Japan supporters left the stands spotless after their World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Texas on Sunday, saying the practice reflects a deeply rooted cultural habit of tidying up after themselves.
After a 2-2 draw, fans remained in the stadium, carefully collecting litter and placing it in blue plastic bags, leaving the venue as clean as they had found it.
The behavior, learned early in primary school, is driven by a sense of collective responsibility, Japan fan Eita Tanaka told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We have to think about everyone,” said the 20-year-old, dressed in Japan’s blue shirt and holding a beer and several cups.
“In Japan, we are taught that when we use a place, we should leave it cleaner than when we arrived. For example, in school classrooms, we tidy up without being told by a teacher.”
Japan are making their eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, and their supporters’ post-match cleanups have become a familiar feature of their presence on soccer’s biggest stage.
NFL quarterback Jameis Winston was even seen joining the cleanup after Sunday’s game, wearing a blue Japan shirt with his name on the back.
Japan fan Futo Hagiwara said he was proud the behavior of his countrymen had been recognized in a positive light.
“This is our culture, which means everywhere we go we clean up after ourselves. It is our spiritual way, our attitude,” he said.
Sociologist and philosopher Masachi Ohsawa believes a mix of social responsibility and peer pressure is behind the fans’ behavior.
“While Japanese people tend not to take much interest in justice on a large scale, issues like global inequality, conflict or climate change, they are extremely sensitive to moral considerations on a smaller scale,” he said.
“When it comes to people they share the same space with or have direct personal contact with, they feel a strong desire not to cause them trouble or make them uncomfortable.”
Cleaning chores are part of Japanese education from an early age, with children often scrubbing floors and tables at school each day.
Public waste bins are scarce in the country, and people are expected to take their rubbish home.
Getting rid of household waste can be a complex task that involves separating rubbish into different categories.
Scott North, an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Osaka, said he and his neighbors get together twice a year to pull out weeds and rake up cuttings.
He said such groups are organized into leaders and followers and operate in a similar way to Japanese football supporters.
“Since everyone comes together, there’s an expectation that they’ll act as a group,” said North, an American who has lived in Japan for about 40 years.
“And when the leaders bring out the bags and say, ‘Here you go,’ nobody is going to say no.”
Sociologist Ohsawa said such behavior could be explained by what Japanese people refer to as “reading the air.”
“In Japan, even if one person starts picking up litter, those around them feel they simply cannot help but join in,” he said.
“That’s because if they don’t, the people they are with will think they are a bad person.”
He said peer pressure is a powerful social force.
“In this case, the primary motivation is not so much a desire to keep the stadium clean or avoid causing trouble for stadium workers,” he said.
“It is more a desire not to be seen as a nuisance within one’s own group.”
Whatever the reasons, Japan’s fans will continue tidying up as long as their team remains in the tournament.
Their next game is against Tunisia in Mexico on Saturday, and Hagiwara said he is happy to keep leading by example.
“We usually don’t tell children they should do it,” he said.
“We just show our actions and behavior, and other people follow.”
