Whenever a new homestay student arrives, it is customary for them to bring the host family gifts from their home country. Most Japanese exchange students will bring hashi (chopsticks) or a Japanese fan.
Now at the end of their stay with you, what should the host family give to the student as a going away present? Here’s what we found to be most popular…and remember, a good gift to people you don’t know well is one that can be easily re-gifted.
Regional specialty foods – we live in Hawaii. This makes Hawaiian coffee and mac nuts the most popular (very easy to re-gift). But everyplace has their own specialties. Japan is very similar (in the popularity of regional foods) and it is customary to exchange food gifts when visiting from out of town. Fruit in particular is crazy expensive in Japan, so that’s a highly prized gift (that didn’t cost you much). Check if you can bring fruit on the plane with you. From Hawaii, they won’t let you without prior inspection, but I’m not sure about other departure cities.
Beef Jerky – many of our exchange students buy this to take home so they must like it. A very easy thing to re-gift and it’s easy to pack.
American Baseball stuff – mostly the Mariners and Yankees – works better if you know the people.
T-shirts – can’t go wrong here, but again it helps if you know your host family first.
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