GF going to Japan, Want to give nice gift

My GF is going to Japan in a few weeks, she'll be spending a year there teaching English. I want to give her a good going-away gift and want to tie it in with her trip somehow; I'm short on ideas however.
She won't be needing a rail-pass, and preferably something not too big as she'll have plenty to transport already.
I'm open to the possibility of purchasing something located in Japan, then having it shipped to her address.
Any recommendations?
Thanks.

Is she going through a company like the JET Programme?

If so, she'll be buying most stuff she needs in Japan. Bringing something with her just means less space in her luggage she needs. You could send something to her, but honestly unless it is comfort food she can probably get most things here.

Here are three suggestions for gifts:

1) Wait and see what she needs after she gets here, whether it is some English stickers, food from home, more deodorant, whatever. Send her a package of stuff she asks for, plus some stuff you know she'll like. She'll appreciate this gift from home 1-2 months after she's in Japan MUCH MUCH more than anything you give her before she goes.

2) Make her something, like a scrapbook, with general and specific pictures of anything from her family, friends, you two, your school, college, hometown, etc. When she gets homesick, this is going to mean a lot that she can look at this and remember good times. Also, if you include enough of basic things like you usually take for granted like, say, a picture of your local grocery store, it will help in her teaching as well.

3) Money. Everyone hates to give money because "it's so impersonal", but I think the Japanese have the right of it... give her money so she can buy her necessities once she gets to Japan, or she can get toiletries and stuff she needs before she goes.

Or a combo of all of the above. You could get her something like a stuffed animal, but unless she has room in her luggage or at her new apartment, it's just something that she'll either leave at home anyway, or will collect dust once she gets to Japan.

Of course, I don't know your gf, so you're the best judge of a gift. But I would have preferred any of the above over a lot of the junk I did get from family and friends when I first relocated to Japan. In fact my favorite gift remains the scrapbook my sister made me of pictures of all my family and friends!

Thanks for the ideas! Yes she's going through JET and is so far pretty excited by it.
You have started some thoughts to roll in my head so I will try and spin it into something.
Thanks! : )

M