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Oct 1, 2017

Some of my favorite gifts for friends and fam back home!

When you live overseas one thing is for sure - people from back home will probably send you stuff to help make life easier. Whether it's your favorite snack food or a magazine you love, it's great to have those tastes of home that keep you sane. But what about goodies to send back to your loved ones, whether it's as part of a care package or maybe a special occasion? Here are some of my favorites that are hits with my nearest and dearest!


Novelty Socks


Something about socks (especially novelty socks) just seems to make everyone's day. Don Quixote stores are great for this - 1 pair for 398 yen or 3 pairs for 998 yen. Granted, you might be out of luck if your friends or fam have bigger feet, but if you've got more petite-footed pals then I bet they'll get a laugh out of some of these.


Some of my favorite gifts for friends and fam back home! photo


Chocolate and Candy

Not even the fancy stuff - my loved ones are all about the fun convenience store finds! Seasonal pocky or kit kats, or unusual flavored stuff that seems more like a dare than a tastebud delight? They're all for it!


Some of my favorite gifts for friends and fam back home! photo


Sheet face masks

Again, I think a big part of this is the chuckle factor. Some of the designs will definitely get your friends giggling as they beautify, but hey - they say you use less muscles to smile than you do to frown, so that's got to be a good thing, right?


Some of my favorite gifts for friends and fam back home! photo


Kawaii stuff for the kids

One of the big hits for friends with little ones back home, or for nieces and nephews, are these cute money boxes. They have other kinds too, but these Pikachu ones were loved by some of my friends kiddos!


Some of my favorite gifts for friends and fam back home! photo


For the grown ups/special occasions - Nozomi Project pieces

I love the whole concept behind the Nozomi Project (which is probably why I love their stuff so much). They have a great range of jewelry and accessories (even things for the fellas, like cufflinks). They're made using broken pieces of pottery and other upcycled pieces that were left in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Each piece is unique and has a story to tell, and their company motto is "beauty in brokenness", which I think is very special (and relatable!) too.


Some of my favorite gifts for friends and fam back home! photo


Do you have any ideas for gifts for loved ones back home that have been big hits?! I'd love to hear them, especially with Christmas coming up!


1 Comment

  • edthethe

    on Oct 2

    i sent everyone chopsticks my first year here! they all loved it. stationary is always fun though. i like the face mask idea!