Good news: Japanese fans make a mark at the FIFA World Cup by picking up their own litter

Japan has been making a name for itself at the FIFA World Cup. The Samurai Blue, as the team is known, followed up a surprise victory over 4-time world champions, Germany, in their opening game with a narrow loss to Costa Rica. However, it's not their performance on the field making the biggest headlines. Instead, it's the behavior of their fans that has grabbed the attention.

In Japan, it's a tradition to clean up after yourself at sports events, and the Japanese have taken those good manners to Qatar. After each game, Japanese supporters can be seen in the stands, blue trash bags in hand, picking up litter.

Watch the video to see Japanese soccer fans doing what comes naturally at the FIFA World Cup.

According to Masaya Fukumori, the joint leader of the Japan supporters group, cleaning up after yourself is no big deal for Japanese soccer fans.

"Winning or losing a match does not matter at all. We brought these bags to support our team. Our main goal is to fill the stadium with a blue color by using blue plastic bags. And since we have garbage bags anyway, let's just clean up the garbage on the way home. That's how we think. We are here to support our team. And for Japanese people, cleaning (after the match) is just the normal thing to do."

And it's not just the fans who maintain the traditions of cleanliness. After Japan's first group game of the World Cup, the organizers were stunned to find the team's locker room equally clean and tidy, with no sign that the players had even been in there.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Japanese soccer fans leave stadiums spotless at FIFA World Cup