How KFC became a Christmas tradition in Japan

Almost every year since she was a child, Hokkaido resident Naomi has looked forward to her family's traditional Christmas meal: a KFC "party barrel" brimming with salad, cake and lots of fried chicken.
"In Japan, it is customary to eat chicken at Christmas," says the 30-something Japanese woman.
"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."
Naomi, who asked only to be identified by her first name, and her family are far from the only Japanese residents who enjoy KFC for Christmas dinner.
Every year since the mid-1980s, life-size Colonel Sanders statues -- dressed as Santa during the holiday -- have welcomed droves of locals and tourists alike across the country.
According to figures released by the American fast-food chain, KFC Japan pulled in 6.9 billion yen (roughly US$63 million) from December 20 to 25 in 2018, with lines out the door starting on December 23.

KFC Japan's busiest day is usually December 24, on which they usually sell about five to 10 times more than typical days.
"As Christmas approaches, KFC commercials play on TV -- they look very delicious. We order early then go to the store at the designated time to pick up our bucket," says Naomi.
"Those who don't reserve a bucket see themselves in long queues for hours."
'KFC was everywhere'
To better understand how and why fried chicken became synonymous with Christmas in Japan, we have to rewind a few decades.
Following a period of austerity following World War II in the 1940s and '50s, 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," says Ted Bestor, a professor of Social Anthropology at Harvard University who has studied Japanese food and culture for the past 50 years.
"Since the US was a cultural powerhouse at the time, there was huge interest in Western fashion, foods, trips overseas -- Japan was really opening up."
While living in the center of Tokyo in the early 1970s, Bestor recalls seeing many foreign franchises popping up, such as Baskin-Robbins, Mister Donut and The Original Pancake House.
During this period of rapid globalization, Japan's fast-food industry expanded 600% between 1970 and 1980, according to "Colonel Comes to Japan," a 1981 documentary directed by John Nathan.
KFC -- then known as Kentucky Fried Chicken -- was part of the pack, opening its first Japan outlet in Nagoya in 1970.
In 2012, Japan Airlines teamed up with KFC to offer "AIR Kentucky Fried Chicken" -- a limited-time collaboration that took flight just in time for the holidays.  
In 2012, Japan Airlines teamed up with KFC to offer "AIR Kentucky Fried Chicken" -- a limited-time collaboration that took flight just in time for the holidays.
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images
By 1981, the chain had opened 324 stores -- over 30 a year -- and made roughly US$200 million per year, according to the documentary.
"It seemed like, suddenly, Kentucky Fried Chicken was everywhere," recalls Bestor.
Kentucky for Christmas
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.
A statue of Colonel Sanders in a Santa outfit on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. 
A statue of Colonel Sanders in a Santa outfit on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images
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.
Meanwhile, in 2017, the host of "The Rising Sun Show" -- a 30-minute TV show produced by the U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs -- interviewed a KFC meister, who said the concept caught on after a foreign customer asked KFC to deliver fried chicken in a Santa Claus costume on Christmas.

Other sources say Okawara simply overheard westerners seeking a replacement for turkey and thought up a worthy substitute.
Conflicting origin stories aside, KFC managed to capture the imagination of Japanese diners and create a national phenomenon.
Catchy Christmas marketing
People queue in front of a KFC restaurant on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. 
People queue in front of a KFC restaurant on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images
Of course, "Kentucky for Christmas" didn't catch on without a substantial advertising investment.
A typical KFC Christmas ad from the 1970s or '80s likely would have showcased a family enjoying a luscious feast of golden, fried chicken as the song "My Old Kentucky Home" played in the background.
"For anybody who grew up in America, you immediately knew that 'My Old Kentucky Home' is not a Christmas carol," says Bestor.
"But [these were] really beautifully done campaigns that linked fried chicken with Christmas as well as Christmas with the idea of consuming luxurious foods. Obviously, the idea took hold."
Such ads positioned KFC as an elegant, authentic way to celebrate in true American style, even if that wasn't quite true to reality.
"The festive commercials are what initially made me want to try to eat KFC for Christmas," Shuho Inazumi, a librarian who lives in Iwakuni on Honshu island, tells CNN Travel. "I'm from the countryside and there weren't too many KFCs around, so KFC was considered cool."
Familiar flavors
But to chalk up such lasting success solely to smart advertising wouldn't be totally fair -- it can also be attributed to KFC's compatibility with existing cultural norms.
For instance, Bestor says KFC is similar to a popular traditional Japanese dish called karaage, which comprises small pieces of panko-breaded, deep-fried meats like chicken or fish.
"In terms of flavor profiles, Kentucky Fried Chicken is not a stretch -- it's not a new taste or something that people have to get accustomed to," he says.
Likewise, the tradition of sharing a big "party barrel" of fried chicken, coleslaw and cake fits neatly into Japanese dining culture.
"Being able to share food is an important social practice in Japan. So a bucket of fried chicken both tastes familiar and fulfills this desire to eat together," he adds.
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20513595
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20513625
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20506873
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20513691
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20513728
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20506944
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20506956
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20513757
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20506976
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20506983
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20513790
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20507003
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518287
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511169
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511203
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511174
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518120
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518124
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518124
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518144
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518151
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511213
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518162
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518168
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511232
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518179
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518183
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511248
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511383
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518191
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518196
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511259
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511263
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511370
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518208
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518283
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511271
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511276
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511288
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511377
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518221
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518261
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511296
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511300
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518233
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511306
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518241
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518304
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518268
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511347
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518275
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518278
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511362
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518244
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511322
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20518250
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20511335
How KFC became a Christmas tradition in Japan
https://paiza.io/projects/sT_seuqGbtMxNzgx7C4QIg
https://jsfiddle.net/xbhc6ou5/
http://www.raptorfind.com/link/882888/watch-demon-slayer-the-movie-mugen-train-2020-hd-full-movie-online-123movies
https://www.peeranswer.com/question/5fe53f76c163620e5f73a5ac
https://ideone.com/O6YxZf
https://paste.firnsy.com/paste/K8vIYiHRqns
https://pastebin.com/AYq50bqd