[alcachino33]

Hello, I'm a 3rd year university student who's about to study abroad in Tokyo for the spring. I will be living with a host family and I really want to make sure the cultural exchange is reciprocal, as a way of showing my gratitude for showing me things, etc.

I want to make food for them that is considered staple in the states, and I was wondering what kinds of grocery items are harder to come by in Japan. I figured this could be a nice change of pace breakfast/dinner-wise as well as offsetting my homesickness for lowbrow Western food after a month or so.

I am already thinking about peanut butter (for pb&j) and velveeta cheese (to make macaroni). I don't want to take too much, though, so I need small packages, meaning no cereal boxes...

Anybody living in Japan who misses a particular food item?