A Strong Market Presence in Japan

Belgian food and drink products enjoy a solid reputation in Japan, where the “Belgian” label is associated with quality, craftsmanship, and trust. Belgian beer, fries, and frozen vegetables are widely recognized, while chocolates and biscuits are especially popular during Japan’s traditional gift-giving seasons—ochugen in summer and oseibo at year-end.

“This is a strategic opportunity,” says Bart Buysse, CEO of Fevia. “Belgian products are well-established in Japan, and we must build on that momentum to strengthen our position in this mature market. Following the success of the 2022 Belgian economic mission to Japan, this week offers another chance to deepen our trade ties.”

Revitalizing a Key Export Market

Exports drive the Belgian food industry, accounting for half of its revenue. Although Japan was once Belgium’s second-largest non-European export market, it now ranks fift, behind the U.S., Saudi Arabia, China, and Australia. Despite this, the Japanese market remains rich in potential. A delegation of Belgian food companies will attend the Expo to foster closer trade relationships.

A Taste of Innovation and Tradition

During the six-month Expo, Belgium will spotlight its strengths under the overarching theme “Human Regeneration.” A key highlight is the Belgian Food & Drinks Week, where visitors will experience Belgium’s innovation in plant-based cuisine, alcohol-free beverages, and chocolate traceability.

Events such as the “We’re Smart World Future Awards” will further showcase Belgium’s dedication to responsible food production and consumption. Meanwhile, tastings and seminars will celebrate beloved Belgian staples like chocolate and biscuits—products that resonate strongly with Japanese consumers and gift-giving culture.

The Belgian pavilion’s boutique, already a visitor favorite, offers a curated selection of premium confectionery and bakery items. Its success reflects Japan’s appetite for high-quality imported goods and reinforces Belgium’s image as a premium, trustworthy food brand.

Featured Partners

Participating Fevia members and pavilion partners include: AB InBev, Astra Sweets, Avieta, Belgian Chocolate Group, Brasserie De Halve Maan, Brasserie Huyghe, Centho Chocolates, Chant d’Éole, Chimay, Duvel, Godiva, Jules Destrooper, Leonidas, Lotus, Lutosa, Neuhaus, Rombouts, Val Dieu, Vermeiren, and Vondelmolen.

About Expo 2025 Osaka

Expo 2025 runs from 13 April to 13 October in Osaka under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” Belgium’s pavilion, managed by BelExpo (the General Commission for International Exhibitions), focuses on the theme “Human Regeneration.” For more information, visit BelExpo’s official website.

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The royal speech addressed the major challenges of our time: armed conflict, geopolitical upheaval, climate change and social inequality. In response to questions from the young people, King Philippe urged adults, governments and authorities not to remain indifferent in the face of violations of human rights and international law. He said: « To hope is not to wait passively for a better future. It means making a commitment to build, to move forward together towards a fairer, more respectful world, where every child is welcomed as the most precious of promises. »

Stressing that the ideal of a world without war and suffering remains a noble aspiration despite its utopian nature, the King recalled that collective effort and determination are essential to progress towards this goal. He also paid tribute to the many actors in civil society who, through their work in areas such as health, education, justice and social cohesion, embody this hope and show the way. Their contribution, according to His Majesty, is a source of inspiration for building a future based on unity and solidarity, values that are Belgium’s strength. Finally, the King expressed his optimism for the year ahead, calling for cooperation and responsibility from all Belgian governments to strengthen the confidence of citizens in the future.

In a spirit of renewal and hope, the speech concluded with these warm words: « May this Christmas and New Year period be for each of us a source of inspiration, renewal and hope. » His Majesty King Philippe, the Queen and their entire family sent their Christmas and New Year greetings, once again embodying their role as benevolent and unifying guides for the nation. This message, which is both personal and universal, invites every citizen to participate in building a fairer and more united world, a world of hope for future generations.

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And this year’s Miss Belgium is… (drum roll, please)… Kedist Deltour, a 23-year-old hairdresser from Nazareth, East Flanders.

Ms. Deltour was crowned last night at the Proximus Theatre in Adinkerke. The ceremony was held without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Out of a total of 33 candidates, 15 were chosen for the finals. Thanaree Scheerlinck won first runner-up, followed by Louise-Marie Losfeld, Elodie Gualano, and Camilia Martinez. 

