Gift from my country...

Hello!
I'm gonna go to Japan in a host family in September. I thought that it would be good to bring a gift with me to thank the host parents, but I have no ideas on what to bring.
I'm from Switzerland, so I don't even know if the family will know what my country is or what specialties there are here...
Can someone please help me?

Japanese people know Switzerland relatively well, especially the older generations. The country enjoys an extremely positive image.

An obvious choice for a souvenir is chocolate, but avoid the brands that are widely available internationally, especially Lindor, which can also be found all over Japan. Instead of mass produced, plastic wrapped chocolate, I recommend a sophisticated chocolate product from a specialist. But be careful that it does not get damaged on the trip. Avoid chocolate during summer when there is a high risk that it melts before you reach the destination.

Besides chocolate, I think that any local specialty or a nice present with a thought or small story behind it would be fine.

You could look for ideas here: http://www.switzerlandshop.com/

or google with 'typical swiss souvenirs', it will give you loads of hits.

You can't go wrong with food gifts. Most people are aware of Swiss chocolates and cheese. Cheese can be very expensive here, and a variety of European cheeses could be popular (something mild is safe).

With my experience, people seem to enjoy solid kind of chocolates or with nuts or truffles. Just don't pick the ones with sweet creamy thing inside. A lot of Japanese people think they are too sweet.
If it's for your host parents, it may be better with mainly dark chocolates.

When we had a homestay student, he brought his photo album with him. We enjoyed it so much!! We liked the pictures of his town, house and his family. Photos like Christmas gathering, anything that shows cultural difference would be fun to look at.

It is very nice of you to think about gift, but your good attitude like that will be appreciated more than anything! I hope you will enjoy your stay in Japan!!