‘It’s our duty’: Joining Japan fans, with 3,000 bags, for clean-up after Sweden game

A Japan fan clearing up rubbish after the Sweden match Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images

ARLINGTON, Texas — The phrase “Don’t mess with Texas” is well known ’round 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.

The Texans behind that slogan would love the Japanese.

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’s a tradition that started at their first World Cup in 1998 and has continued at other events like the Olympics. They’ve become internationally famous as the organized effort draws attention from host countries and their media.

If you don’t think cleaning up after yourself is that heavy a lift, one security guard here at Dallas Stadium told The Athletic he’d 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.

“It’s part of our nature to clean up after our mess,” said New York City-based Japan supporter Kayo Kita. “In school in Japan, we didn’t have a janitor, so the students have to clean up after themselves. It’s 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.”

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.

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’t bother anyone with it. Be careful around children. And dispose of it in accordance with local rules.

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.

“It was a way to unite the people and that way, they have something to do,” said Yoko Yamagishi, a Tokyo native who made the trip with the Ultras.

Japan’s 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’t happen in Japan’s J-League, as the respectful and fun vibe from the national supporters has trickled down.

“We don’t make fights,” said Kita. “We make good friends.”

During Thursday’s 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 “Vamos Nippon” as if it was their own team. New friends, indeed.

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.

“It 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,” wrote one X user in a post that got more than 2 million views. “I hope they share the labour inside the home.”

日本人男性によるサッカー場でのゴミ拾いが注目されているようだが、日本人男性の家庭内労働時間は国際的にみても極めて低い水準。まず家の中のケア労働を分担してほしい。 https://t.co/lHY3adqPEC pic.twitter.com/otbuLTDOoT

— Atsuko TAMADA (@atsukotamada) June 16, 2026

The reaction here to that backlash was similarly mixed, including from some female fans. While there are obvious feelings of agreement about the household, they didn’t want too much direct comparison to a public place like a stadium.

“I understand those people back home,” said Yamagishi, “but the stadium is not our home, so that’s why we really want to treat it with respect.”

As Thursday’s game ended, the cleanup turned out not to be a grand activity. Many fans rushed out at the whistle, looking to beat the crowd rush like any other fan. There was not some pile of garbage that needed help from an army of people like myself. Most fans had taken care of their trash throughout the match, either putting it in the blue bag or already having disposed of it. Michelob Ultra cups were stacked and packed to take back as souvenirs.

I assisted where I could, mostly helping dump extra bottles someone couldn’t carry all at once, or picking up a cup. Most of the fans I attempted to speak with couldn’t speak English, but the language of courtesy and assistance needs no words.

The Japan fans sections were indeed spotless when they left. Walking out of the building, AT&T Stadium workers had begun their cleanup in other sections. Over here, the large garbage cans overflowed with blue garbage bags.

Japan had advanced to the knockout stage for the third World Cup in a row. That was most important to the fans. So was having fun, as chants continued outside the stadium. But good manners can go a long way. There’s no need to mess with that.

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