Centuries later, this sense of hadaka no tsukiai (“naked friendship”), where everyone is nude and equal, is still true at Konparu-yu. Outside, the world’s largest metropolis might often feel frenetic and status-obsessed, but inside this Edo-era institution, watches and handbags disappear into lockers, job titles and salaries melt away in the steam and people from all walks of life sit nude in the same soothing water.
