Japanese Fans Clean World Cup Stadiums Again, Leaving 2018 and 2022 Locker Rooms Spotless
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 14
Japanese Fans Clean World Cup Stadiums Again, Leaving 2018 and 2022 Locker Rooms Spotless
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 14
Summary
Japanese supporters and teams have again drawn attention for cleaning World Cup stadiums and locker rooms, with players leaving only thank-you notes and origami cranes after matches in 2018 and 2022.
School routines help explain it: children clean classrooms, stairs and bathrooms with their own cloths, reinforcing the idea that shared spaces should be left without a trace.
Hirokazu Tsunoda, who has joined cleanups at Olympics and World Cups since 2008, says the habit discourages littering and has increasingly pulled in non-Japanese fans carrying trash bags after games.
A cleanup after Japan’s 2022 win over Germany went viral and drew FIFA praise, while Tsunoda says the low-barrier act of picking up litter can lead to broader volunteering, including more than 200 disaster-relief efforts.