Onsen Steam Trails
A journey through Japan’s Kyushu island—onsen towns and the surreal landscapes of Beppu.
We flew from Taipei to Fukuoka in early December. Rented a car. No plan. Our friend Kumiko as our local guide. Kyushu in winter moves slow—open skies, roadside shrines, warm meals at cold tables.
We followed the steam. It was everywhere. Curling from manholes, drifting across streets, rising like breath from the hills. Beppu felt less like a city and more like a living thing—humid, quiet, surreal.
I shot everything on film. Nikon F3 and Ricoh FF-9. Ilford HP5 and Kodak Gold 200. Some frames feel like they caught something between real and imagined.
This is a record of two days of steam, silence, and small discoveries.
