Did You Know That KFC is a Christmas Tradition in Japan?
Who knew?!
According to CNN, KFC Japan pulled in 6.9 billion yen (roughly $63 million) from December 20 to 25 in 2018, with lines out the door starting on December 23.
As it turns out, the American fried chicken chain is a Japanese Christmas tradition. Ain’t that something?
“In Japan, it is customary to eat chicken at Christmas,” Hokkaido resident Naomi told CNN. “Every year, I order the party barrel and enjoy it with my family. I like the delicious chicken and the cute picture plate that comes with it as a bonus.”
Furthermore, ever year since the mid-1980s, life-size Colonel Sanders statues — dressed as Santa during the holiday — welcome lines and lines of people from various areas in the country, all to enjoy the delicious fried chicken.
A traditional Christmas meal in Japan would consist of a KFC “party barrel” with salad, cake, and lots of fried chicken. CNN reports that KFC Japan’s busiest day is December 24, when they typically sell about five to 10 times more than average.
Apparently, this trend has an interesting history as well. It all began after World War II in the 1940s and ’50s, when Japan’s economy started taking off.
“Japan’s economic power was going through the roof … and people had the cash to indulge in consumer culture for the first time,” Ted Bestor, a professor of Social Anthropology at Harvard University who has studied Japanese food and culture for the past 50 years, told CNN. “Since the U.S. was a cultural powerhouse at the time, there was huge interest in Western fashion, foods, trips overseas — Japan was really opening up.”
It was during this time that Japan’s fast-food industry expanded 600 percent between 1970 and 1980. As the years evolved, food marketing ultimately defined its new tradition: KFC for everyone!
Who’s hungry for chicken now? [cue: raises hand]