Joss sticks are an integral part of many cultures, form the Middle East to Asia, Africa to Southeast Asia.
According to an entry at Wikipedia, joss or incense sticks are also used in ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, masking bad odours, and in medicine. The photo here was taken with a smc Pentax D FA 100mm f2.8 Macro WR lens on a K-7.
