《中英對照讀新聞》Japan’s hot springs asked to allow tattooed foreigners 日本溫泉業者被要求接待刺青的外國客

◎陳正健

It’s long been an unspoken rule among Japanese spa operators that customers with tattoos were not allowed into hot springs — onsens. In Japan, tattoos are associated with the Japanese mafia, commonly referred to as the yakuza. A report published last year found that 56% of hotels and inns surveyed across Japan did not allow those with tattoos to enter public baths.

長久以來，日本溫泉業有個「潛規則」，即謝絕刺青的顧客。在日本，刺青總與日本黑道（泛稱「極道」）有關。去年發表的一份報告發現，全日本受訪的旅館和民宿有56%謝絕剌青客進入公共浴池。

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"We don’t put up ’no tattoo’ signs, but we do ask them to refrain from using our baths if their tattoos cover large parts of their bodies and can’t be concealed by a sticker," a manager at Yamagishi Ryokan said, "we treat locals with tattoos the same way we treat foreigners."

「我們不會放置『禁止刺青客』的標示，但如果他們的刺青面積龐大，無法以貼紙掩蓋，我們會要求他們不要使用我們的浴池。」山岸旅館的一名經理表示，「我們對本地和外國的刺青客一視同仁。」

However, now the Japan Tourism Agency has asked for the rules to be relaxed for foreigners as visitor numbers to the country continue to rise. An official is hoping that onsens will take into consideration the cultural backgrounds of tattooed customers and not turn them away out of fear.

不過，現在日本國家旅遊局促請業者放寬規定，允許刺青的外國客消費，因為訪日的國際旅客持續增加。一名官員希望溫泉業者能考慮刺青客的文化背景，不要因為恐懼就拒人於千里之外。

The agency said that there are often religious, cultural, aesthetic or other choices behind the body modification practice and the ink doesn’t pollute the baths.

國家旅遊局表示，客人刺青背後往往有宗教、文化和審美觀等因素，而且紋身的油墨不會污染浴池。

新聞辭典

unspoken rule：名詞，潛規則，不成文規定。例句：My company has a lot of unspoken rules that I must follow.（我的公司有一堆不成文規定，我必須遵守。）

refrain from：片語，避免，克制。例句：Please refrain from spitting on the sidewalk. （請不要在人行道上吐痰。）

aesthetics：名詞，美學。例句：Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the appreciation of art, beauty and good taste. （美學是哲學的一支，攸關藝術鑑賞、美感和高尚品味。）