LogFAQs > #971974158

Not every isekai involves dying to get there.
That's a far more modern (like 2010 or so onwards) thing. And even then, not always, like Rising of the Shield Hero.

A lot of the earlier isekai stories just involved going through a portal or something, and since the main character never died, getting back home is still hoped for or expected.
Examples: Urashima Taro, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Fushigi Yuugi, El Hazard: The Magnificent World, Spirited Away, etc...