Japan’s supporters have again won widespread admiration for their tidiness, with thousands turning up in Dallas carrying bin bags ahead of the nation’s World Cup opener.
The Samurai Blue began their campaign on Sunday at a full, air-conditioned AT&T Stadium, where they faced the Netherlands as temperatures in Texas climbed above 40C.
The contest remained tense and tightly balanced until after the break, when Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk put his team in front. Japan, however, quickly responded through a sharp finish from Keito Nakamura.
For much of the closing stages, it appeared that strike from the West Ham attacker would be enough to secure all three points. But with only minutes remaining, Japan rescued a draw thanks to a thumping header from Koki Ogawa.
It was an encouraging opening to the Asian side’s eighth World Cup appearance, although the team’s display was not the only thing drawing praise.
Japanese football fans have once again been hailed for their cleanliness after thousands arrived in Dallas armed with bin bags for their World Cup opener
Pictures showed dozens of supporters cleaning up coffee cups, sweet packages and crisp wrappers after watching their team draw 2-2 on Sunday
Japan supporters have developed a reputation for being the classiest fans in football
It came after scores of supporters lined the streets of Dallas with bin bags swinging in the air
After making the 6,000-mile journey to Dallas, Japanese fans arrived equipped with hundreds of bin bags, and many stayed behind well after full-time to collect litter and help tidy the stands.
Images released before the game showed scores of fans marching the streets of the American city before parading their bags around the stadium as the players warmed up.
Football fans took to social media post-match to praise the Japanese, who they dubbed ‘classy’ and ‘respectful’.
One wrote: ‘Class will always be permanent. No matter what the scoreline is on the pitch, Japan fans win off it every single tournament. Huge respect.’
While another penned: ‘They have so much class it’s rare to see a country that always stay out of trouble and show love.’
One more simply posted: ‘Take me to Japan. Mad level of discipline.’
However the Japanese don’t reserve their ritual for only the biggest occasions.
Back in March, supporters were hailed as ‘selfless’ and ‘respectful’ after staying for nearly an hour after an international friendly against England to clean up any mess left behind.
Fans put their litter in rubbish bags after sweeping the stands at full time
And the Japanese continued showing off their bin bags as the players warmed up
In Japan, cleanliness forms a huge part of the culture and is instilled in people from an early age
Dozens of football fans took to social media after the match to praise the Japanese fans
Videos and images showed scores of visiting supporters trawling through the stands at Wembley Stadium and picking up coffee cups, crisp packets and sweet wrappers.
It earned the supporters the praise of Wembley’s official social media page, which simply posted: ‘Thank you’.
And at the last World Cup finals four years ago in Qatar, the Japanese were commended after staying late to clean up following a landmark 2-1 victory over Germany.
After their 2-1 win over Colombia at the 2018 tournament in Russia, fans also ensured they left no mess behind before leaving the Mordovia Arena in Saransk.
That move at the 2018 tournament seemed to spark a trend, with Senegalese fans later seen tidying up following their win over Poland.
Japan’s players have also earned praise for leaving changing rooms in a spotless state.
While fans were cleaning the stands after the win over Germany, the team also left their dressing room in pristine condition – even leaving behind origami swans with a thank you note in Japanese and Arabic.
In Japan, cleanliness forms a huge part of the culture and is instilled in people from an early age.
Scott North, a professor of sociology at Osaka University, told the BBC in 2018 that tidying is a way of ‘demonstrating pride in the Japanese way of life’.
It comes after fans stayed late at Wembley after watching their side beat England 1-0
‘It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture,’ he said. ‘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.
‘Cleaning up after football matches is an extension of basic behaviours that are taught in school, where the children clean their school classrooms and hallways,’ he added.
‘With constant reminders throughout childhood, these behaviours become habits for much of the population.’
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