Oyster Monger Weighing Shellfish at Dawn

Pale winter light spills across a wet market floor beneath a heavy canopy in Sapporo. A vendor stands surrounded by mounds of crushed ice, their white surfaces glistening with condensation. A pile of grey oysters rests on a metal scale pan, their rough shells against the smooth, damp steel. The vendor wears a dark waterproof apron, their hands moving over the weights. Long shadows stretch across the slick ground where water pools between the ice drifts. Above, the fabric of the awning catches the first orange rays of sunrise, illuminating the steam rising faintly from the cold seafood. A reflection of the sky glimmers in a puddle near the vendor's boots.