After a late Daichi Kamada goal that saw their team equalize late on against the Netherlands, many neutrals were left bemused when they saw the Japanese faithful waving blue bags in joy as they celebrated.
In truth, they were preparing for what was to come.
Japan’s traditional cleanup routine has seen them win hearts far and wide, and it was no different after this World Cup fixture. This is not unusual; Japanese soccer fans have picked up and swept away trash since the team’s first World Cup appearance in France in 1998, and they have done it ever since, including in Qatar in 2022.
The Japanese have a saying: ‘A bird that flies never leaves a trace’. It seems that the Samurai Blue supporters have taken that quite to heart. Japan’s fans are neatniks in a way that would shame most others, and it seems that this cultural root runs deep, with the Japanese team following suit and leaving their locker room spotless after their games in the 2018 World Cup. All that was left behind was a thank you note and some origami cranes as a token of gratitude.
Speaking to CNN, Hirozaku Tsunoda, one of the spotless fans, simply said that, “at the end of the day, the stadium gets clean, nobody loses, and the volunteers and cleaning staff get to go home early. Of all the ways to patch over someone else’s problem, I think picking up litter has the lowest barrier and the widest entry point. And I believe that foundation, that base instinct for volunteering, exists in most Japanese people.”
There is a lot that can be learnt from Japanese culture, and we wish that their cup of joy overflows at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
