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A quirky tradition in Japan is for people to tuck into a KFC bargain bucket on Christmas Day, instead of a home-cooked dinner, with orders booked weeks in advance.
Stores get a holiday-themed makeover in the run-up to Christmas, decked out in red and green.
The slogan ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ was part of a 1974 marketing campaign for the chicken franchise, and now each year around 3.6 million Japanese people sit down to KFC fried chicken at Christmas.
Even KFC’s mascot, Colonel Sanders, dresses up, with life-size models seen in Japanese cities dressed as Santa Claus.
Colonel Claus! Even KFC’s mascot, Colonel Sanders, dresses up, with life-size models seen in Japanese cities like Tokyo (pictured)
The campaign began in the 1970s to tempt tourists and expats with chicken on Christmas Day when they couldn’t find turkey to eat, and was the brainchild of Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the country’s first KFC, according to the BBC.
Okawara said publicly that the idea came to him in a dream, where he imagined people eating KFC at a Christmas party.
However, the true story is that it was the result of a moment of desperation and a slight adjustment of the truth, something he is said to “regret” today.
Business Insider he reports that he was sleeping on flour sacks after opening his own KFC branch, and the red-and-white westernized signage confused the locals, who would come in and ask if he had a barbershop.
Knowing that his business was in jeopardy, Okawara went on the radio to explain that the custom of Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas instead of turkey was a popular tradition in the West.
The Christmas ‘barrel’ contains original recipe chicken, a salad and a chocolate gateaux cake, as well as a collectible plate.
He told Business Insider: “I still regret that, but people liked it because it was a good thing.” [they thought came] from the United States or European countries,’
By 1973, KFC Japan had expanded to 75 locations, making it one of the most successful fast food chains in the country.
The idea stuck and in 1974 the first commercial aimed at couples was broadcast: it advertised a bucket of chicken along with a bottle of wine.
Because only one percent of the population is Christian, the holiday is often characterized by non-traditional festivities and a noticeable lack of religious symbolism.
But for those who participate, it’s not as simple as walking in and ordering. December is a busy month for KFC in Japan: daily sales at some restaurants during the Christmas period can be 10 times higher than usual. Getting the food often requires ordering weeks in advance, and those who don’t will wait in line, sometimes for hours.
KFC’s Christmas Bucket, commonly called a Keg, comes with a limited-edition Christmas-themed collectible plate.
Kentucky Christmas arrived in Japan in the 1970s, and in 1974 the first commercial was broadcast on television.
Not surprisingly, the week before Christmas Eve is the most profitable week of the year for the franchise, grossing £38,000,000 (6.1 billion Japanese yen) in 2018 and achieving record sales of £44,000,000 ( 7.1 billion yen) in 2019.
Revenue fell in 2020 from the previous year’s increase to £43,000.00 (6.9 billion yen) for Christmas week due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In 2021, social distancing regulations threatened the custom, as large lines were discouraged, and KFC Holdings Japan encouraged customers to order online and pick up their food at a set time instead of lining up outside the store. gate.
Other companies have cashed in on the fried chicken bonanza, with supermarket chains and convenience stores like FamilyMart offering their own inexpensive versions of the fried feast.
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