A few days ago, my family and my friend's family went on a small trip to the rural, mountainous area where we would go to the onsens. An onsen is a public bath house, and they are very common in Japan. It's funny, because Japanese people are usually very conservative and proper people, yet they have no problem stripping in front of complete strangers to get into a huge bath. It's one big nakey party (just kidding its two parties because the men and women are separate).
But anyway, on the way there our altitude was so high that we could literally see the clouds going through the mountains, and huge puffs looming over tiny farm towns. This is when I thought, This must be the place where heaven touches the earth. Not that I believe in heaven, but if there were to be such a divine place, it would rest right over this place. A life in the mountains seems so pure and simple, because it is so removed from any industrial area or organized population. I felt that the people who lived under these clouds must be blessed, for they were neighbors with nature and so they were always conscious of their humanity. Personally, I thrive in a busy city, but at the same time I feel that I am my best person when I stay in a rural area where you cannot take anything for granted.
That is a place where the sky touches the earth.
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