Why Are Japanese Fans Cleaning The Stadiums Post Match?

How often do you clear the mess you have made while watching matches in stadiums? The viral video posted by a famous Bahraini youtuber; Omar Al Farooq is about Japanese fans cleaning the stadium after the match. FIFA World Cup 2022 opener, Qatar and Ecuador match was held on 20th November. The Dona’s Al Bayt stadium witnessed something post-match. It was seen that Japanese fans were picking up litter and cleaning the stadium. The viral video has made many views and has been running on every platform flooded with appreciation all around the world

It is a very simple and generous act by the people from the island nation. They remind us of our very crucial and most fundamental value, cleanliness. This act’s roots lie in their very own belief system of Shinto which says, ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’.

Since childhood, the habit of cleaning is inculcated into every Japanese daily life. Cleaning time is a regular feature of Japanese students’ daily schedules for all 12 years of their academic career, from elementary school through high school. The inclusion of this social awareness component in the curriculum fosters in the kids an awareness of pride in their surroundings. Who wants to mess up or vandalize a place they have to clean up themselves, like a school?

In previous World Cups the Japanese national team’s supporters stunned the world by staying behind to pick up trash from the stadium, once in Brazil (2014) and later in Russia (2018). The players also came out of their dressing room spotless. FIFA’s general coordinator Priscilla Janssens tweeted, “What an example for all teams!

In the current world cup video, they have mentioned that they did not do it to get on the internet. But this video has been a reminder for all of us to maintain neatness in our surroundings. They picked up flags and said these “command respect”, a woman while cleaning says “We never leave, Japanese never leave rubbish behind us. We respect the place.”

This was a practical example of their very own belief system. This act evokes in us the simple value of keeping things clean. Anand Mahindra wrote, sharing the video “They said they weren’t doing it for the cameras, but I’m glad the cameras still spotted them. The values they’re displaying are worthy of a global audience.” It is the duty of all of us that we do not just appreciate and forget but sustain this act.