It is interesting to read threads like this when you come from a place that is farther East than the "Far East".
I know Americans are famous for holidaying in Mexico. Beaches, cheap costs etc.
The Poms seem to do the same with Spain (Mallorca)
For Australians the equivalent is to go to the largest Muslim country in the world. Indonesia.
With Malaysia, Thailand, Phillipines, Laos and Vietnam just north of Indonesia and all cheap by our standards we tend to travel a lot to these countries for our holidays.
Also a lot of the South East Asian people live in Australia.
We have never really had the manufacturing base that the UK once had or that the US is trying hold on to.
Japan for more than 20 years has been our largest trading partner followed by the soon to be 1st China.
When you grow up in a country with this as normal, your perspective is quite different to those of someone in the US or the UK.
I struggle sometimes with what the attachment to certain brands and country of manufacture is all about.
Levi's used to be manufactured about 2 Kms from the Holden car plant in Elizabeth. Now they come from the Phillipines or Fiji. I knew a few people who worked in the Levi factory and while they were nice people they had the attitude that they were never paid enough and this showed in their work. Kinda like 80's Fenders I would suggest. Gimmee the Japanese one thanks