Proper Gift for Family Taking Care of Me?

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Kayci

Hm...I am looking where I can buy that in my town now. When I was younger there was a store famous for dried fruits and nuts and now...I do not know what happened to it..../sadface

I just make it with stuff from the supermarket; have a look on the labels and you might find something local, failing that opt for 'american'. Dried ready-to-eat figs, apricots, plums and dates are great in it, raisins add a deeper flavor to the honey. For nuts you can use anything, but walnuts and pecans go really well. I don't tend to use peanut, i find it's too strong a taste.

[Pattie]

We're in New Jersey and always travel with boxes of salt water taffy in case we need a gift.

[hinacamui]

Hey, I know that the OP has probably bought a gift and gave it already, but I'll leave a basic guide for giving gifts in Japan. Y'all can correct me if I'm wrong, this is just my opinion based on experiences while living in Japan.

I've found that practical things like soy sauce/spices etc. is popular. And the women are particularly pleased with that kind of thing. So maybe something like that, except with a foreign spin on it.
Soap works; but be careful with 'em and give something neutral and mild-scented. American, scented soaps/perfumes/etc. are really strong from a Japanese point of view.
Don't give objects/figurines. Japanese houses are usually small, and medium-sized/big "okimono" objects aren't the best gift unless you've seen the inside of the house already. Food is appreciated; good cheese is really expensive in Japan because everything is imported, nuts are expensive too (and good ones are rare). Ain't much good chocolates either. Maybe a Ghirardelli?
When buying presents overseas, keep in mind the packaging. If plastic and cardboard or paper are stuck together really securely, it might be really hard to throw away depending on how the city disposes of trash. Packaging that contains metal is a tad frowned upon, unless it's something reusable like an aluminum can.
Don't get anything too flashy or impressive, because they're going to feel obligated to give something of equal or better value.

[alexfrey]

Maybe, if you have already analyzed what people like (Soy sauce and so on) you should kind of create a big gift basket? With this gift basket you can show your own creativity and you can include a lot of things one can really need in every day cooking life - not just soy sauce but other great things like spices, herbs and red wine gifts.
Nothing is as special as a really great gift basket - because the family can therefore see that you really thought about every piece you put into that basket carefully.

[masaegu]

Originally Posted by hinacamui

soy sauce

Originally Posted by alexfrey

Soy sauce and so on

Is this a humor thread or is my brain simply not working at 3 a.m.?

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by masaegu

Is this a humor thread or is my brain simply not working at 3 a.m.?

That appears to be the response from a bot, as there's a link in there somewhere that has nothing to do with soy sauce.... You're alertness at 3am is still there....