Steam Train on Salt Flats in Winter Dawn

Cold moonlight washes over a vast expanse of frozen salt flats near Sapporo, turning the ground into a shimmering white plain. A steam train moves along a switchback track, its dark metal body contrasting sharply with the pale landscape. Gentle snow falls in slow, vertical streaks, catching the faint blue light. Steam rises in thick, white plumes from the engine, swirling and dissipating into the still air before dawn. The tracks cut a dark line across the salt, leading the eye along the curve of the approach. Frost rests on the rails, and the train's wheels rest firmly on the frozen surface. One headlamp cuts a beam through the mist, illuminating falling snowflakes in the immediate foreground.