Japanese fans are making headlines for staying behind to clean up a Russian stadium after their team’s win against Colombia (2-1) at the World Cup on Tuesday night.
As seen in videos, supporters of the “Samurai Blue” carried waste bags and roamed around the stadium to pick up all sorts of the litter left by spectators.
Netizens commended the gesture:
“Bless these people.”
“I believe it’s called … class.”
“So Japan is basically the only country in the world where people have manners. Why is it so hard to keep your trashes with you and then throw them in the nearest trash can? That’s beyond my comprehension.”
“Japan, don’t stop being you.”
#Japanese fans clean up the area where they were seated after their #WorldCupRussia2018 encounter. What an example. How wonderful !! well done 👍🏾 #japan pic.twitter.com/F7QFs6q7XY
— Leslie Ann Boisselle (@trinilab) June 19, 2018
This is not the first time Japanese soccer fans earned similar accolades. After losing to Ivory Coast in Brazil 2014, some were spotted picking up their trash, Time noted.
Scott McIntyre, a Japan-based football journalist who followed the team to Russia, told BBC:
“It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture … You often hear people say that football is a reflection of culture. An important aspect of Japanese society is making sure that everything is absolutely clean and that’s the case in all sporting events and certainly also in football.”
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
Stay classy, Japan.
