For the longest time I've just wanted to unplug from Western society, and I've always been extremely fond of East Asian food, culture, and of course the climate in most places there vs my frozen wasteland of a home.

So I would be aiming for a fairly minimalist lifestyle, not needing to worry in the slightest about making enough money to support a wife and kids. I'm also trying to break free of materialism so I wouldn't need to make so much money as to buy a bunch of electronics or other stuff like that. I have a university degree but no specialized skills, so I would likely be limited to teaching English or working in some low level service jobs, at least at the beginning.

My primary interests are Japan, South Korea, China, Mongolia, and Thailand. Does anyone who has experience in some or all of those places (or others) have any general recommendations on where to go, what to do to get started, that kind of thing? I feel like I'm stuck where I am now due to convenience, but it's a soul draining existence and I know I just need to unplug and escape, but I always find myself getting cold feet.