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<\/p>\nARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 The phrase \u201cDon\u2019t mess with Texas\u201d is well known \u2019round these parts, but few people realize it had nothing to do with toughness when it was first concocted. The tagline was originally, of all things, an anti-littering campaign 40 years ago. Keep the Texas highways clean.<\/p>\n
The Texans behind that slogan would love the Japanese.<\/p>\n
After every game at this World Cup and in previous tournaments, many Japan fans have cleaned up all of their garbage on the way out of the stadium. It\u2019s a tradition that started at their first World Cup in 1998 and has continued at other events like the Olympics. They\u2019ve become internationally famous as the organized effort draws attention from host countries and their media.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t think cleaning up after yourself is that heavy a lift, one security guard here at Dallas Stadium told The Athletic he\u2019d never seen a section so spotless after Japan and the Netherlands played here last week. So when Japan came back to face Sweden on Thursday, I wanted to take part and see it up close.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part of our nature to clean up after our mess,\u201d said New York City-based Japan supporter Kayo Kita. \u201cIn school in Japan, we didn\u2019t have a janitor, so the students have to clean up after themselves. It\u2019s our duty to do it. In Shintoism (a Japanese religion), we all believe every object has a spirit, so we have to respect them. Even this chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n (The Athletic\/Chris Vannini)<\/p>\n
To aid the cleanup, the Nippon Ultras supporters group brings 3,000 blue plastic bags to every match, laying them on seats and handing them out to anyone who wants one, including, on this occasion, an intrigued Argentina fan.<\/p>\n
On the bags are directions written in Japanese: Inflate the bag and use it to cheer before players take the pitch. Lower the bag when players line up. Don\u2019t bother anyone with it. Be careful around children. And dispose of it in accordance with local rules.<\/p>\n
Japan fans for decades have used bags for cheering. Before kickoff, hundreds of inflated blue bags were marched throughout the concourse with drums and chants as the Nippon Ultras made their presence known.<\/p>\n
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\n (The Athletic\/Chris Vannini)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a way to unite the people and that way, they have something to do,\u201d said Yoko Yamagishi, a Tokyo native who made the trip with the Ultras.<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s supporters hold a bit of a unique place in the sport. They drum and chant all game, but no chants are directed at the other team. This ultras group was founded by Asahi Ueda in 1992, 10 years before Japan co-hosted a World Cup. While ultras groups at the club level in other countries can be known for violent scenes, that doesn\u2019t happen in Japan\u2019s J-League, as the respectful and fun vibe from the national supporters has trickled down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t make fights,\u201d said Kita. \u201cWe make good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Friday\u2019s 1-1 draw with Sweden, the Nippon Ultras section was having so much fun that dozens of neutrals came over to join the party in the standing room only section after halftime. When Japan took a 1-0 lead in the second half, the new recruits went bonkers and seemed to enjoy it just as much as the Samurai Blue supporters. By the end, they were singing \u201cVamos Nippon\u201d as if it was their own team. New friends, indeed.<\/p>\n
The public attention on the Japanese cleanup this time around has drawn some mixed reaction back home, on the topic of gender inequality, with some on social media asking men to clean up at home like they do at the stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems that Japanese men picking up trash at soccer fields is gaining attention, but the hours Japanese men spend on household labor are extremely low even by international standards,\u201d wrote one X user in a post that got more than 2 million views. \u201cI hope they share the labour inside the home.\u201d<\/p>\n
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