Recommended countries near Japan?

Do you guys have any recommendation into which country our family of 4 (with 2 kids) can visit after going to Japan? I would prefer something not as expensive :D Busan may be a nice place but I think South Korea is as expensive as Japan. Maximum of around 4 hours flight would do.

What do you want to see/do there?

Btw, 4 h flight gets you just to Taiwan from
Tokyo. So if 4 h is the limit there is only South Korea, China and Taiwan in reach. (Russia might not have direct flights due to the invasion of Ukraine). And North Korea doesn�ft strike me as a family holiday destination.

SOME IDEAS:

Okinawa - specifically Yaeyama islands (feels very different than mainland Japan!!!)
Taiwan
South Korea (Jeju can be nice, prices outside of Seoul are much cheaper)

China requires a visa so meh....

I really like my dealings with Taiwanese and Hong Kong Chinese people, so I hope I dont upset any here when say that I thought Taipei was awful (but good food) and Hong Kong not particularly interesting though we did love the food. And each were no cheaper than Japan, really. I would go back to South Korea and thought Seoul was cheap compared to Japan (at least accommodation and food, but clothes etc werent) but that was several years ago.

I would be looking around Thailand, but that is 6 hours plus and also putting you in a hotter area depending on the time of year.

I don't know the prices, but my recommendation is Taiwan (I've only been to Taipei and Wulai).
I think the reason I like it is that it resembles old Japan.
Also, I like soybean milk(Taiwanese is better than Japan) and night markets.
I also remember seeing a Vivian Westwood exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum earlier than I did in Japan.
I also went to Taipei House, produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien.
I went during the Harvest Moon, so there were many places on the street having barbecues and Starbucks coffee selling mooncakes.
However, when I went in September, it was so hot that I felt like my skin would get burnt just by sightseeing.
That's why I thought there was a night market.
I've never been there, but Jiufen, which is said to be the setting for ``Spirited Away'' (also the setting for Hou Hsiao-hsien's ``A City of Sadness''), and the lantern launch seem fun.
Taichung's Rainbow Village, Miyahara Eye Clinic, and other ice cream shops also look interesting.
If you are going to Hong Kong, I think it would be a good idea to combine it with Macau.
I went to Hong Kong at the end of November, so it wasn't hot.
We also saw Christmas decorations.
I especially liked Repulse Bay.
I liked Tin Hau Temple because it was colorful.
Also, I liked the Hong Kong movie (Wong Ka Wai), so I went to ride the escalator that was featured in the movie and went to places like Victoria Peak, which was the setting for ``Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.'' I also passed by Chungking Mansions.
The night view of Hong Kong seen from the ferry from Macau was also very beautiful (although the waves were rough).
Macau is remembered for its world heritage streetscape and Taipa Village (The Venetian Macau was under construction).
Although it was inconvenient to access, I stayed at a hotel called Pousada de Mong-Há and liked the hospitality and interior (azulejos).
It seems that the Macau Grand Prix was being held until the day I went (or the day before), and the seats for the circuit were still set up near the free terminal.
I like the food in Taiwan better than in Hong Kong or Macau.
I also had Din Tai Fung's Xiao Long Bao. There was a long line at the main store, so I went to the branch. They also have a branch in Japan, but I've never been there.
In Japan, Iriomote Island felt like a jungle and I enjoyed it.
Apparently you can see Taiwan if the weather is good, but I couldn't see it when I went.
August and September in Okinawa are as hot as in Taiwan. I once went parasailing during the day without sunscreen or wearing long sleeves and got a slight burn.
If you are going to play at the beach in the summer, try to avoid it during the day and be careful of getting sunburned.

If you think Japan is expensive. You doing something wrong. Korea is similar costings.

So many things can affect how expensive a place is-the season you travel being a major one.

I think Japan is more expensive than it used to be, but I didn't find Korea more expensive than Japan when we travelled to both earlier this year.

Seoul is a fascinating city, we had a lot of fun there and will go back for more. Public transport whisks you around very cheaply and conveniently, food is great. I'm not a shopper so can't comment on that.

We really enjoyed Taipei-there's a lot of interesting things to see and do, and I had the best mango dessert-maybe the best dessert I've ever had-at a little cafe on the mountain above the zoo. Amazing.

Both are easy to get around and enjoy.

Enjoy your holiday!