Episode Details

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the origins of the famous custom of Japanese World Cup soccer/football fans cleaning stadiums after a match is over. Where did this custom originate? Who started it? Why do they use blue garbage bags? We talk about all that and more!

👉Topics Discussed

• The history of the Japanese soccer/football fan cleaning up trash custom
• Why Korean soccer fans may be the origin of the Japanese soccer fan stadium clean up custom
• How Tanabe Seiyaku fans clean up trash after their team lost the Emperor's Cup on January 1st, 1981
• Japan's loss to Korea during the 1985 qualifiers for the 1986 Mexico World Cup
• About Yoshizawa Koichi
• How Korean soccer fans picked up their own trash after defeating Japan in 1985
• Why Japanese soccer fans use blue garbage bags to cheer at soccer games
• And much more!

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👉Links, Videos, Etc.

Here are the sources I used for this episode:

• This is the article that shares the Yoshizawa Koichi story (about Korean soccer fans picking up trash): https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV6L3G9CV6LUQIP05YM.html
• https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0a9c3eeb476794e87fd854e91e730a16b9dc01a2?page=4
• https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/7a641bc611b1a765b8a8646f288ec347ada073a5

Here is the Japan Station episode that digs into the origins of why Japan has so few trash cans in public:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOYW0P4JfqY&t=1s
• JapanKyo Post: https://japankyo.com/2025/06/the-real-reason-japan-doesnt-have-public-trash-cans-theyre-lying-to-you-japan-station-163/

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