Omiyage Advice

Here is some advice I received from a friend before going to Japan to teach English. Perhaps this will be of use to you new JETs/ALTs/English Language Teachers.

"You should bring お土産 (omiyage). It's true that it might not be

expected of you, since you're a foreigner and are coming from a non-
omiyage culture. But it's a nice gesture and will always be
appreciated, and will help you get off on the right foot with your new
overlords. 

As Janice says, food is the main form of omiyage in Japan, usually
individually-wrapped snacks from wherever the person comes from/
visited on vacation. So, I'd look for a snack or candy that reflects
your local area (or at least has the name of your local area on the
tin/box). Nuts, snack mixes, pretzels, etc. Hard candy is also a great
idea. 

Don't bring chocolate. It will melt. 

For the kids, bring prizes. This is different than the omiyage you
bring to your office/schools. Stickers, stamps, loose change,
postcards, playing cards with pictures of your area on them, etc. Even
if you're teaching only high school. You'll be surprised how
competitive jaded high school kids will get just to snag that coveted
smiley ladybug sticker you brought. 

On that subject, a fun thing to do with the kids is passports. Make up
mock passports for each student and stamp your inkan on the visa pages
every time they win a game, answer a question, etc.
When a student gets a certain number of stamps, give them a big prize
like a book of stickers, an American flag, or purikura of you with
cartoon poop on your head."