Reason Japan football fans will make World Cup stadiums spotless - and five-word phrase they follow
Japan is getting their World Cup campaign underway and regardless of how the game goes there's just about one thing you can bet on, for their fans to clean up the bit of the stadium they were sitting in.
Every time they make it to a World Cup there's admiration for the way the Japanese fans tidy up after themselves and leave the seats they had about as spotless as you can get.
It can sometimes be a bit of a contrast with the fans of other nations who might leave their assorted rubbish behind for the stadium staff to deal with.
Picking up a legion of food wrappers and discarded containers isn't anyone's idea of a good time so it is the polite thing to tidy up after yourself, but there's a specific reason why Japanese fans do it.
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According to AP there's a Japanese phrase which explains the whole mindset, as politics and history teacher Koichi Nakano told them it was: "Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu."
The translation for that phrase is 'a bird leaves nothing behind', but the saying would basically mean 'return it the way you found it'.
The teacher further explained: "Japanese sports fans at world events who clean up the stadium are behaving much the same way they did when they learned how to enjoy sports as school boys and girls."
Nakano said that many schools in Japan don't have cleaning staff so the responsibility for keeping them in good condition is up to the students, which incentivises keeping spaces clean and tidying up any mess that occurs.
There also aren't that many public bins so people are used to taking their rubbish home with them, and once Japan have finished their games on the pitch you can expect their fans to gather what they brought in.
Japan will be playing the first and third of their group games against the Netherlands and Sweden at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but their middle game against Tunisia sees them travel to the Mexican city of Guadalupe.
Barbara Holthus, deputy director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo, further explained it as part of a more collective focus rather than different approaches that prioritised people's individual rights.
She said: "An academically sound explanation is that people in Japan just happen to be socialized different.
"If you grew up with a certain way of how things are being done, you apply that to even cleaning up a stadium afterwards.”
Holthus also mentioned the concept of 'meiwaku', Japan's word for not causing trouble for others.
Leaving a mess for someone else to clean up would break this idea, and now they've got a reputation for having fans who clean up after themselves it's a point of pride.
2026 World Cup fixture schedule and UK kick off times
Thursday, 11 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa, kick-off 8pm - Mexico City, Mexico
Friday, 12 June
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic, kick-off 3am - Zapopan, Mexico
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, kick-off 8pm - Toronto, Canada
Saturday, June 13
Group D: USA vs Paraguay, kick-off 2am - Los Angeles, US
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland, kick-off 8pm - Santa Clara, US
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco, kick-off 11pm - New Jersey, US
Sunday, June 14
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland, kick-off 2am - Foxborough, US
Group D: Australia vs Turkey, kick-off 5am - Vancouver, Canada
Group E: Germany vs Curacao, kick-off 6pm - Houston, US
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan, kick-off 9pm - Arlington, US
Monday, 15 June
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, kick-off 12am - Philadelphia, US
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia, kick-off 3am - Guadalupe, Mexico
Group H: Spain vs Cape Verde, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US
Group G: Belgium vs Egypt, kick-off 8pm - Seattle, US
Group H: Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, kick-off 11pm - Miami, US
Tuesday, 16 June
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand, kick-off 2am - Los Angeles, US
Group I: France vs Senegal, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US
Group I: Iraq vs Norway, kick-off 11pm - Foxborough, US
Wednesday, 17 June
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US
Group J: Austria vs Jordan, kick-off 5am - Santa Clara, US
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo, kick-off 6pm - Houston, US
Group L: England vs Croatia, kick-off 9pm - Arlington, US
Thursday, 18 June
Group L: Ghana vs Panama, kick-off 12am - Toronto, Canada
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia, kick-off 3am - Mexico City, Mexico
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Group B: Canada vs Qatar, kick-off 11pm - Vancouver, Canada
Friday, 19 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea, kick-off 2am - Zapopan, Mexico
Group D: USA vs Australia, kick-off 8pm - Seattle, US
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco, kick-off 11pm - Foxborough, US
Saturday, 20 June
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti, kick-off 1.30am - Philadelphia, US
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay, kick-off 4am - Santa Clara, US
Group A: Netherlands vs Sweden, kick-off 6pm - Houston, US
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast, kick-off 9pm - Toronto, Canada
Sunday, 21 June
Group E: Ecuador vs Curacao, kick-off 1am - Kansas City, US
