Japan managed to sneak out a tie against the Netherlands after falling behind twice in a World Cup match on Sunday, but it was the Japanese fans who went viral after the game.
Making the trip to watch their team at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, fans saw a late goal in the 89th minute earn Japan a 2-2 draw against its Dutch opponents. After the game, though, Japanese fans truly went to work.
‘Return it the way you found it.’
Viral videos from all over the stadium quickly hit the internet, showing the Asian visitors whipping out blue garbage bags and methodically cleaning up their sections of the stadium.
The fans first used the bags as a way to celebrate their team, raising them in the air and letting them ripple like a wave until impressing the world by using the same bags to gather garbage later on.
“There’s a Japanese culture … which means we should be cleaner [than when] we came here,” a fan told Singapore outlet CNA. “So this is our mindset and this is very obvious that we are to clean up the stadium and that will [showcase] our good Japanese culture.”
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KDFW reported on comments from a Japanese teacher who further explained why the fans were all acting in unison.
“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,” said Koichi Nakano, a politics and history teacher at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.
A popular Japanese phrase apparently embodies the idea: “Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu,” which reportedly means “return it the way you found it.”
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L-R: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images; Michael Steele/Getty Images
Beloved NFL quarterback Jameis Winston was also among the Japanese crowd cleaning up the garbage. At 6’4″, Winston stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd of fans, but seeking no attention, he grabbed a blue bag and helped the Japanese supporters with their mission.
The New York Giants quarterback happened to be in that section of the stadium while reporting on the game for Fox Sports and decided to join in.
Japan’s next game is Sunday at 12:00 a.m. ET against Tunisia, taking place at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico, where the Japanese fans will most likely show up their Tunisian counterparts.
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Fearless, Soccer, World cup, Texas, Japan, Sports
