{"id":27588,"date":"2024-12-19T10:30:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T20:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/?p=27588"},"modified":"2024-12-06T17:23:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T03:23:19","slug":"yes-japanese-people-really-feast-on-kfc-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/19\/yes-japanese-people-really-feast-on-kfc-for-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, Japanese People Really Feast on KFC for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover how a global fast-food chain became essential to Japan\u2019s Christmas celebrations, offering a unique blend of tradition and modern culture with Kentucky Fried Chicken at the heart of the holiday season. (Photo by Nagisa Umemoto)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By<\/span> Nagisa Umemoto | Staff Writer<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

When visualizing Christmas dinner in the U.S., one probably imagines turkey or ham. But in Japan, Christmas often translates to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yes, that KFC with the Southern Colonel and the delicious, calorie-heavy, deep-fried chicken with incredible sides. <\/span><\/p>\n

Most people would laugh at the idea of KFC being a special holiday treat, but this has been the culture of Japanese Christmas for many decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

KFC Japan was officially founded on July 4, 1970, Independence Day, in honor of the company\u2019s American roots. The first store opened in Osaka. Today, there are over 1,200 KFC locations across Japan, and it is loved and enjoyed by Japanese people in both cities and rural areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tradition of eating KFC on Christmas began in 1974 when Kentucky Fried Chicken launched its now famous \u201cKurisumasu ni wa Kentakki\u201d (“Kentucky is for Christmas”) campaign. According to company records, Christmas wasn\u2019t widely celebrated in Japan then, but KFC seized the opportunity to position itself as a festive and unique choice for families. The campaign became a massive success, and today, many families pre-order their KFC Christmas buckets weeks in advance to ensure they don\u2019t miss out. <\/span><\/p>\n

For me, KFC has always been a part of my Christmas memories. I remember standing in a long line for one hour with my mama on Christmas Eve to buy the chicken. I cannot forget how my family sat around the red bucket, laughing and sharing each piece. My mom once waited in line for over two hours to get the chicken. It\u2019s not unusual for people to stay in long lines during Christmas. Sometimes, the stores even run out of chicken because of the high demand. However, there is an online reservation available now, it\u2019s possible to get the chicken without waiting in long lines on the day itself.<\/p>\n

I interviewed my grandmother to understand how deeply rooted this tradition is.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI first bought KFC for Christmas in the late 1970s,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cAt that time, Christmas wasn\u2019t as big of a holiday as it is now, but when I saw the commercials, I thought, \u2018This is perfect for a special day.\u2019 I remember buying a big bucket of chicken and sharing it with my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She described how, even in those early days, KFC represented more than just fast food \u2014 it was a way to make an ordinary evening feel festive. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe smell of fried chicken filled the house, and we\u2019d sit together as a family, laughing and talking,” she said. “It was simple, but it felt so special.”<\/span><\/p>\n

While KFC might be an everyday fast food choice in the U.S., it has a very different image in Japan, especially during the holidays. In Japan, KFC is considered a treat \u2014 something indulgent and festive. The pre-order process, which often includes exclusive holiday packages, further adds to its appeal as a \u201cspecial occasion\u201d meal. The iconic \u201c<\/span>Christmas Party Barrel<\/span><\/a>\u201d is a staple of KFC\u2019s holiday offerings, featuring the signature fried chicken and Christmas-themed cakes and salads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are 6 to 8 pieces of chicken and side dishes, which are lasagna and Christmas cakes. It costs around $50. For those who think the Party Barrel has too much food or expensive, there’s also the Christmas Pack. This pack includes 3 to 5 pieces of chicken and comes with nuggets as well. It\u2019s a more manageable option and can be bought for around $30.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Santa Claus Colonel welcomes visitors at a KFC store. (Photo by Nagisa Umemoto)<\/p><\/div>\n

Additionally, side items like nuggets and fried potato have become essential to the festive experience, rounding out the perfect holiday meal. <\/span><\/p>\n

The advertising for this tradition is just as memorable. The commercials<\/a> showing families happily sharing KFC at Christmas have left a strong impression on people in Japan. And, of course, the image of Colonel Sanders dressed as Santa Claus has become a familiar symbol of the holiday season.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Japan, the story of KFC at Christmas is a story of family and connection. Why not join in the tradition next time you\u2019re in Japan during the holidays? I will be in Hawai\u2018i for Christmas this year. However, it might be hard to get KFC because they will be closed on Christmas day. So, I\u2019ll have to plan to make sure I can enjoy it on another day during the winter vacation season!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how a global fast-food chain became essential to Japan\u2019s Christmas celebrations, offering a unique blend of tradition and modern culture with Kentucky Fried Chicken at the heart of the holiday season. (Photo by Nagisa Umemoto)\u00a0 By Nagisa Umemoto | Staff Writer When visualizing Christmas dinner in the U.S., one probably imagines turkey or ham. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":27611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapionews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}