/ 2025 / Press / Feature Story

Steam and Spirit

  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Photographer
    Hiroki Anzai, Japan

Every winter in Noboribetsu, a hot spring town in Hokkaido Japan, men gather nearly bare-skinned to take part in the Yu Matsuri—a ritual of gratitude and endurance. Amid clouds of steam and the sting of cold air, they splash hot spring water on each other to thank the earth’s geothermal gifts and pray for health in the coming year. This image captures a fleeting, visceral moment of a centuries-old tradition—where fire and frost, body and spirit, chaos and community meet.

Px3 logo
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.