Japan fans left the stands spotless after their World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Texas on Sunday, saying it was "Japanese culture" to tidy up after themselves.Japan are appearing at their eighth straight World Cup and their fans' cleanliness has become their international calling card.
In school, they don’t have janitors. Because all the kids do the cleaning it takes the students about 15 minutes a day in school to clean it.
I think it’s the same in Taiwan.
I wonder if Westerners had to clean at school if it affects us on a societal level to clean like that. Or if the larger social pressure isn’t there for people to help like that.
My first time in Japan I was so confused as to why it was so clean yet there were hardly any garbage cans anywhere. You had to return your garbage to the vendor you bought your food from, and not stray far from them, or bring it home. There was the rare garbage can.
In Russia in my school most class coordinators/teachers organized an evening a month to clean up the classroom they are responsible for and spent most time in. There were contracted cleaners, but they mopped only the floor, while the condition of tables, shelves, blackboards etc were on students and their coordinator/teacher. Also in my school, we had regular roles you can fill to help staff by being a helper to a librarian, a dishwasher to a cook or being a coridor cop ensuring no one runs around - I moved lotsa books and washed tonsa dishes to bond with friends, smoke and skip classes.
I don’t actually know if it’s normal here in Denmark, but in my school the students had to clean most (but not all) of it. Everyone, including people from that school, still litter everywhere.
I wonder if this has something to do with size and construction, here schools are built like office buildings and frankly I wouldn’t want a child operating a linoleum floor waxer. Or do they still have somebody there who does the more rigorous cleaning?
The kids do all the daily cleaning, they still don’t have janitors. The school still has maintenance workers. I’m certain the large machinery would be handled by them and would be considered part of maintenance and not cleaning.
I think you are right in that the schools are smaller, every square inch of urban area feels like 15 minute city material. So everything people need in daily life is within reach, small but numerous. I’m no expert though, just a tourist who visits his Japanese friends and asks lots of questions 😅