The new Miss Belgium was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. When she was eight years old, she lost her mother to cancer. Her father left her in an orphanage the following year. Belgian couple Peter and Nadège Deltour adopted her when she was ten years old. 

Ms. Deltour succeeds Céline Van Ouytsel as Miss Belgium.

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Once upon a time in the early 19th century, a farmer from Schaerbeek named Jan Lammers left  some chicory roots to dry in his cellar and then went off to fight in the Belgian War of Independence. He thought it would be great to have a ready supply of dried leaves to roast into coffee when he got back from the war.

When he finally came home months later, Lammers was astonished to find that white leaves had sprouted and multiplied all over his cellar. Curious about this unfamiliar variety, Lammers picked up one of the leaves and took a bite. Mmmm, it was crunchy and quite savoury. Et voilà, a new vegetable was born. It came to be called chicorée Witloof, which we now know as the Belgian endive, also known as the Brussels chicory, or quite simply, the chicon.

According to another version, the chicon was first discovered and cultivated by Frank Bresiers, chief gardener at the Brussels Botanical Garden. Either way, the point is – it was made and discovered in Belgium, and soon spread to other parts of Europe.

Today, after almost two centuries since its discovery, the cultivation of chicon takes its place in the prestigious Brussels inventory of intangible cultural heritage. The special honor was bestowed on the Belgian endive through the initiative of Brussels Urbanism and Heritage or Urban.brussels. 

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Lockdown measures will get even tighter in Belgium as the government takes necessary action to curb the rising number of Sars-CoV-2 infections and hospitalisations in the country. 

The announcement came from Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, following a meeting this morning with the consultative committee handling the health crisis in the country. 

Based on the recent decision, new measures will take effect starting 10pm this Friday, the 26th of March:

1. All schools will be closed from next Monday, from preschool to secondary level. If the situation improves, the government hopes to reopen schools by April 19.
2. Youth camps and other extracurricular activities are still allowed but only during Easter holidays. Participation will be limited to small groups of up to 10 young people. Overnight activities are not allowed.
3. Non-essential stores will remain open, but customers will have to make an appointment before going there. 
4. Contact professions, such as beauty parlors, nail salons, massage centres, will have to close again. 
5. Social bubbles will have to be reduced from ten to four people. 
6. Non-essential travel is still prohibited. Border controls will be tightened for the Easter holidays. 
7. Curfew remains the same. (10pm to 6am for Brussels and Flanders, 12 midnight to 5am in Wallonia.) 
8. Working from home remains compulsory. Monitoring will be intensified, and penalties will be more severe. 

Latest coronavirus situation in Belgium

According to the Sciensano Public Health Institute, hospital confinements reached an average of 215.3 per day from March 17 to 23, indicating an increase of 28 percent from the last situation report. More than 600 of the 2,402 people currently confined are in the intensive care unit.

From March 14 to 20, Sciensano also recorded an average of 4,158 new coronavirus infections per day or 40 percent more than the previous report. Within the same period, an average of 25.3 people died per day, which is 3.5% higher than before.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Belgium has counted 842,775 infections and 22,763 deaths. On average, 58,300 tests are carried out every day, yielding a positivity rate of 7.6%. At present, the virus reproduces at a rate of 1.17. A reproduction rate greater than one indicates that contagion has a tendency to accelerate. 

Vaccinations

As of today, more than one million people in Belgium have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. They account for less than 10 percent of the country’s 11.5 million inhabitants. About four percent of the population is now fully vaccinated. 

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Today gives us occasion to bring back some childhood memories and remember the puppets we used to watch on the telly. The 21st of March is World Puppetry Day, an annual celebration launched in 2003 by the International Puppetry Association (UNIMA).

Puppetry has been around for about four thousand years in almost every civilisation. It is believed that puppets and marionettes were the first theatre performers in history. Interestingly, the very first character to appear on TV was not a human being but a dummy known as Stooky Bill. 

In 1925, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird used Stooky Bill to transmit the first television image. It was impossible to conduct his experiments on humans because the lights on the imaging system were too hot. More puppets emerged on the small screen in the 1930s as TV technology became more sophisticated. 

