---
title: Finding Friendship in Warm Waters
date: 2025-07-23T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/finding-friendship-in-warm-waters"
section: Articles
---
# Finding Friendship in Warm Waters

*July 23, 2025* — by [Maggie Haslam](/author/maggie-haslam)


> In New Book on Japanese Bathing Culture, Alum Bares All

*Nude architecture 12 1920x1080 — Yuval Zohar's new book, "Towards a Nude Architecture," takes readers on an odyssey through the mineral-rich, warm waters of Japanese onsen, exploring how their history and architecture have built a culture of connection and friendship. The book's title was partially inspired by the concept of "hadaka no tsuki ai," which translates to "naked friendship," which Zohar describes as "the unspoken bond formed" when both social status and clothing are discarded.*

A conversation with a stranger—in the checkout line, riding a quiet elevator or waiting for class to start—can spark a human connection that brightens an otherwise ordinary day. Yuval Zohar ’08 has had plenty, with one distinction: He’s usually naked.

In these cases, he has disrobed and descended into the mineral-rich, blistering pools found in Japanese *onsen*: hot-spring bathhouses fueled by the country’s highly volcanic landscape that for centuries have been a source of community, healing and friendship.


*“Towards a Nude Architecture” book cover*


*indoor Japanese onsen — The roughly 28,000 mineral-rich hot spring sources across Japan's landscape supply water to around 2,900 onsen, which for centuries have been used to relieve ailments such as depression, insomnia, constipation, eczema, arthritis, anemia and more.*



**Sidebar note:**

テラピンズ、がんばれー! (Go Terps!) If you’re in New York this week, join Yuval Zohar for the U.S. book launch of “Towards a Nude Architecture” on Thursday, July 24 at the [Vitra Showroom](https://register.vitra.com/event?f=NA2025074TowardsaNudeArchitecturebook) or his book talk and signing, Friday, July 25 [at the Japan Society.](https://japansociety.org/events/towards-a-nude-architecture-a-visual-compendium-of-japanese-hot-springs/)





**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni), [Architecture](https://today.umd.edu/topic/architecture), [Books](https://today.umd.edu/topic/books)


**Units:** [School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-architecture-planning-and-preservation)