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan, kick-off 5am - Guadalupe, Mexico
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US
Group G: Belgium vs Iran, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, kick-off 11pm - Miami, US
Monday, 22 June
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt, kick-off 2am - Vancouver, Canada
Group J: Argentina vs Austria, kick-off 6pm - Arlington, US
Group I: France vs Iraq, kick-off 10pm - Philadelphia, US
Tuesday, 23 June
Group I: Norway vs Senegal, kick-off 1am - Toronto, Canada
Group J: Jordan vs Algeria, kick-off 4am - Santa Clara, US
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan, kick-off 6pm - Houston, US
Group L: England vs Ghana, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US
Wednesday, 24 June
Group L: Panama vs Croatia, kick-off 12am - Foxborough, US
Group K: Colombia vs DR Congo, kick-off 3am - Zapopan, Mexico
Group B: Switzerland vs Canada, kick-off 8pm - Vancouver, Canada
Group B: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar, kick-off 8pm - Seattle, US
Group C: Morocco vs Haiti, kick-off 11pm - Atlanta, US
Group C: Scotland vs Brazil, kick-off 11pm - Miami, US
Thursday, 25 June
Group A: South Africa vs South Korea, kick-off 2am - Guadalupe, Mexico
Group A: Czech Republic vs Mexico, kick-off 2am - Mexico City, Mexico
Group E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast, kick-off 9pm - Philadelphia, US
Group E: Ecuador vs Germany, kick-off 9pm - New Jersey, US
Friday, 26 June
Group F: Tunisia vs Netherlands, kick-off 12am - Kansas City, US
Group F: Japan vs Sweden, kick-off 12am - Arlington, US
Group D: Turkey vs USA, kick-off 3am - Los Angeles, US
Group D: Paraguay vs Australia, kick-off 3am - Santa Clara, US
Group I: Norway vs France, kick-off 8pm - Foxborough, US
Group I: Senegal vs Iraq, kick-off 8pm - Toronto, Canada
Saturday, 27 June
Group H: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia, kick-off 1am - Houston, US
Group H: Uruguay vs Spain, kick-off 1am - Zapopan, Mexico
Group G: New Zealand vs Belgium, kick-off 4am - Vancouver, Canada
Group G: Egypt vs Iran, kick-off 4am - Seattle, US
Group L: Panama vs England, kick-off 10pm - New Jersey, US
Group L: Croatia vs Ghana, kick-off 10pm - Philadelphia, US
Sunday, 28 June
Group K: Colombia vs Portugal, kick-off 12.30am - Miami, US
Group K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan, kick-off 12.30am - Atlanta, US
Group J: Algeria vs Austria, kick-off 3am - Kansas City, US
Group J: Jordan vs Argentina, kick-off 3am - Arlington, US
Round of 32 - Match 73: Group A runners-up vs Group B runners-up, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Monday, 29 June
Round of 32 - Match 76: Group C winners vs Group F runners-up, kick-off 6pm - Houston, US
Round of 32 - Match 74: Group E winners vs Group A/B/C/D/F third place, kick-off 9.30pm - Foxborough, US
Tuesday, 30 June
Round of 32 - Match 75: Group F winners vs Group C runners-up, kick-off 2am - Guadalupe, Mexico
Round of 32 - Match 78: Group E runners-up vs Group I runners-up, kick-off 6pm - Arlington, US
Round of 32 - Match 77: Group I winners vs Group C/D/F/G/H third place, kick-off 10pm - New Jersey, US
Wednesday, 1 July
Round of 32 - Match 79: Group A winners vs Group C/E/F/H/I third place, kick-off 2am - Mexico City, Mexico
Round of 32 - Match 80: Group L winners vs Group E/H/I/J/K third place, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US
Round of 32 - Match 82: Group G winners vs Group A/E/H/I/J third place, kick-off 9pm - Seattle, US
Thursday, 2 July
Round of 32 - Match 81: Group D winners vs Group B/E/F/I/J third place, kick-off 1am - Santa Clara, US
Round of 32 - Match 84: Group H winners vs Group J runners-up, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Friday, 3 July
Round of 32 - Match 83: Group K runners-up vs Group L runners-up, kick-off 12am - Toronto, Canada
Round of 32 - Match 85: Group B winners vs Group E/F/G/I/J third place, kick-off 4am - Vancouver, Canada
Round of 32 - Match 88: Group D runners-up vs Group G runners-up, kick-off 7pm - Arlington, US
Round of 32 - Match 86: Group J winners vs Group H runners-up, kick-off 11pm - Miami, US
Saturday, 4 July
Round of 32 - Match 87: Group K winners vs Group D/E/I/J/L third place, kick-off 2.30am - Kansas City, US
Round of 16 - Match 90: Match 73 winners vs Match 75 winners, kick-off 6pm - Houston, US
Round of 16 - Match 89: Match 74 winners vs Match 77 winners, kick-off 10pm - Philadelphia, US
Sunday, 5 July
Round of 16 - Match 91: Match 76 winners vs Match 78 winners, kick-off 9pm - New Jersey, US
Monday, 6 July
Round of 16 - Match 92: Match 79 winners vs Match 80 winners, kick-off 1am - Mexico City, Mexico
Round of 16 - Match 93: Match 83 winners vs Match 84 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US
Tuesday, 7 July
Round of 16 - Match 94: Match 81 winners vs Match 82 winners, kick-off 1am - Seattle, US
Round of 16 - Match 95: Match 86 winners vs Match 88 winners, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US
Round of 16 - Match 96: Match 85 winners vs Match 87 winners, kick-off 9pm - Vancouver, Canada
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: Match 89 winners vs Match 90 winners, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Match 93 winners vs Match 94 winners, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Match 91 winners vs Match 92 winners, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US
Wednesday, 15 July
Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 8pm - Atlanta, US
Saturday, 18 July
Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 19 July
Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US
Joe Harker