Relaying Column: Know Thyself (Azu)

I still don't quite understand myself. The only thing that undoubtedly sets me apart from the general public is that my entire body, including my face, is covered in tattoos. As a result, I am constantly subjected to a barrage of curious gazes.
Am I an abnormal person?

In my daily life, I create art, tattoo, occasionally write texts like this, teach at times, and also take on interior design work for hotels and similar projects to make a living.
I take pride in my connection to society in my own sincere way.
However, disregarding this "lifestyle," the public tends to view tattoos, which are inherently very visual, as something evil or grotesque, essentially as "you, an abnormal person unrelated to me." This leads to the prevalent notion of "no tattoos allowed."
People often ask, "But you can't go to public baths, right? How about pools? And gyms?"
Particularly, public baths and pools have never been significant in my life, so whether I can go or not is of no concern to me. However, about ten years ago, when I was obtaining my ordinary driver's license, I was perplexed by a questionnaire from the driving school asking whether I had tattoos. I was informed that if I had tattoos, participating in the license training camp would be challenging. Consequently, when I inquired with the driving school, I received a response saying, "If you can hide them." What do tattoos have to do with driving a car in the first place?
Is this an "implicit rule"?
Moreover, within such societal structures, there are certainly those who take pride in being "grotesque individuals" with tattoos. However, the notion of "some boastful types" is not exclusive to tattoos. From the perspective of me as an individual in Japan—which prides itself on being a democratic nation, where individuals form the smallest societal unit—one can observe various forms of boastfulness, such as those who wear tight suits, slick their hair with gel, discuss virtual currency trends loudly, or vent about their family woes in countless situations. Hence, it's disheartening to see discussions revolve around "because of tattoos." That's the honest truth.
Additionally, many of those who take pride in their "grotesque identities" through tattoos may have an inherent desire to "boast" even before getting their tattoos. Often, they know only "boasting" as a means of expression. This becomes evident when they face the societal deficits of being unable to work at convenience stores or beef bowl chains. People like us, with tattooed bodies, must constantly be on guard against the possibility of being purged from society at any moment.
By getting tattoos, we must live in fear of the sluggishness of societal design. Those who only know "boasting" as a means of coping are frequently forced to boast even more as a countermeasure.