Boosh

I finally joined the gym on Tuesday. It was another hour-long process of filling out forms and trying to understand what various thing meant (much like my cell phone acquisition) but it was worth it. For the first time in months I had a proper workout, and the facilities are actually quite impressive! The my only complaints are that they don't have a rowing machine and tattoos are supposed to be covered at all times.

Yes, you read right - supposedly showing that you have a tattoo can lead to instant cancellation of your membership, if any member "reports" you. I have my doubts as to whether or not this would really happen, and in any case, what is the purpose of such a policy?

Well, for those that don't know, tattoos are most closely associated with yakuza in Japan, or gangsters. The thing that baffles me is that gangsters get very easily recognizable tattoos, often full back-pieces if not larger, of dragons and swords and the like - it's not like anyone could ever mistake my wolfopuss for that! But as always I err on the side of strictness and just deal with it, carefully avoiding any exercises that expose my thigh... But really, what a silly rule. Even if a gangster were to become a member of the gym, would anyone actually have the gall to tattle on him for having a *gasp* visible tattoo?

I think this is a prime example of the kind of thing that would be considered blatant discrimination in America, but passes as fairly normal over here. It's not like it's really that bad, merely an inconvenience, but I felt the need to vent about it a little. This blog won't be on a downward spiral of Japanbashing any time soon.

On the subject of tattoos, there are way more young people with them here than I had thought. It is slowly going the way of America and they are becoming more and more common - I even saw some ridiculous guy on the train the other day with face tattoos, metal spikes on his arms, huge boots and a shirt that said Tokyo Punk. A trifle overboard in my opinion.

On a completely unrelated note, here is a clip of the latest thing I'm watching, a rifftrax of Memento:


*cough cough.* - Electric Wizard