In Belgium, TV programs starring puppets and marionettes began airing in the early 1960s. Let’s get to know some of the darling TV dollies that brought joy to many generations of Belgians.

Bla-Bla

Bla-Bla is a childlike character who lives inside a computer called Blamatic. His virtual home is located in a public street where he regularly encounters other characters on the show. People come to him whenever they need help or information on matters ranging from silly to serious.

The alien-looking puppet was created by Belgian screenwriter Bernard Halut. He was the star of Ici Bla-Bla, which aired on RTBF from 1994 to 2010. But seven years after Bla-Bla’s retirement, something strange happened. 

In November 2017, news spread about the mysterious disappearance of Bla-Bla and two other puppets. The property custodian at RTBF reported that the three had suddenly vanished from the storage area.

One month later, Bla-Bla was found lying in a baby stroller inside a storeroom for accessories. He was apparently relocated by mistake while the RTBF building was undergoing some renovation. 

Samson

Samson is an Old English Sheepdog who can talk but often mispronounces words and forgets names. He lives with his master and best friend, Gert. They live in a big house on 101 Main Street, where life is rarely uneventful.

The canine puppet was designed by Gert Verhulst, who also plays Gert on the show. Samson en Gert premiered in 1990 and still airs on Ketnet, a Dutch-language children’s TV channel owned by VRT. 

Malvira

Beware. She’s ill-tempered, she’s insufferable, and she spits when she’s furious. But her feisty character is exactly what makes Malvira unforgettable.

Malvira started out as a stage puppet at the Magic Land Theatre in the 1970s. She made her TV debut as one of the co-hosts of comedian and cartoonist Philippe Geluck on Lollipop. The show ran from 1980 until 1985 on RTBF. The grumpy old puppet continued her career as a talkshow host on Les allumés.be and Ma télé bien aimée. 

The idea for Malvira came from Franco-Belgian director and comedian Patrick Chaboud. In October 2003, Chaboud’s car was stolen along with the puppet, which was stored in the trunk. 

The incident became a major headline in Belgium. Several public figures appealed to the car thieves to surrender Malvira. Nobody seemed to care about Chaboud’s car. They only wanted Malvira back. A few weeks later, the puppet was returned intact in a suitcase.

Bébé Antoine

Back in the days when TV shows were still in black and white and RTBF was still called RTB, Bébé Antoine became an evening favorite in many Belgian households. This baby is actually one of the oldest television puppets in Belgium. He was on TV from 1965 to 1971. 

In each episode, the characters told bedtime stories and sang lullabies. The show ended with Bébé Antoine wishing the viewers a good night. Actors André Lange, Ralph Darbo, and Georgette Mariot developed and operated the puppet.

Bonhommet et Tilapin

Bonhommet was a wise boy with a mischievous rabbit named Tilapin. Just like Bébé Antoine, Bonhommet et Tilapin was a bedtime program. Every episode ended with the two friends getting ready for bed and inviting children to do the same. 

The late screenwriter Renée Fuks and puppeteer José Géal were the makers of Bonhommet et Tilapin. The children’s show was an evening regular on RTB from 1966 to 1971. 

Bumba

He’s not exactly a puppet but close enough. Bumba is a mascot who moves and behaves like a toddler. He loves to skip and jump and dance together with his co-stars.

Created by TV producer Jan Maillard, Bumba has been performing since 2004 on VRT’s Ketnet channel.

Tatayet

He may seem like a snob, but Tatayet is just bashful and reserved. A cross between a dog and a bear, Tatayet was designed and operated by ventriloquist Michel Dejeneffe.

The duo starred on Le Tatayet Show, which was broadcast on RTBF from 1986 to 1992. In 2017, Dejeneffe and Tatayet retired from show business.

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If Jean-Michel Folon were still alive, he would have been gratified to see his sculptures nestled among the remains of Villers Abbey in the Walloon town of Villers-la-Ville. 

The Belgian sculptor always had a fascination for the subtle yet powerful relationship between sculpture and architecture, two diverse disciplines that share a three-dimensional form in common.

