There is much to be said for Japan's provincial towns. As they rarely host more than a trickle of visitors, the spoils from tourism are never quite enough to disfigure them or completely vulgarize their heritage.

Stepping stones (far left) are creatively arranged at Raikyuji Temple in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture.

The city of Takahashi in Okayama Prefecture, known until the Meiji Era as Bicchu-Matsuyama, is one such place that has benefited from obscurity.