❶Amongst the many other things that the Japanese are known for, one that stands out is their keen sense of duty to keep public spaces clean. We did see an example during the last football World Cup when the Japanese team won against the Columbians. While the Japanese fans were ecstatic that they had beaten a South American team for the first time in history, it was the easier choice for them to get into drunken revelry and raptures. They sure might have, but not before they cleaned up the entire place they were seated in. This had become the toast of the tournament. For those who are familiar with the Japanese lifestyle know that this is no biggie as this is taught to them in their schools.
❷ It's called the o-soji (cleaning) according to an article in Bright Vibes and is part of a tradition in the Japanese education system and is a value ingrained in people right from their childhood and invariably accompanies them to their graves. However, there are many misconceptions regarding this tradition. Many think that Japanese schools do not hire janitors and cleaners and have students do their work. This is absolutely not true. All schools in Japan have people called yomushuji, or shuji, they are non-teaching staff with many responsibilities like maintenance of the school property, cleaning the premises, being guard when kids are being dropped off and picked up, etc.
❸ The activity is not conducted due to the lack of manpower, its primary objective is to cultivate a sense of discipline, responsibility, and care for public spaces. The cleaning at a school starts after lunch and will continue for about 20 minutes every day, except for Wednesday and Saturday. Each class is responsible for cleaning their own classrooms and they are divided into groups to tidy up common areas in the school, like the playground or the library. The children then break for recess.
On the last day of each semester, this goes on for longer. While the students are cleaning, the public announcement system usually blasts “the o-soji song” or some other music to get them pumped for the activity. Music definitely helps in physical activity such as this. Some of the older students are tasked with helping the juniors with the tougher tasks and considering many Japanese families have only one child with no siblings - this activity somehow brings about a connection between kids of similar ages. It also promotes a sense of selflessness and the experience of helping someone who is younger.
❹ Children of third-grade or above are also required to engage in a neighborhood cleanup called chiiki seiso. Now, it is sometimes heard that some Japanese teenagers are not bothered about cleanliness. But on a larger scale, the tradition still stands. It is an example the world should learn from and try to inculcate these values in their citizens very early in their lives.
