Brussels Airport

A visa is not required for countries participating in the Schengen Agreement if the purpose of your visit is sightseeing and your overall stay is 90 days or less within a 180 day-period.

Your passport must be valid for at least three months from the date of entry plus the number of days of your stay (you must have a return ticket with the return date written on it).

• * Schengen Agreement
  As of May 2019, countries in the Schengen Area are Iceland, Italy, Estonia, Austria, Holland, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Hungary, Finland, France, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg. When entering from Japan or another country outside of the Schengen Area, complete Immigration and Customs clearance upon arriving at the first country in the area during your visit.
• * Visa, passport, and other information is subject to change without notice. Be sure to check with the Embassy, Consulate, or travel agency.

When visiting from Japan, it is prohibited to bring the following items into Belgium.

• a. Meat, meat products, milk, dairy products, lobster, live crab
• b. Potatoes (all food, seeds, or plants), specified animal and plant species
• c. Soil and culture medium
• d. Endangered animals or plants and products made from them
  • * Most fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes and species that are prohibited for import) are permitted. However, they must not contain any pests. Some items are subject to permissible amount per person or are prohibited or restricted. If you exceed the permissible limit, the total amount will be confiscated.
  • * Marine products, eggs, honey, and other animal-derived products are allowed to bring into the country, with some exceptions, but there are conditions such as the permissible limit. If the weight exceeds the permissible limit, the total monetary amount may be confiscated.
  • * Most plants have specified permissible amounts. However, there are conditions such that they must not contain any pests. If you exceed the permissible limit, the total amount will be confiscated.
  • * There are specific regulations and conditions for animals in ddition to by species.
  • * There may be other conditions or regulations in addition to the above.

There are no special restrictions for travelers bringing it in for personal use.

• Tobacco*1 : Either 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 100 cigarillos, or 250 grams of loose tobacco. Only for personal use. A combination of the above is also allowed as long as they are within the limits for amount.
• Alcohol*1 : 1 liter of spirits and other liquor with more than 22% alcohol or 2 liters of liquor or sparkling wine with 22% or less alcohol in addition to 4 liters of non-sparkling wine, and 16 liters of beer.
• For souvenirs and similar goods, up to an equivalent of 430 Euros when entering the country by air or sea and 300 Euros when entering the country by land or private jet.*2

• * Animal-derived products (e.g. meat, eggs, milk, or cheese) cannot be brought in from outside the EU.

There is an 8-hour time difference between Japan and Belgium. Subtract 8 from the hour in Japan. In other words, 7:00 in Japan is 23:00 on the previous day in Belgium. The time difference is 7 hours during Daylight Saving time.
Daylight Saving time is from 2:00 AM (3:00 AM) on the last Sunday of March until 3:00 AM (2:00 AM) on the last Sunday of October.

The TV and video system (PAL) differs from that of Japan (NTSC), so media from Belgium cannot be played on ordinary media players in Japan. If a DVD displays the same region code as Japan (2), then it can be played on a computer equipped with a DVD player as it is normally compatible with PAL output, but the DVD cannot be played on ordinary DVD players (it is possible if the machine is compatible with PAL).Blu-rays are region code B in Belgium and A in Japan.

The post office in Belgium is called bpost. It is generally open from 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. Some major post offices are also open on Saturdays.

Postcards and letters send by airmail to Japan cost €1.68 up to 50 grams. If you purchase five or more stamps, they are €1.62 each. To request air mail, if there is no "prior" on the stamp, affix a blue "prior" sticker. Mail will arrive in about 5 or 6 days.
There is also a small package service called B pack World, and you can buy padded envelopes, small boxes, and writing utensils at the post office.

1. 00 (International phone code)
2. 81 (Japan phone code)
3. ×× (remove the first "0" from the area code or cell phone number)
4. 1234-5678 (phone number you are calling)

1. Call the number of an international phone company
   • 001 (KDDI)*1
   • 0033 (NTT Communications)*1
   • 0061 (Softbank Telecom)*1
   • 005345 (au mobile)*2
   • 009130 (NTT Docomo mobile)*3
   • 0046 (Softbank mobile)*4
2. 010 (International phone code)
3. 32 (Belgium phone code)
4. ×× (remove the first "0" from the area code)
5. 1234567 (phone number you are calling)

• * If you want to stay on the phone you bring from Japan for the three cell phone carriers, hold down 0 until + appears, then add the country code and the phone number your wish to dial.

There are many holidays related to Christianity. Note that dates differ each year for some holidays.

• January 1 : New Year's
• April 12 : Easter*1
• April 13 : Easter Monday*1
• May 1 : May Day
• May 8 : Brussels metropolitan holiday*2
• May 21 : Ascension Day*1
• May 31 : Pentecost*1
• June 1 : Pentecost Monday*1
• July 11 : Day of the Flemish Community (Day of the Battle of Golden Spurs)*2
• July 21 : Belgium National Day
• August 15 : Assumption of Mary
• September 27 : Day of the French Community of Belgium*2
• November 1 : All Saints' Day
• November 11 : Armistice Day (Day of the Battle of Golden Spurs)
• November 15 : Dynasty Day (German-speaking country)*2
• December 25 : Christmas
• December 26: Boxing Day*2

Mostly French and Dutch (Flemish). With Brussels at the center, Dutch is spoken in the north and French in the south (Brussels is a bilingual area). There are also some German-speaking communities.

Below are guidelines for general business hours. There is a roughly 30 min. to 1 hour difference between stores.

9:00 to 16:00 Mon. to Fri. (Many banks close for an hour for lunch).

10:00 to 18:30 Mon. to Fri. (10:00 to 19:00 for department stores). More and more supermarkets are staying open on Sun.

Lunch is from about 12:00 to 14:30 and dinner from about 18:30 to 22:00.

10:00 to 1:00 in the morning.

You must be at least 16 for tobacco or alcohol. You must be at least 18 for spirits. Some car rental companies also have age limitations. There are both lower and upper limits, so be sure to check with the company first. You must show your credit card.

When entering a shop or restaurant, greet the staff or waiter, thank them for their assistance, and say goodbye when leaving. This will greatly change their attitude when assisting you.

Smoking is prohibited in all public facilities. It is also prohibited in restaurants, bars, and cafes, so smokers must be careful when smoking.