World Cup 2018 and Japanese Cleaning Fans

By Fr. Vaclav Klemnet

EAO, 1 July 2018 -- Still two more weeks of the Soccer World Cup 2018 fever, until the Final game on July 15. Watching the football games in large international Salesian community gives a special taste to the ordinary. As of today both Australia and Korea Soccer Team (proud to win over former World Cup Winner Germany) travelled already back home.

As in every world level soccer tournament we cheer to our favourite team(s) and admire the new rising stars and pity with those who are 'fading' like Ronaldo or Messi. Among the 3 teams from EAO region remains today only Japan and God knows when they will be 'sent home' soon or later.

But what will remain in the World Cup memory is the behaviour of the Japan fans in the stadium after the game is over: Japan fans are going around the and picking up the litter and cleaning the stadium when other are gone. This post-game clean up operation attracted the attention of many journalist and makes me think a lot.

When the East Timorese youth (Vocation Training Center, Dili) return after one week of stay in Japan, all of them are impressed mainly by the cleanliness of that country. Indeed there is a Japanese saying 'We have to leave things cleaner than we found them'. And this deeply rooted attitude shines out also during the Soccer World Cup.

Each World Cup is a wonderful opportunity of cultural exchange among many nations. And that deeply rooted attitude in Japanese culture, possibly to avoid causing any inconvenience to others (meiwaku), to foster and maintain harmony in society may be one nice value we can learn from the Japanese fans in Russia 2018.

Cheers... World Cup Russia 2018!

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