Anthony Bourdain's Wandering Spirit

Every tattoo tells a story, and the television host, author, chef, and famous vagabond has a lot of stories to tell.

- Mitch Moxley

IT’S A CHILLY MORNING IN BROOKLYN, AND ANTHONY BOURDAIN IS LYING on his side on a tatami mat, being poked in the arm by a very pointy stick. There’s a glass of whisky nearby, from which Bourdain periodically sips to help dull the pain, while cameras capture every moment. The man doing the poking is Japanese-born tattoo artist Takashi Matsuba, who owns the studio that Bourdain and his crew have taken over for an episode of the Balvenie’s Raw Craft.

The web series, which premiered in 2015 and began its third season this year, profiles America’s most talented craftspeople, all chosen by the host. For this episode, Bourdain is getting a large tattoo on his shoulder of a chrysanthemum.

The tattoo is done in a style called tebori, a traditional stick-and-poke method. Matsuba makes his own ink and uses a tool called a nomi, which he crafts by hand.

Bourdain has a growing number of tattoos on his lean, jiujitsu-trained body, each of which tells a story. And Bourdain, whose life has veered from drug-addled chef to best-selling author and beloved host of CNN’s Parts Unknown, has a lot of incredible stories to share. Taking a break from his tattoo (which he insists wasn’t as painful as it looked), Bourdain sat down with Maxim to talk ink, Japan, and ghost stories.

In following your career, it’s clear Japan is a very special place for you. Is your interest in tebori an extension of that?