After the recent Japan-Colombia match at the Russia 2018 World Cup, the world witnessed a very unusual sight.
After the ‘Samurai Blue’ boys beat Colombia 2-1, their fans made Japan and their team proud by cleaning up after themselves. After football matches, the stands are usually littered with soda cups, wrappers and bits of half-eaten food. But not this time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkSG4_UgEZr/?tagged=worldcupjapan
This time, at the end of the match, Japanese fans meticulously scoured each row and seat in the stadium for litter, which they removed in big rubbish bags they’d brought with them.
This is my favourite moment of the World Cup so far; Japan fans picking up litter after their victory vs Columbia. The lessons in life we can take from the game. Why I support 🇯🇵 #class✅#respect✅#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/FyYLhAGDbi
— Christopher McKaig (@Coachmckaig) June 19, 2018
This is not the first time the fans have done this. In fact, they are well known for their good manners. They work together to leave the place as tidy as they found it, rather than in the usual mess.
Asked why the Japanese fans behave like this, an expert on Japanese culture explained that the island nation’s philosophy is built on respect and politeness. These basic tenets of Japanese tradition extend to all areas of life, and obviously also to football, he said.
Japanese fans clean up stadium after their win vs Colombia…#Russia2018 #Inspiring #Japan #football #WorldCup #mademesmile #learnfromjapan #inspiration #JPNCOL #JPN #Fans pic.twitter.com/qil7RHmU5v
— Aulty (@aulty) June 19, 2018
The cleaning staff of the stadium must love it when Japan plays a match. They get a lot less work to do.
