On Jun. 11, the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico City. The coming days will deliver an opening ceremony spectacle, dazzling goals, dubious VAR calls, a viral celebration dance, at least one penalty shootout that ends in tears, a managerial firing, and the lifting of the trophy at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Jul. 19. Forty-eight nations, 16 cities, a global television audience that will dwarf any other event on the calendar. The drama is guaranteed.

There is one other absolute certainty, and it will play out post-game, not on the pitch but in the stands: The Japanese Cleanup. At every World Cup since their country’s debut in France in 1998, Japanese supporters have stayed behind after the final whistle, pulled out blue plastic bags, and worked the rows, picking up cups, wrappers, and discarded flags until their section looked the way they found it.

The ritual has been performed in defeat as well as in victory. As a result, tens of millions of people worldwide who could not name a single Japanese player, nor recall watching the Samurai Blue take the field, can describe the scene.

The players have joined in. After Japan’s stunning 2-1 win over Germany at Khalifa International Stadium in 2022, FIFA tweeted out a photograph of the Japanese dressing room: towels folded, water bottles lined up, floor swept. On the table sat eleven origami cranes, one for each player on the pitch, and a handwritten note that read “Thank you” in Japanese and Arabic. When Japan was eliminated by Croatia 12 days later, the players did it again.

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