Folon’s sculptures were designed to live outdoors. Exposing his works to the beauty of architectural sites and watching how they converse with their environment was a tradition Folon kept throughout his life.

The perfect setting for a poetic journey

The Villers Abbey provides the ideal setting for the poetic journey that unfolds as you encounter the creations of Folon. With eight centuries and 36 hectares of illustrious history, the former Cistercian monastery invites curiosity and contemplation, much like Folon’s art. 

Against an elaborate and mesmerising background, the sculptures of Folon come off as endearing for their humble and modest appearance. Instead of getting drowned out, they seem to speak even louder.

Folon often reduced his subject to its simplest form. He limited the use of symbols to what was essential and universal. It had to be that way because Folon’s sculptures weren’t intended to dominate or intimidate. They were meant to harmonise with their surroundings and spark a connection with the spectator.

The main character in Folon’s work is a man wearing a plain suit and bearing minimal features. Simple yet mysterious, sometimes playful but always thought-provoking. He represents somebody, nobody, and everybody at the same time. And although he is a work of art, this figure is really just another visitor contemplating the world around him. Like you. 

The exhibit at Villers Abbey features 22 of more than 400 wood and bronze sculptures by Folon. One section of the abbey takes you down the Allée des Pensées or Alley of Thoughts, a sculptural ensemble of eight works depicting Folon’s main character. Each statue has a different object for a head, provoking a dialogue with the viewer.

Who are they and what’s their story? Are they one and the same character captured in different moments of reflection? Or different individuals with their own interpretation of one and the same subject? That’s between you and Mr. Folon.

Jean-Michel Folon began devoting himself to sculpture in 1993 following a long and established career as a watercolor painter, illustrator, and printmaker. His sculptures have travelled all over Belgium and to other parts of the world, from Europe to America and all the way to Asia. 

In 2003, Folon was named ambassador to UNICEF and accorded the Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit. He established the Folon Foundation located in the farm of Château de la Hulpe in Solvay Park. 

The Folon Expo at Villers Abbey marks the 20th anniversary of the Folon Foundation. The event opened last October and ends on March 21. If you miss it, you can always visit the works of Folon at Château de La Hulpe. From March 27 to November 7, the Folon Foundation will hold an exhibit featuring the posters designed by the versatile Belgian artist.

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According to the Guinness World Records, Belgium has more than 100 record-making achievements tucked under its belt. Unassuming as they are, Belgians are quite capable of undertaking the unprecedented and succeeding at it.

Here’s a showcase of Belgium’s record-breaking abilities from the 16th century to the present.

1.   First to publish a world atlas – Antwerp,1570

Although the earliest world maps date back to 600 BCE, the Theatrum orbis terrarum or Theatre of the Orb of the World is considered the first true modern atlas.

It was Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius who came up with the idea of collecting the best maps of the known world during his time and printing all of them into one book.

The first edition of the Theatrum contained 70 maps with supporting text. Less than a century after its release, more than 30 editions of the atlas were published in seven languages.

2.   First to suggest the theory of continental drift – Antwerp, 1596

Abraham Ortelius didn’t just invent the atlas. He was also the first person to float the idea that continents moved across the earth’s crust over time.

“The coastlines of the continents are so similar that they seem to have been torn apart at some point in time,” wrote Ortelius in the Theatrum orbis terrarum.

Continental drift is widely associated with German geophysicist Alfred Wegener, who developed the theory in 1912. But now we know where it all started.

3.   First to produce fully synthetic plastic – U.S.A., 1907

The age of modern plastics began when Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first synthetic and heat-resistant plastic. The Belgian chemist stumbled upon the discovery while experimenting with phenol and formaldehyde in his laboratory in Yonkers, New York.

Baekeland is also the genius behind the first commercially successful photographic paper called Velox.

4.   The largest hoard of medieval coins – Brussels, 1908

In July 1908, a group of workmen unearthed some 150,000 penny-sized silver coins while tearing down an old tavern in the Brussels city center.

Known as the Brussels hoard of 1908, the event marked the largest discovery of Flemish and English coins from the Middle Ages.

The hoard consisted of nearly 70,000 local Flemish pennies and more than 80,000 English sterlings from the 13th century.

