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Japan and its people keep giving the world more and more reasons to fall in love with them. Currently, it's the viral videos of the country's supporters cleaning stands and collecting trash into bags before leaving.
ESPN FC shared a photo of the scene on social media, bringing attention to a theme Japanese football fans have followed for years.After Japan's 2-2 draw against the Netherlands, fans wearing national team jerseys stayed back, carefully picking up cups, wrappers and other waste from their section of the stadium. While most spectators left after the match, these fans remained to make sure the area was clean.
A popular ritual
It was in 1998 that Japan first played in the World Cup in France.
Post the game, the country's supporters were spotted tidying up the stadium before exiting. Four years ago, at the Qatar World Cup, fans of the Samurai Blue who had just defeated Germany with a 2-1 win, paused their party to do the same. Over the years, watching fans clean up their sections after the game has become an expected sight for international fans.
Not just the World Cup, Olympics, Under-20 games and other major sporting events will all feature Japanese fans doing the same. But why?
Not only fans, as per pictures shared online, Japan's national team also left their locker room spotless, folding the towels, packing up the bottles and cleaning up the shelves.
Japanese philosophy
The answer to the same lies in a Japanese philosophy: "Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu." The literal translation of the same in English is: "A bird leaves nothing behind."The overall meaning remains, return it the way you found it. As per Scott North, professor of sociology at Osaka University, cleaning up after football matches is an extension of the basic behaviour taught to children in school, where they clean their classrooms and hallways.
This is known as 'o-soji' or cleaning, a drill that takes place before recess and lasts about 20 minutes.Not just schools, the country also has relatively few public dustbins, encouraging people to carry their waste home and dispose it off properly. Even in offices, workers routinely clean their workspaces themselves, reinforcing the idea of personal responsibility."With constant reminders throughout childhood, these behaviours become habits for much of the population," he said to the BBC in 2018.
Moreover, he added that by cleaning up at events like these the Japanese fans demonstrate their pride in their way of life and share it with the world.There also lies the concept of Meiwaku, which means avoiding causing inconvenience and trouble to others. Thus, leaving the stadium dirty would be seen as causing problems to others.As per fans, it is 'atarimae', which translates to obvious. Japanese society is built around the ideas of respect and politeness and giving back to society, is obvious to them and natural."Japanese sports fans at world events who clean up the stadium are behaving much the same way they did when they learned how to enjoy sports as schoolboys and girls. The way most ordinary soccer fans experience soccer at school is no different from other sports, and the emphasis is not just on physical education but also on moral education as well," said Koichi Nakano, who teaches politics and history at Sophia University to The Associated Press.
Social media praise
People online raved about the gesture of the Japanese fans this year as well, calling for the gesture to become a global ritual followed by all.
"We are so unserious and undisciplined here in the US. We’ve been programmed to always look for a shortcut or to look for convenience in every action we take for personal gain or satisfaction. We can all do better," wrote a user on X."How refreshing to see that citizens of some countries actually have respect for public or private property..." added another."This world doesn't deserve the Japanese." wrote one."I think this is a remarkable sign of respect. I hope other countries start doing the same," another added.
English (US) ·