Can’t buy in Japan?

My friend is moving to Japan to live. We want to give her some stuff so that she can remember us. What things should we buy her?

Things we already have on our list. Western Mayonaise instead of that Cupee / Aginomoto stuff.

Can anyone help me?

Kewpie mayonnaise is about as Western as it gets. Its taste is very close to original hand-made mayonnaise from France, the origin of mayonnaise.

You will need to tell us where you are, otherwise we have no idea what might be available where you are that is not available in Japan. No point in me telling you to give your friend Marmite (popular in New Zealand where I'm from but not available in Japan) if you don't have that where you are!

Everybody has their own taste. For me...If I could get QP at the same price as Best Foods, I'd have a jar in my fridge.

We are from Canada (North America). Marmite is a good item for her actually, anything else?

You can get most food items at a international food store. Try clothes (if larger sized) or DVD's in English are good too.

It also kind of depends on where your friend is going to live. In Tokyo, as has been pointed out, you can find almost anything. Some things are harder than others, though. If she's going to some out-of-the way rural area, you have more options.

Some things that I didn't see much in supermarkets are breakfast cereals - there's cornflakes for sure but not nearly the variety of cereals we have in the U.S. If your friend is used to cereals some little boxes might be nice.

If your friend cooks a lot then there may be ingredients she will have difficulty finding. In the international supermarkets there is practically everything but you never know. One thing I wanted & never found was canned chiles in adobo, I use those in several tex-mex recipes and I could never find them. I never found tahini either. So if she cooks something unusual you might see if there is a spice or ingredient (jarred or canned) that comes in a small size to add a taste of home.

Soap is another thing; there is a myriad of liquid body and face soaps but not many bars. Particularly glycerine soaps. Although there are Body Shops all over the major cities, still, they don't stock as many bar soaps as they do in the U.S.

I could find many clothing items to suit me, but never shopped for underwear, I like my American boring type, but that's a hard thing to buy for other people!

If she has larger feet buy her a spare pair of whatever her favorite shoes are.

All I can think of for now.

-different kinds of Poptarts? Peanutbutter and Jam?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a simple emulsion and it is likely to have originated in more than one location. In any case, people have their preferences and have the right to maintain those preferences. However, a jar of mayonnaise is not an easy thing to transport in a suitcase and is likely to be confiscated if placed in one's carry-on bag. Have a look at the Foreign Buyer's Club website and see what isn't available there before you make your purchases for your friend.