5.   First to raise the Olympic flag – Antwerp, 1920

The Olympic flag made its first appearance during the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. Belgian athlete Victor Boin also recited the very first Olympic oath during the historic event.

The International Olympic Committee chose Antwerp as the host of the 1920 games to pay tribute to the Belgian lives lost to the war that ravaged Europe from 1914 to 1919.

6.   Oldest Tour de France champion – France, 1922

Belgian cyclist Firmin Lambot owns the world record for being the oldest winner of Tour de France. It’s not like he was 100 years old.

Lambot was only 36 when he won the annual bicycle race, but the average age of tour winners is about 28 years.

7.   First solo female artist to top the U.S. albums chart – U.S.A., 1963

The very first female singer to claim the no. 1 album in the US charts was not an American, but a Belgian. And get this, she was a nun.

Jeanne-Paule Deckers, also known as Sister Luc Gabrielle, Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile), and The Singing Nun, became a sensation in 1963 when she released the French song “Dominique”, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks.

The 1966 film The Singing Nun was based on the real-life sister act of the amazing Belgian nun.

8.   Most consecutive Grand Tour wins, 1968-1974

In the history of competitive cycling, one name stands out for achieving the highest number of Grand Tour victories.

Eddy Merckx of Belgium bagged a total of 11 cycling trophies from 1968 to 1974. He won five Tours of France, five Tours of Italy, and one Tour of Spain.

9.   First person to swim across False Bay – South Africa, 1989

The False Bay Swim is a 34-kilometer open water swim considered one of the most challenging swimming marathons in the world.

To date, only five people have successfully swum solo across the bay. And the very first person to do that was Annemie Landmeters.

Landmeters completed a one-way crossing in 9 hours and 56 minutes, earning her an additional world record for being the fastest woman to swim across False Bay.

10.  Heaviest weight lifted with teeth – Paris, 1990

Belgian stuntman Walter Arfeuille grabbed a world record on March 31, 1990 when he used only his teeth to lift 281 kilograms of weights off the ground and carry it across a distance of 17 centimeters. Lang leve België!

11.   Largest newspaper – Ghent, 1993

On June 15, 1993, Flemish newspaper Het Volk (The People) issued what is now the largest newspaper ever printed in history.

Each page measured 142 by 99.5 centimeters printed in color on thick, high-quality paper. The special edition sold about 50,000 copies.

12.   Flying the largest remote-controlled airplane – Moorsele, 1998

The largest model aircraft on record is a B-29 bomber with a wingspan of 8.8 meters and a body measuring 6.05 meters long and weighing 200 kilos.

Belgian plane enthusiasts Bart Vercruysse, Ignace Honore, and Pieter Lamaire spent three years working on the plane, which they called Dyna Might. They flew the model aircraft for the first time in Moorsele on June 2, 1998.

13.   Biggest beer selection in a single bar – Brussels, 2004

When it comes to beer, Belgium is tough to beat. And here’s yet another proof.

The Delirium Café in Brussels earned a world record for having the largest assortment of beer commercially available in one place. How many kinds exactly? The bar listed 2,004 in 2004.

Delirium serves beer brands from more than 60 countries, including Belgium.

14.   Most people doing a handstand simultaneously – Wevelgem, 2006

In 2006, Wevelgem set out to make a record for the highest number of people standing upside down together in a span of one minute.

Out of 450 participants, 399 made it. And that was more than enough for Wevelgem to set a world record handstand.

15.   First female wildcard player to win a tennis grand slam – U.S.A., 2009

During the 2009 US Open, Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters defeated Grand Slam finalist Caroline Wozniacki, becoming the first unseeded player and wildcard to win the Women’s Singles tournament.

All in all, Clijsters has won six Grand Slam titles, four in singles and two in doubles.

16.   Longest salami ever – Sint-Niklaas, 2010

Meat producer Cock’s Vleeswaren went as huge as possible for the celebration of the company’s 75th anniversary in 2010.

Using 10 150-kilogram containers of turkey and pork, the meat packers whipped up what is now documented as the longest sausage ever made.

The record-breaking salami measured 1,152 meters long and weighed 2,171 kilos.

