host family

I just opened my pile of mail to find the last packet from JFMF that included my flight information, name tag (see above) and host family information. I will be staying with a host family in Kamisu for one night during my time in Japan, and they included a picture of the family and a description as well. The family consists of the mother, father, grandmother and 3 teenagers (2 in high school and 1 in middle school). Hopefully the children will be able to speak English because my efforts at learning Japanese have not been fruitful. I'm now trying to figure out what gifts would be appropriate to bring to the family. Some participants are bringing candy, books, t-shirts and other memoriabilia from their home state. I teach in TN, so I'm going to Japan as a representative of TN; however I live in MS and that's where my heart lies as well. The MS Tourism Bureau also sent a package of guides, postcards and student packets to distribute while in Japan. Maybe I can find some Elvis t-shirts while I'm in Memphis today which would combine both TN and MS.