Belgium is not a famous country. Whenever I travel abroad and people ask me where I am from, I am usually given a puzzled stare when I answer ‘Belgium’. I usually try to clarify, saying ‘Europe’. That usually rings a bell: ‘Ah Europe! That’s where France is, right?’. Right.
But not so in Japan. In Japan I am usually treated to a big smile and the exclamation ‘choco’. Everyone in Japan knows about the delicious Belgian chocolate. Some people even know about Belgian beer. And that brings me to the topic for today: the Belgian Beer Weekend in Nagoya.
You may or may not already know it, but the small country of Belgium has over 800 different kinds of beer, brewed at 140 different breweries. Seventy-seven of those beers are served at the Belgian Beer Weekend, which not only takes place in Nagoya but also in Osaka (June 2012) and Tokyo (September 2012).
Unfortunately I did not have a chance to attend the event myself, but thanks to Kristine Lee I can present you with a photograph that shows a wonderful synergy between Belgian and Japanese culture. Only in Japan will you encounter a walking Hoegaarden making the peace sign.
The Japans 
Op uw gezondheid? Schol? A votre sante? Kampai? Something like that. 😀 Great pic, and I agree, so very Japanese! 🙂
I’m impressed with your vocabulary! We usually say ‘schol’ in Dutch, although we have many words for that occasion, as a beer drinking nation should 🙂
Years ago I used to frequent a Belgian beer bar in Harajuku which was a side business for a Tokyo-based concert promoter. One year they delivered to my nearby office a set of six beers with matching glasses as a summer “ochugen” gift for me as I was such a dedicated regular (and we dealt with them in their main business). ^^ Most of the glasses broke but I still have the ones for Hoegaarden and Leffe.
I love the special glasses too! It’s such a beautiful sight to go to a beer bar and see all the different glasses lined up. Did you know that the shape of the glass is often designed to enhance the taste of the beer?
Yes, when I visited my friend and her husband in Brussels years ago, they took me around to try local breweries and every time we would have a different beer, we would have a different glass and I was told the glasses were designed in such a way that it made the beer taste better.
The same couple came to see me in Amsterdam on my recent trip. 😀
hihi : goeke