17.   Most lights on a Christmas tree – Malmedy, 2010

Just how many lights can a Christmas tree take? As much as 194,672, based on the efforts of the Belgian foundation Kiwanis Malmedy Hautes Fagnes.

In 2010, the group wrapped a Christmas tree with 350 garlands, each measuring 3 meters long and carrying 576 lights.

18.   Largest number of grapes caught in the mouth – Vilvoorde, 2013

Joris Goens wowed Belgium’s Got Talent in 2013 when he demonstrated the much-beloved art of throwing food in the air and catching it with the mouth.

Goens scored a world record after managing to fit 223 grapes into his mouth in three minutes.

19.  Largest gathering of people making towel animals – Hasselt, 2017

Cleaning company Het Poetsbureau proved that towels are more than just for cleaning after organising a towel origami challenge in 2017.

Participants were given the task of folding a towel into the shape of a duck in two minutes. The result: 1,476 towel animals and an instant world record.

20.  Tallest waffle tower – Blankenberge, 2020

Last year, brothers Francis and Michel De Buck snagged the record for the highest tower of waffles in the world. They stacked about 30 waffles up to 91.5 centimeters high, beating the previous record of 87 centimeters.

Source: Guinness World Records

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Female characters in comic books have long been a reflection of how society regarded women. It didn’t help that men dominated the comic book industry, both as creators and consumers.

The 20th century saw a rising number of women and girls reading comic books, leading to questions about the misrepresentation of women and raising the need to rewrite comic book stories.

Finally, in 1940, the comic book world introduced its first female superheroes.

Fantomah, created by Fletcher Hanks for Jungle Comics, was the first comic book heroine with superhuman powers to appear in print. But Richard Hughes and George Mandel designed the first masked and costumed superheroine, whom they named Woman in Red.

Soon, other superwomen emerged in comic books, including Wonder Woman who was introduced by William Moulton Marston in 1941. Supergirl, drawn by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, followed in 1959.

In Belgian comics, it wasn’t until the late 1960s that women became the stars of their own universe. Let’s get to know some of the first heroines created by Belgians comic book writers.

Comanche

Not to be mistaken for the Marvel villain by the same name, Comanche is a young, courageous, and independent female landowner living in Wyoming during the time of the American Old West. She started out as a guest character in the Tintin comic books in 1969. Three years later, the heroine created by Belgian cartoonists Hermann Huppen and Michel Regnier gained her own comic book series.

Yoko Tsuno

She may have no superpowers, but Yoko Tsuno is no ordinary human being. She’s an electrical engineer, a pilot, scuba diver, and aikido black belter. The Japanese heroine imagined by Roger Leloup was first introduced in 1970 in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine, Spirou.

Natacha

This feisty flight attendant seems to have a penchant for getting into  trouble. But she’s also clever and resourceful enough to get herself out of it. Created by François Walthéry and Gos, Natacha was first featured in a 1970 edition of Spirou. She went solo in 1971.

Kriss of Valnor

Young, beautiful, and fierce, Kriss of Valnor is one of the major characters in Thorgal, a fantasy comic book series by Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and Polish artist Grzegorz Rosiński. Thorgal was first published in 1980 and became a video game in 2002.

Aria

Aria is the heroine of a fantasy comic book series created by Michel Weyland and released in 1982. Alluring yet ferocious, Aria is a medieval warrior who defends the poor and the oppressed.

Mélusine

She looks young, but she’s actually 119 years old. François Gilson’s Mélusine is a charming yet formidable witch working as an au pair in a haunted castle in Transylvania. She made her debut in 1992 as a feature in the Spirou magazine and got her own comic book franchise in 1995.

Kim Nelson

The Djinn comic books tell the story of Kim Nelson, a young Englishwoman who travels to Istanbul in search of her grandmother, a woman named Jade who is rumoured to possess the supernatural powers of a djinn. The characters were created by Belgian comic book writer Jean Dufaux and illustrated by Spanish artist Ana Miralles. The comic book series first came out in 2001 and ended publication in 2016.

Source: Focus on Belgium

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“Scratch a Belgian and you will find a Surrealist,” wrote British travel writer Antony Mason in his book, Xenophobe’s guide to the Belgians.

