I did not think of them as exotic. I think of it as Korea and Japan, while quite different, have a definite Asian culture vibe. While I have never been to China, I find the history of China to be fascinating. The culture, philosophy and innovative thinking is as sophisticated as Western culture (I would not want to judge which is more sophisticated only trying to say that Asian culture has a different vibe and I do not understand it all but a lot is going on there. There is much to learn from it.) In Okinawa, they traded with China and their cultural ties went back farther with China than with Japan even though Okinawa is now Japan (a prefecture of--sort of like a state).

Thailand had a bit of Asian vibe but also had a vibe that wasn't like Japan and Korea. It had a bit more of an anything goes feel to it. Did not spend enough time there and have not done enough reading to quite describe it. The people were very friendly and easygoing. The one thing I disliked about it was that I saw instances of VERY young women (I am talking about women who looked younger than 16) participating in prostitution. I did not see it much, but when I did, it turned my stomache.

Singapore had a bit of an Asian vibe but also seemed extremely orderly. I traveled to Germany in the 80s and Singapore's streets where even cleaner than Germany's. We were warned that the country had extreme consequences for littering and graffetti. Obey every rule as if your life depended on it.

The Phillipines reminded me a bit of Mexico. Very poor, lots of government corruption. Friendly people and great food. Most of the citizens are Catholic. In Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, and Singapore, other religious practices and philosophies are part of their cultures.