Japan played their first match of FIFA World Cup 2026 on Sunday (Jun 14) against Netherlands at Dallas Stadium in the USA and earned a miraculous 2-2 draw. While the players won the hearts of their supports, the fans also did their part and cleaned the stadium afterwards in a respectful gesture to the host country. Japan fans have been known to clean their seating area after the matches at the events where the team participates and the FIFA World Cup 2026 is another example of their culture. FIFA also shared a video of the fans cleaning the stadium after Sunday's match in which one of the fans revealed the reason behind their gesture as well.
Why do Japan fans clean stadium after matches?
In a video shared by FIFA's official X handle, fans can be seen cleaning up their part of stadium area by putting the trash in the blue bags. A fan then reveals the reason for the geature and says: "That's the culture. But, it's like respect for everything, respect for the players, respect for the supporters, and also for the stadium. We are honoured to be here, so we don't want to make the mess and leave it. That's the reason why we do it." Here's the video below:
The idea captures the essence of a Japanese saying "Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu" which literally translates to "A bird leaves nothing behind" in English. The true meaning of the saying is "returning it the way you found it."
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The ideology gets inculcated into people since childhood in school where children clean their classrooms and hallways. Scott North, professor of sociology at Osaka University, explained to the BBC in 2018: "With constant reminders throughout childhood, these behaviours become habits for much of the population."
Japan schedule at FIFA World Cup 2026
Japan play their second Group F match against Tunisia on June 20 at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico before facing Sweden in the last group-stage fixture on June 25 at Dallas Stadium. Japan are currently second behind Sweden in its group after a 2-2 draw against Netherlands.
Where to watch Japan's FIFA World Cup 2026 matches live in India?
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Japan's group-stage matches in FIFA World Cup 2026 will be aired across WION's sister company Zee5 app and website

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