There’s no way to prove that scientifically. But if you use your powers of observation, you will no doubt gather enough visual data to corroborate the theory.

Surrealism is so much a part of Belgium’s character that when Belgians are doing something surrealistic, they probably aren’t even aware of it. They’re just being, well, Belgian.

What other country has the spunk to tell the world, “Behold one of our national icons: a tiny, naked boy who does nothing but urinate all day in public,” and not give a hoot how the world will take it.

This is, after all, the nation that gave birth to surrealism masters like René Magritte and Paul Delvaux or avant-garde painters like James Ensor who specialized in bizarre themes like fighting skeletons and grotesque masks.

But Belgian surrealism does not only show itself in bold and garish ways. More often than not, it hides within the subtleties of everyday life.

If you don’t look hard enough, you may easily overlook those quiet expressions of delightful absurdity that could add a ton of humor and spice to your day.

Here are some tips on how and where to go hunting for signs of Belgian surrealism the next time you take a walk around Brussels or any part of Belgium.

1.    Watch the sidewalks closely

Something’s bound to jump out at some point, whether it’s a plant padlocked to the front wall of a house, a sidewalk garden, or a faucet jutting out of a sidewall.

Belgians are quite deft at improvising, and how they address some of life’s most mundane problems can be downright surreal.

In 2006, Brussels-based artist David Helbich began taking pictures of insanely devised makeshift solutions to everyday situations in Belgium.

The project went viral in 2009 and eventually led to the publication of Belgian Solutions, a collection of more than 300 images proving how crafty Belgians can be at problem-solving.

Who says you can’t hold an art exhibit on a lamppost?

2.    Keep an eye out for lampposts

In Belgium, lampposts and basically any kind of street pole can perform a number of roles.

You would be wrong to think the only purpose of their existence is to shine a light on the street.

Nope. They can also masquerade as sign hangers, bulletin boards, bike stands, and venues for art exhibits.

In a country where surrealism is a way of life, any object can serve more than just a single function. Count on the Belgians to make something interesting out of anything ordinary.

3.    Check out the windows

Windows are another ripe stage for Belgian surrealism. What kind of trinkets are people placing on their window sill for the world to see?

Take a peek at the glass screens you pass by along the street and see what peeks right back at you.

Plants and flower pots are the most common choices. But every once in a while, something unexpected just might peep out from behind those panes.

French photographer Jean-Luc Feixa made it a personal mission to capture queer and quirky window displays in Belgium.

After hunting for months, Feixa came up with a collection of 160 wonder-inducing photographs now featured in his book, Strange Things Behind Belgian Windows.

4.   Pay attention to the architectural mishmash

Various styles of architecture from different time periods have no problem existing side by side in many parts of Belgium.

Classical, Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco, Art Nouveau can all live harmoniously in one place. Sometimes, two divergent styles can even exist in one building.

Take the Grand Place, for example. How we gush over and gawk at this magnificent structure, which actually combines two disparate architectural styles.

In Brussels, there are several spots in the city center that will expose you to buildings both old and new, ancient and modern all in one sitting. It’s like traveling through time without actually traveling through time.

On one of your strolls, take notice of architectural styles that don’t seem to belong or as if they just popped out of nowhere.

Such sightings are so common in Belgium that if you stay in the country long enough, you may eventually cease to notice them.

But take another look around you. Doesn’t the architectural mishmash make you feel like you’re in a weird wonderland or some scene from a Michel Gondry film?

5.    Don’t ignore the mailboxes

Now, this is where some real surrealistic action could be taking place, and you don’t want to miss any of them.

Where people are habitually surrealistic, you can expect to see something unfamiliar in anything as familiar as a  mailbox.

In his book, You’ve Got Mail, Dutch photographer Peter Schouten compiled more than a hundred snapshots of the zaniest and most bewildering letterboxes ever seen in Belgium.

Just steal a glance at what type of receptacle your neighbors are using for their post. You could be in for a real treat.

So what’s the best way to make sure those Belgian moments of amusing incongruity won’t escape you?

Let’s hear it straight from Maestro Magritte: Be on the “lookout for what has never been.”

The post How to spot Belgian surrealism when it’s hiding in plain sight appeared first on Brussels Express.