In 2022, during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a very interesting tradition and a much-appreciated one was witnessed. The Japanese fans, after the match was over, stayed back and helped the workers clean up the stadium. It was an unprecedented event, which gained huge accolades across the world. The same has been replicated in the ongoing World Cup, too.
It was so inspiring from the Japanese that fans from other countries too picked up the tradition. The fans from Morocco were seen cleaning stadiums.
The most important part of this effort from the Japanese fans was nothing but pure service. It was just a casual video made by one of the workers in Qatar that revealed this practice and began garnering headlines.
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In the practice of gomi hiroi ( picking up trash), the Japanese are taught from a very young age to keep their surroundings clean. Be it the classroom, housing societies, or workplace, every Japanese person ensures that his area and surroundings are kept clean, all by himself.
A deep-rooted philosophy guides this practice, ‘ tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu ‘, which means ‘ a bird leaves nothing behind ‘
The Samurai have played two games in this World Cup so far. The first one was against the Netherlands at the Dallas Stadium, and the second one against Tunisia at the Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico. On both occasions, the fans stayed back and cleaned the stadiums to uphold their tradition.
A lot to learn from the Samurai.
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