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Tattoo model Yuki, 30, performs on set for French pop group Supernaive's music video in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2020. "I thought tattoos were really nice and wanted to put them all over my body. I can't even count how many times I've been to the parlor", said Yuki. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Construction worker Hiroshi Yoshimura, 44, takes household goods stored on the balcony at his home in Tokyo, Japan, October 2, 2020. "I usually cover it up, so nobody even in the neighbourhood can say that guy has tattoos. But if I'm walking somewhere or using the train or something, police stop me a lot and ask me to roll up my sleeves to see if I'm using drugs, or if I'm in a gang", said Yoshimura. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Mari Okasaka, 48, and her son Tenji Okasaka, 24, pose for photographs at their home in Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 25, 2020. "Some people get tattoos for deep reasons, but I do it because they're cute, the same way I might buy a nice blouse", said Mari, who got her first tattoo at 28 and whose son, Tenji, is working towards having his whole body covered in ink and colour. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

People with tattoos gather together for group photos at the annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association) in Tokyo, Japan, February 16, 2020. "The event is important because usually we hide our tattoos from society, but just once a year we can proudly show off our tattoos and show each other what new tattoos we've gotten", said the head of the association Hiroyuki Nemoto. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Surfer and TV set designer Takashi Mikajiri, 42, lies on his surfing board as he poses for a photo at Onjuku beach in Isumi district, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, October 4, 2020. "Have I had any trouble on beaches because I have a tattoo? Yes, definitely. If I don't hide them, I won't be able to come up on the beach, according to regulations in Kanagawa Prefecture," said Mikajiri. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Surfer and TV set designer Takashi Mikajiri, 42, heads into the sea with his surfing board tied to his ankle at Onjuku beach in Isumi district, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, October 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Surfer and TV set designer Takashi Mikajiri, 42, shows his tattoos on his back as he sits on the beach after surfing on Onjuku beach in Isumi district, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, October 4, 2020. "In America, if you have a tattoo, people don't really care. There's not really any reaction", said Mikajiri. "That's the ideal. It'd be really good to just be taken for granted." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Rie Yoshihara, 33, shows tattoos on her back as she poses for a photograph at her home in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 7, 2020. Yoshihara, who works in a shop dressing tourists in kimonos, said her shocked father has still not seen her full back tattoo. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Scrap yard worker Hiroyuki Nemoto, 48, poses for a photo with his one year-old daughter Tsumugi at their home in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Scrap yard worker Hiroyuki Nemoto, 48, wears a traditional Japanese loincloth called a "fundoshi" as he poses for a photo with his one year-old daughter Tsumugi at their house in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, January 10, 2020. "We may have tattoos but we are happy and bright people", said Nemoto. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Truck driver Hideyuki Haga, 44, poses in front of his truck which is decorated with the same design as his tattoo on his back, in Hiki, Saitama, Japan, September 3, 2020. "When this painting was done I think I was about as excited as when my tattoo was done. The tattoo is now part of myself. I definitely feel proud of it", said Haga. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Scrap yard worker Hiroyuki Nemoto, 48, poses at the scrap yard where he works in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, January 10, 2020. "We may have tattoos but we are happy and bright people", said Nemoto. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Scrap yard worker Hiroyuki Nemoto, 48, takes off his shirt as he gets ready to pose for a photo showing his tattoos at the scrap yard where he works in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Office worker Hideyuki Togashi, 48, shows his tattoos as he poses for a photograph at a park near his house in Tokyo, Japan, September 7, 2020. "My leg was amputated in March last year. I think that because of the tattoos, part of me became stronger psychologically, and because I was so strong I was able to recover quickly", said Hideyuki. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A man looks at a person's tattoos at the annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association) in Tokyo, Japan, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Author Hiroki Takamura, 62, wears a traditional Japanese loincloth called a "fundoshi" as he attends the annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association) in Tokyo, Japan, February 16, 2020. "At my past job, tattoos were not allowed so I applied foundation every morning to cover it. It took over 30 minutes every morning to cover all of my tattoos", said Takamura, who used to work as a former school administrator. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Scrap-yard worker Hiroyuki Nemoto, 48, is helped by a friend to put on a traditional Japanese loincloth called a "fundoshi" before attending the annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association), which he organises in Tokyo, Japan, February 16, 2020. "I feel very close to other people who have tattoos, they've all gone through the same pain", said Nemoto. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Author Hiroki Takamura, 62, shows tattoos on his palms at the annual gathering of the Irezumi Aikokai (Tattoo Lovers Association) in Tokyo, Japan, February 16, 2020. "In the 2000s, tattoo magazines began to increase and even women began to get more tattoos. I thought there was hope that tattoos would finally be accepted the way they are in Europe", said Takamura. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Part-time worker Tenji Okasaka, 24, pets his cat as he poses for a photograph at his house in Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 25, 2020. "Some people probably look at me funny, but I don't pay attention to it anymore. Yes, there are times when people think I'm part of a gang, but I don't worry about it that much. I'll keep on going until I don't have any skin uncoloured", said Okasaka. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Bookkeeper Mina Yoshimura, 40, who works at her husband Hiroshi Yoshimura's company, touches a new tattoo that Hiroshi Yoshimura got on the same day, at their home in Tokyo, Japan, October 2, 2020. "Well, if I had tattoos and he didn't, he'd be able to go places that I couldn't. But since we're both the same, we can go anywhere together. I think that's nice", said Mina, as she spoke about Hiroshi. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Construction worker Hiraku Sasaki, 48, washes his body at a Japanese public bath called a "sento", as he gets together with tattoo artist Asakusa Horikazu to pose for photographs in Tokyo, Japan, September 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Burlesque dancer Aya Yumiko, 40, who performs under the stage name 'Aya Mermaid' poses with her tattoos at a bar she performs at in Tokyo, Japan, April 25, 2020. "Customers who see me dance with my tattoos, they're really clearly divided between those who like them and those who hate them", said Yumiko. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Tattoo artist Shodai Horiren, 52, tattoos her customer Rie Yoshihara at her studio in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 4, 2020. "Your house gets old, your parents die, you break up with a lover, kids grow and go", said Horiren, "But a tattoo is with you until you're cremated and in your grave. That's the appeal." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Tattoo artist Shodai Horiren, 52, shows her needles before tattooing a customer at her studio in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 4, 2020. "The fact that it's done by hand makes my work of an old-fashioned type. I take a bunch of needles and pull them together with thread, then hold it all with wax. Then I sterilize it. I think the biggest difference is that I don't use electricity," said Horiren. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Tattoo artist Shodai Horiren, 52, tattoos her customer Rie Yoshihara's back at her studio in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Bottles of tattoo ink sit on a shelf at tattoo artist Shodai Horiren's studio in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, September 4, 2020. "When you get one tattoo, you want two, then three. Then if you start studying you find out there are more incredible designs, and then you gradually get obsessed", said Horiren. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Tattoo model Yuki, 30, checks her mobile phone as she smokes a cigarette on her break while performing on set for French pop group Supernaive's music video in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2020. "I thought tattoos were really nice and wanted to put them all over my body. I can't even count how many times I've been to the parlor", said Yuki. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "KYUNG-HOON TATTOOS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES