Following victory by Japan, Colombian fans take part in a Japanese tradition.

It’s become customary for sports fans in Japan to flood the streets of Tokyo’s Shiubya neighborhood after major victories by the country’s soccer team. That happened again on Tuesday night, following Japan’s historic World Cup victory over Colombia, but meanwhile, at the stadium in Russia where the match took place, another Japanese sporting tradition was being continued, and even expanded.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Japanese fans attracted international praise when they were seen stuffing trash into large blue bags they’d brought with them after the conclusion of a game. It was a classy example of Japanese society’s value of cleanliness and consideration, and after Japan’s win against Colombia, Japanese fans in attendance started cleaning up once again…but this time they were joined by Colombian supporters.

Japanese Twitter user @tsunsan posted these photos showing fans, dressed in Colombia’s bright yellow jerseys, sprucing up the stadium, along with the following message:

“Colombia’s supporters were wonderful. So many people told us ‘Congratulations.’ They even used our blue trash bags and picked up trash together with us.

Would we Japanese fans have been this considerate if the game’s outcome had been reversed? The world of soccer is a deep one.”

There’d actually be precedent for @tsunsan having a bit more faith in his fellow Japanese fans, since it was after a loss by Japan’s team in 2014 that word spread around the admirable manners of Japanese fans. This is the first we’ve heard, though, of the post-game trash pickup becoming a multi-nation activity, and Japanese Twitter has been abuzz at the heartwarming development in World Cup etiquette, with comments such as:

“What a wonderful story.”
“Colombia’s fans are great! Sports really are amazing.”
“The good feeling keep on going even after the match is over.”
“I bet that this sort of thing will become a part of soccer culture all over the world.”
“I really like Colombia now.”

While the last comment might have a bit of exaggerated exuberance behind it, it still highlights how sports have a unique power to bring people from different cultures together, helping to make the world a kinder, happier, and, in this case, even a cleaner place.

Source: Twitter/@tsunsan via Hachima Kiko

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’s celebrating Japan’s victory by cleaning his apartment.