Japan fans cleaned their seating area after the national team’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in their World Cup opener in Texas on June 15, picking up litter and placing it in bags before leaving the stadium.
Fans remained in the stands after the match and collected trash left in their sections, leaving the venue in a clean condition.
Japan fan Eita Tanaka said supporters followed habits taught from an early age.
“Japanese people think that when we use a certain place, we were told that you have to make that place look tidier when you leave than it was when you arrived,” Tanaka said.
He said schools in Japan train students to clean their classrooms.
“For example, at school in our classrooms we tidy it up after ourselves without our teacher telling us,” he said.
Another supporter, Futo Hagiwara, said fans view cleaning as part of their cultural practice.
“This is our culture, that means everywhere we go we need to clean it after ourselves, it’s our spiritual way, our attitude,” Hagiwara said.
Sociologist Masachi Ohsawa said social expectations influence such behavior.
“When it comes to people who they share the same space with or have direct personal contact with, they feel a strong desire not to cause them any trouble or make them feel uncomfortable,” Ohsawa said.
He said group behavior and social pressure encourage participation.
“In this case, the primary motivation isn’t so much a desire to keep the stadium clean or to avoid causing trouble for the people who have to clean the stadium afterwards,” Ohsawa said. “It’s more a desire not to be seen as a nuisance in one’s own group.”
Japan fans also carried out similar post-match cleanups in previous World Cup games, continuing a practice that has drawn attention from other spectators and officials.
Japan will next play Tunisia in Mexico on Saturday.
