What Do You Miss? The Expat Goods Exchange

The bath ball toy parade

The past week my husband's colleague from Japan came to the US on business. He and his family used to live nearby, and recently have moved home to Japan. His wife, Saiko, and I use our husbands' business trips as an opportunity to exchange goods. I shop at Target for her and she shops at the Japanese equivalent for me. We also make our husbands shop. 


We are doing our part to support both economies. And we've got a nice little foreign exchange going.

Some of the kid snacks.
Unfortunately most were devoured before I could take a picture!

Before her husband's visit, she sent me a brief message on Facebook: "What do you want from Japan?" 


I've noticed my list of needs have dropped dramatically from our initial move back a year and half ago. I can buy some stuff here. We're also learning to live without items we used to love like mochi (sticky rice cakes) and jelly drinks (soda with bits of jelly floating in them). 

A bath ball package.
Just like cereal: Happy Bear hidden inside
but you have to take a bath to get him!

I always ask for fizzy bath balls that have toy surprises inside. My kids adore them; they still love the Japanese bath culture. I wish I could find the bath balls in the US. They're a brilliant idea for kids' baths, especially if you've got a child with an abhorrence for water. 


The other item she always sends are fun kid snacks and osembe, rice crackers, for the adults.

Yummy rice crackers

Thanks Saiko and Taro for the goods exchange!


What items do you miss the most from your host country? Do you have a friend that will send you the "can't live without" foods or goods? Most importantly, have you seen bath balls with toys inside in the US? Please share!