While social media videos of the stadium-cleaning Japanese may be relatively new, tidiness and organisation have deep roots in Japanese culture. They beat Germany in a famous win, but before celebrating stuck around at the Khalifa International Stadium to help clean up.👏 /sZhNE圎Dqi “Cleanliness and tidiness is like religion to us in Japan and we treasure it,” she said, before opening her backpack to show a pack of rubbish bags she will use and distribute to others after the match. Saysuka, who spoke to Al Jazeera ahead of the match against Germany, said she is aware people are taking notice of their tradition but noted the fans are not doing it for publicity. Japanese fans were heartbroken but that did not detract them from getting out their disposable rubbish bag and going to work. Samurai Blue’s supporters have been cleaning up football stadiums for a while even a defeat does not detract them from this important post-match task.ĭuring the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japan lost their round-of-16 match against Belgium with an injury-time goal. In one post, a man is expressing his shock at a Japanese fan cleaning inside the Al Bayt Stadium long after most spectators had left and in a match that did not feature the Japanese side. Salute #Japan 🫡 🇯🇵 #qatar #qat #QatarWorldCup /sUd1Tmj1Yf

Look a at this amazing behavior from #Japanese fans they are cleaning the studiom behind them even it’s not there match, not the country and not even their own trash You dont to be a #Muslim to clean your trash behind you Social media posts featuring Japanese football fans with rubbish bags started doing the rounds in the days following the opening game of the tournament, between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday. It’s a part of our education, everyday learning.” “We can’t leave a place without making it clean. When we leave a room, we make sure it’s tidy. “When we use the toilet, we clean it ourselves. I love the people and i definitely have a soft spot for Japan.

Japanese fans cleaning the stadium after they’ve just shocked the world. “What you think is special is actually nothing unusual for us,” Danno, a Japanese fan, told Al Jazeera with a casual shrug.ĭanno does not understand why people think the gesture is odd. While the sight of spectators staying back to clean up may be a surprise to many, for the Japanese it is not out of the ordinary. In what is becoming an increasingly common sight, Japanese fans stayed behind after their team’s win over Germany on Wednesday and helped to clean up the Khalifa International Stadium.Īs soon as the stadium started to empty, Japanese supporters could be seen taking out light blue disposable rubbish bags and getting to work. Now, supporters of the Samurai Blue are earning praise in Qatar for an off-pitch tradition that appears to be uniquely Japanese: Cleaning up stadiums after other football fans have left. Doha, Qatar – Japan’s stunning victory over Germany left their football fans in a state of joyous disbelief on Wednesday.

Explaining tidiness