Watch Anthony Bourdain Experience Traditional Japanese Tattooing In This Exclusive Video

Here’s the first look at Bourdain going under the needle for his “Raw Craft” series.

Apart from hosting the wildly popular Parts Unknown on CNN, Anthony Bourdain returns for the third season of Raw Craft, a web series from Scotch brand The Balvenie that explores the trades of “America’s most talented craftspeople.”

Maxim brings you the exclusive first look at the premiere episode, dedicated to the work of Takashi Matsuba, a famed Japanese tattoo artist who brings the traditional method of “tebori” from Japan to Brooklyn. 

(You may recall that Bourdain recently told Maxim that Tokyo was one the one city he could live in forever–a high compliment from the perpetually globe-trotting gourmand.)

In his latest video for the Scotch brand, watch the already-inked Bourdain get the most detailed yet painless tattoo of his life. Takashi mixes his ink beforehand, using imported ingredients from Japan, and then applies it under the skin through the tip of a “nomi,” or custom-made needle. 

“In today’s society, we’re often all-consumed with the immediate and the now,” Bourdain says of the series. 

“Meeting craftspeople who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft, taking the time to truly make something unique and memorable, has been remarkable and something I’m privileged to share with viewers worldwide.”

The entire first episode of Raw Craft is available online beginning September 21. 

Or see more of Takashi Matsuba’s amazing ink work from his eye-popping Instagram, below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/94ZpSltOIlhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BCLuKlCNODQhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BICCcC1AvVEhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BPTL5Figcvqhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BR0uBg7lTBjhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BTP_rhsFKE6https://www.instagram.com/p/BY1s5uYFxvXhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BX9PwZplPeehttps://www.instagram.com/p/BGQn270tOK-https://www.instagram.com/p/BIbNREDg7Mb