It was a traditional Japanese house with tatami mats for flooring and a kotatsu table for eating dinner. In the corner behind Olivia in the photo below, you can see the Butsudan (family Buddhist altar).
The Butsudan contains an image of Buddha, surrounded by photographs and objects commemorating the deceased. It also serves as a repository for the souls of the dead where daily offerings of rice and tea can be made.
Some close-up shots of the golden Buddha and offerings to deceased grandfather (including apples and cigarettes):
Interestingly, in another room in the house was a Shinto Kamidana ("godshelf") - a whole different religious tradition from Buddhism (after centuries of mutual antagonism, they peacefully coexist now).
Japanese live in a world surrounded by Buddhist and Shinto culture and traditions, and see religion not so much as a personal faith but as a collection of rituals. Please pray for our Japanese friends, that they would not just see Christianity as another religion they can "add to their shelf", but as a radical life-saving relationship with their singular, loving, all-powerful Creator!
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