Kirk here. I’m not trying to advertise KFC but, even though I’ve lived in Japan a long time, I just learned today that there’s a strong association of KFC with the Christmas holiday in this country. My wife mentioned the long lines she saw at the KFC in Kengun today “because it’s Christmas eve.” My first reaction was “what does Christmas eve have to do with KFC?” The answer is in the following article:
How KFC became a Christmas tradition in Japan https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/kfc-christmas-tradition-japan/index.html
— start quote — Christmas was, and still is, a secular holiday in Japan – a country where less than 1% of the population identifies as Christian – and in the 1970s many people didn’t have established family Christmas traditions. That’s where KFC came in. The company launched its “Kentucky for Christmas” marketing campaign in 1974 and the first iteration of the party buckets soon followed. Some reports say that Takeshi Okawara, who managed the country’s first KFC and later became CEO of KFC Japan, falsely marketed fried chicken as a traditional American Christmas food to drum up sales. But according to KFC Japan, Okawara went to a Christmas party dressed as Santa. When the kids loved it, he saw a business opportunity. — end quote —
Regardless of which holidays you celebrate and how you celebrate them, I hope all enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season.
