(CNN) Even after they were booted out of the World Cup, the Japanese national football team gave us a lesson in grace. Following their heartbreaking loss to Belgium on Monday , the players left behind a note that said "спасибо" (Russian for "thank you") in their locker room. Oh, and they cleaned it up. The good sportsmanship is another example of how Japan -- players and fans -- have earned the admiration of everyone at the games in Russia. Where fans of other teams hit the news for doing things like giving Nazi salutes , Japan's revelers made headlines in late June for sticking around after a victory to clean up the stadium This is my favourite moment of the World Cup so far; Japan fans picking up litter after their victory vs Columbia. The lessons in life we can take from the game. Why I support 🇯🇵 #class ✅ #respect ✅ #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/FyYLhAGDbi Need further proof the Japanese players have the kind of manners that would make your parents want to invite them around for a holiday meal? Japanese players bow to their supporters after the heartbreaking loss to Belgium. https://t.co/AENt75h6Cn pic.twitter.com/tOFyGTdeoz — Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) July 2, 2018 After Monday's defeat, which came after they fended Belgium off and led by a point for some time, the Japanese team bowed to their own fans in gratitude.<doc-sep>The Samurai Blue of Japan were eliminated from World Cup play on Monday. But the crushing defeat by Belgium didn't stop the Japanese national team from cleaning their locker room until it was spotless, and leaving behind a note thanking Russia for hosting them. A tweet from sports correspondent Tancredi Palmeri showing Japan's immaculate locker room and a one-word thank you note has gone viral, with more than 12,000 likes and 6,000 retweets as of Tuesday morning. Palmeri noted that the photo was uploaded by a delegate from FIFA, the organization that runs the World Cup. "Amazing from Japan," Palmeri tweeted. "This is how they left the changing room after losing v Belgium: cleaned it all. And in the middle, have left a message to Russia: "Spasibo" (Thank you)" Amazing from Japan. This is how they left the changing room after losing v Belgium: cleaned it all. And in the middle, have left a message to Russia: “Spasibo” (Thank you) pic.twitter.com/lrwoIZt2pR — Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) July 3, 2018 Japan's fans have been praised for staying after every game of the tournament, even Monday's heartbreaking loss, and cleaning up the stadium. Even after losing, Japan fans still stayed behind to clean up the stands 👏 pic.twitter.com/Q5t9akokKy — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 2, 2018 Respect 🇯🇵 Japan fans clean up Volgograd Stadium after their loss to #POL [🎥 IG: Thomas_mandl] #JPN pic.twitter.com/oQ97u8jT0M — COPA90 US (@COPA90US) June 28, 2018 Twitter applauded the team and fans' attitudes. Wrote one Twitter user, "I love this! I'm not just appreciating the fact that they cleaned, but the fact that they stayed true to their values despite the disappointing situation they had just faced. I'm forced to ask myself, do I still upload my values even when I'm going through my worst moments?" Another called Japan an "amazing team" and praised the Japanese for bringing "a breath of fresh air" to the tournament. I love this! ❤️ I’m not just appreciating the fact that they cleaned, but the fact that they stayed true to their values despite the disappointing situation they had just faced. I’m forced to ask myself, do I still upload my values even when I’m going through my worst moments? — Ibukun O. (@IbukunOg) July 3, 2018 Amazing team! Obviously amazing people. Japan all ways bring a breath of fresh air to the world cup — rhys platt (@rhys2k1) July 3, 2018 Thanks to #Japan for making Asia proud. Better luck next time, Congrats to Belgium. Belgium won the match, Japan won our hearts. Love from 🇮🇳 — kiran krishnan (@kirankris) July 2, 2018 Some other teams' fans were also noted for cleaning the stadiums after World Cup games, including Tunisia and Senegal. This was especially noticeable when Senegal and Japan played each other on June 24, and both sets of fans set to busily cleaning the stadium after the teams played to a 2-2 draw. Japan and Senegal fans are cleaning up the World Cup...literally 👏 pic.twitter.com/mASdYTzv7R — B/R Football (@brfootball) June 25, 2018 #TyCSportsMundial Senegal consiguió un triunfo histórico. Pero sus hinchas en lugar de festejar a minutos de terminado el partido, se encargan de limpiar su sector antes de retirarse. #RESPECT. pic.twitter.com/RiKovpfmoT — TyC Sports (@TyCSports) June 19, 2018 Interesting fact: If Japan and Senegal had received equal numbers of yellow cards and were therefore equally nice, qualification for the next round would have been decided based on how good their respective fans were at cleaning up the stadiums after them. — Ian (F) Martin (@ianfmartin) June 28, 2018 Instead of us saying "If only there were more Japanese/Senegal people in the world", we should learn from them and implement it in our system. If we can clean up our mess everytime, the world would then be a cleaner place to live in. — Harsh (@HarshBiyani_) July 3, 2018 Even FIFA's official World Cup account highlighted the Japanese contribution to the tournament in a tweet after the team's elimination. "Thank you for contributing so much to a #WorldCup classic and for everything you've added to Russia 2018, Japan," the tweet read. Elation for Belgium, but utter heartbreak for #JPN Thank you for contributing so much to a #WorldCup classic and for everything you've added to Russia 2018, Japan. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rtd3xUrEyj — FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) July 2, 2018 The World Cup continues without Japan on Wednesday, as Sweden knocked out Switzerland and England and Colombia prepared to play. World Cup 2018: Find out how to watch, learn some trivia and more. Culture: Your hub for everything from film and television to music, comics, toys and sports.<doc-sep>Today’s Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy<doc-sep>
Japan's World Cup journey may have come to an end, but the team is leaving a lasting legacy for their actions off the field Japan’s World Cup journey may have come to an end, but the team is leaving a lasting legacy for their actions off the field. Despite giving up three goals in the final 25 minutes of Monday’s game against Belgium, resulting in a final score of 3-2, Japan made sure to take the time to clean up their locker room following their heartbreaking defeat. The team left the dressing room spotless, and even left behind a note that read “Thank you” in Russian, in honor of the tournament’s host country, according to a photo first shared by FIFA coordinator Priscilla Janssens. Japanese fans also did their part, continuing their tradition of tidying up the stands following games. Russia Soccer WCup Belgium Japan, Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation - 02 Jul 2018 Japan | Credit: Rebecca Blackwell/AP/REX/Shutterstock Japan was first praised for their courtesy after their win over Colombia last month. Fans pulled out garbage bags they brought along to pick up the trash around their seats in the Mordovia Arena. “This is my favourite moment of the World Cup so far; Japan fans picking up litter after their victory vs Columbia,” Twitter user Christopher McKaig captioned a video capturing the good deed. “The lessons in life we can take from the game.” Japanese fans were praised for similar actions at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they stayed behind after the game to tidy up. Japan-based sports journalist Scott McIntyre told the BBC he was not at all surprised by the post-game clean-up effort. “It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture,” he said. “You often hear people say that football is a reflection of culture. An important aspect of Japanese society is making sure that everything is absolutely clean and that’s the case in all sporting events and certainly also in football.” Scott North, professor of sociology at Osaka University, told the outlet that cleanliness is a trait instilled in the country’s people from childhood.