How does Junichiro Tanizaki use imagery in Some Prefer Nettles?

Tanizaki uses imagery to capture the beauty of the village..... a beauty enhanced by age.

"Those walls were a little like the sash around O-hisa's waist: their first luster had disappeared in long years under the fresh sea winds and rains, and bright though they were, their brightness was tempered by a certain reserve, a soft austerity"