Part of a japanese room?

Question:

i would like to ask what in this part of the rom in this picture http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2211/2467786164_2907126bc3.jpg the part in the back with the picture and the vase... i saw this "thing" (part of room) in more pictures of Japanese homes, i even saw a scroll or paper with kanji instead of the picture. Can you please tell me what is it for and what do they do their or anything that will help me understand

Answer:

It's called the tokonoma. Usually just for displaying art for appreciation.