Can Tattoos be on show in pools?

Any ideas how strict they are with the 'no tattoos on show' rule in hotel pools in Tokyo? I'm planing a holiday there in September & would hate to not be able to use the pool!

It mostly depends on the size and design of your tatoo. If it is small and apparently fashionable (like a heart or a flower), I don't think you'll have a problem.

I forgot where it was, but probably on this very forum, I have read that a person with a small fashionable tattoo wasn't allowed to enter.

The idea is that it offends some of the other users. If a pool user with little knowledge or biased views on tattoos reports to the staff, you can't complain about it.

On another site, I read a post by a person who always hides it with a skin-color patch.

Huh, I didn't know that such a thing as skin toned patches existed...Thanks for the tip (@ Uco)

Or maybe I'll just bandage myself up and pretend that I was injured...

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I had a related question if you wouldn't mind. Is this different for men and women? Like, would a man with a tattoo tend to be stopped more often than a woman?

It doesn't matter if you are a man or woman, they don't like tattoos either way. The only way that they can refuse you entry to the pool is if they have a sign posted that says "no tattoos" Check with the hotel before, or wear a rash guard or alternative swim gear to cover it up.

All of the hotels that had a spa or a pool that I visited last September had signs in Engrish like this one I wrote down "Persons who have tattooed refrain from entering".
Even though it should really only stop the tatooer and not the tatooee, the intention is clear (sort of) ^_^;;

Suppose I won't be going to an onsen then. Bit too big to cover and because I'm male I think I'd look rather odd wearing a top as well as trunks.

What if you reserved a pool or onsen for a specific group? Would it be possible then?

I'm reposting a previous message, as there is a lot here about tattoos:

Tattoos should be understand in the appropriate context in Japan. Tattoos have been used in Japan for thousands of years, yet around the Edo period (150 years ago or so), tattoos began to be associated with organized crime. Tattoos are still associated with yakuza, yet these are traditionally tattoos that cover the entire body from the neckline down (and often aren't revealed until the clothing is removed).

Having a group of guys completely covered in tattoos descend upon an onsen, could be quite intimidating or terrifying for the average (often elderly) patrons. Having a small heart, or Bart Simpson on your ankle is likely to go unnoticed.

The average tattoo is unlikely to have the same implications. I've seen small tattoos in onsen and swimming pools here in Japan a number of times. Like other places, tattoos have become more popular in Japan (though not as popular) in the last few years and are generally more accepted.

Though the situation with tattoos in Japan seems a bit ridiculous, if you are a foreigner, or otherwise don't otherwise sport all of the trappings of a yakuza, you aren't likely to have a problem. The tattoo rules are comparable to rules governing gang attire in schools and other public places in the US. Even if someone Japanese did have a personal disdain for tattoos, it is unlikely that they would bother to confront you anyway.

There were some Japanese guys with tattoos that came to the public bath I went to. No one complained much less looked at them. I was surprised, but no one else was.