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I want to write a story on Earth as it is now, with the sole exception of one large island nation. I plan to introduce elements of mysticism into the story as well, but I would like to keep these subtle and explain the climate in non-magical ways if possible.

What I was wondering is if there was a location on Earth - or if I could design the island geographically or geologically in such a way - so that summers and winters are "shorter" in the sense that they are both not very intense, and for most of the year are indistinguishable from mild springs and autumns.

I plan to make this island's culture a blend of Korean/Japanese and Polynesian cultures, so a location somewhere between the two would be ideal.

Can it be done?

The ocean itself tends to moderate climate -- Vancouver, BC, gets much less severe winters than Toronto, despite being somewhat further from the equator. Further, the temperature of the water has a strong effect -- Sheffield (England) would have a climate like Yellowknife if not for the tail end of the Gulf Stream warming the winters.

So, that's what you need -- an island influenced by a warm current. Japan already enjoys some of this benefit; the northern islands are similar in latitude to the eastern end of Siberia, but (though they get snow and a genuine winter) lack the killing cold of north central Asia. Iceland is also similar in being warmed by the Gulf Stream -- without that, it would more resemble Greenland (only small, and punctured with volcanoes).

Generally, currents running from the equator toward the poles are warm, those running the other direction are cold. This is slightly complicated by some currents running at depth instead of on the surface, but find a chart of ocean currents and you'll have a map showing where to put your island.

Depending what kind of current you find at what latitude, you could get a climate similar to Bermuda (due east of North Carolina), Iceland, Ireland & Great Britain, Tasmania, New Zealand, or Madagascar.

Not only can it be done, but you're basically describing Vancouver Island. Vancouver Island has extremely mild winters and warm (but not hot) summers.

Most conveniently for the purposes of your story, you don't even have to add a new island to the Earth to make your story work. It's been often speculated (although not proven) that explorers from Korea and China might have reached the west coast of North America prior to the European colonization of the east. Certainly they were technologically capable of it, that they didn't was due to the fact that they didn't have any particular incentive to do so.

All you have to do is change history a little bit. Have Kublai Khan been a bit less successful in his campaigns resulting in a prolonged loss of China as both a trading partner and potential enemy during the eventual establishment of the Yuan Dynasty.

Without access to China's markets, Korea and Japan both would have had incentives to find resources and trade opportunities elsewhere, and it wouldn't have been difficult for an expedition to have found Vancouver Island and established a trading colony there. The climate is an even more pleasant version of what they had at home, with similar terrain, plants, and wildlife.

It's not hard to imagine a thriving colony growing up here made up of explorers, expatriates, and pirates from all over East Asia, more invested in their new home than any of their original motherlands, and more willing to band together to resist any attempts by said motherlands to throw their governmental weight around. You'd wind up with the Asian equivalent of the Wild West, but with more time for a sense of real political identity to arrive before the 19th century makes long distance travel so easy.

There's lots of ways you can play it politically from there, perhaps there's a land deal in the late 18th century with the nascent United States of America. Who knows?

The Canary Islands, the Insulae Fortunatae (Happy / Lucky Islands) of the ancients, are famous for their "eternal spring" climate -- average 24°C (75°F), winter 20°C (70°F), summer 26°C (80°F).

And they are real. Las Palmas (on Gran Canaria island) is a major tourist destination.