There's an ancient saying that says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." In Japanese, this saying can be stated as "Senri no michi mo ippo kara." This "first step" or "single step" [ippo] of a long journey is a very common occurrence for people who travel between East Asia and the U.S. My own personal journey to and from Asia happens every year or two, and I have gone to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. In fact, I have visited over 60 cities in Japan over the course of many trips. One thing I always come away with is a great appreciation of the history and cultures of these ancient civilizations. This blog is about bridging cultures between East Asia and the U.S., and I plan to focus on history, society, culture, business, technology, food, and travel topics.

What does Sekenlife mean? Sekenlife has a few meanings. Seken is the Middle English form of the word "seek," so in this case, it could be interpreted as meaning to seek life. The word in Japanese combines the Chinese characters for "the world" and "the space between," and in combination has a general meaning of "the public," world, or society. It has a concept of your whole social network and relationships. Apparently, there are further nuances and layers that touch on the individual's place in society whereby following the rules will lead to living in peace. In this case, I am considering the more literal meaning of world and society and consider this an exploration of the life of the world and society.