I really appreciated how the little details of a place are so distinctive in Japan, be it the special local food, the local craft or just some strange old templ

I really appreciated how the little details of a place are so distinctive in Japan, be it the special local food, the local craft or just some strange old temple or shrine. I remember going into a temple in gifu somewhere that seemed to randomly have this giant wooden Buddha in the back. Back in my home country it is a creeping sense of every town becoming the same place, with the same chain stores on every corner.