Japanese fans clean up stadium following a World Cup win over Colombia.

When Japanese sporting fans pack their bags with face-paint and signs for competition overseas, they rarely seem to forget to pack their manners along with them.

While sometimes at the risk of exaggeration, Japan is often praised for social and cultural customs rooted in hospitality, which often translates to admirable manners and etiquette. This has been notably on display at sporting events, such as the FIFA 2014 World Cup, where Japanese fans in attendance spent time following a loss to Ivory Coast collecting leftover garbage in bags they brought to the stadium. Once again, Japanese fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia are gaining attention for cleaning up following a victory over Colombia.

The video, taken by a Colombian fan, shows Japanese supporters cleaning up a section of seats in Mordovia Arena (it's not clear if they are only cleaning up their area or covering others as well) using bags they brought with which to do so. The Colombian fan congratulates the Japanese supporters on the victory, and they thank him in Spanish. He narrates "Look at what these Japanese people are doing. They won, but look at what they are doing...they're picking up the trash, this is amazing. And we, Colombians, are a bunch of jerks that don't understand that discipline and order, those are things that make them better...look, it's a lesson for us."

Of course, despite the buzz Japanese sports fans get for it every four years, consideration for others and cleaning up after oneself isn't a uniquely Japanese practice. Many on Japanese Twitter have been moved by photos posted by soccer fan @tsunsan, which shows Colombian supporters joining in to clear away garbage as well. Tsunan writes "The Colombian fans were wonderful. They took our blue trash bags and helped pick up trash with us. If the result had been reversed, would we still have done this? Soccer is so deep."

And in the same group pool, Senegal fans made sure to make everything was nice and tidy in their sections after a victory again Poland.

The photos and story are garnering a lot of praise from fans, many pointing out that strong bond forged by passion for sports that transcends nationality. Hopefully any fans helping clean the stadium can experience the same measure of politeness and hospitality on a trip to Japan, even if that comes in the form of emergency toilet paper supplies at a ramen shop.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.