The 2014 World Cup craze, ignited by 32 national teams fighting in Brazil, is sweeping the world. Fans from all over the world throng into 12 host cities, waving their national flags, forming a sea of patriotic colors.

While football players are showing off their ball skills in the stadium, the manners of the supporters on the stands also demonstrate something about their countries.

On Sunday, Japan suffered a 2-1 defeat in a Group C game against Cote d'Ivoire. However, Japan won an off-court victory.

After the match, pictures of Japanese spectators in raincoat gathering up discarded litter with bin liners quickly spread through Twitter and Facebook.

A Brazilian netizen wrote that the Japanese fans' manner shames the Brazilians, who spend all their time barking and shouting hysterically.

A Mexican fan commented that the moment he saw the pictures, he realized why Japan enjoys a good international image.

This makes it possible for the Japanese team to lose graciously. Through this match, the Japanese won the respect of not just Brazilians, but also football lovers across the world.

In respect of image-shaping, we have to admit that throughout these years, the Japanese have been keeping the best record among Asian countries. They enjoy a good reputation even in many countries that were invaded by Japan during WWII.

One could certainly argue that the Japanese courtesy is hypocritical and that deep behind such hypocrisy is the spirit of the samurai, which is no different from the "Japanese Mind" in wartime.

Nonetheless, a more important question we should ask ourselves is that why people from other countries cannot behave like the Japanese, or at least haven't fostered such good habits.

We frequently talk about "shaping" the national image. But in fact, the national image is difficult to "shape." It might even be counterproductive if you seek to purposely "shape" it.

This is reminiscent of the heroes in Chinese revolutionary films, who enjoy a perfect image in every possible way. But no one treats them as real human beings.

The Japanese also work to shape their national image. Japan has been stressing economic aid to developing countries and its contribution in international organizations as key measures to boost national reputation.

When I was working in Southeast Asia in recent years, I often met active civil groups from Japan that were very proactive in rural or remote areas. Private charity organizations from Japan have even extended their aid to ethnic minority areas in northern Myanmar that are close to China.

And there are Japanese-branded electronic products, which can be found in malls across the world, and Japanese cars represented by Toyota and Honda.

But besides this external aid and quality products, what's most touching in terms of image-building is everyday habits.

I believe the Japanese fans who cleaned their part of the stands after the game didn't do it out of any concern for national image, but just out of ingrained good manners.

This reminded me of a story told by Chinese scholar Fang Ning. One day he was trapped in a grand traffic jam in Japan. For more than 100 kilometers, it was a gridlock. But everything was in order, and people patiently waited for seven to eight hours.

These are the Japanese, who win applause through tenacity, order and good manners. What makes them awe-inspiring perhaps hides within these everyday habits.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily. He is now stationed in Brazil. dinggang@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow him on Twitter at @dinggangchina