Research your tattoo thoroughly using tattoo parlor's and of course the internet which will provide you with a wealth of knowledge for your tattoo design, and also translation services for Japanese tattoo writing only after you have completed this can you search out your tattoo artist.
Now that you have selected your Japanese tattoo symbol you can begin to search for a tattoo artist worthy of creating your masterpiece. This can be difficult, please don't walk in to the first tattoo parlor you find, again research is paramount. Ask friends who already have tattoos! Ask them what the shop was like , was it clean, what was the artist like, visit them yourself, show them your tattoo design or Japanese tattoo writing get them to draw it for you so you can see what your tattoo will look like with their particular style. Keep looking until you find the one for you.