Why do they eat KFC for Christmas in Japan?

In 1970, Takeshi Okawara—manager of the first KFC restaurant in Japan—began promoting fried chicken “party barrels” as a Christmas meal intended to serve as a substitute for the traditional American turkey dinner. Eating KFC food as a Christmas time meal has since become a widely practiced custom in Japan.

Who celebrates Christmas with KFC?

Japan
Yes, you read that correctly: Christmas and KFC are completely intertwined in Japan.

Why Japanese celebrate Christmas?

After World War II, Christian missionaries brought gifts and the concept of Christmas to Japanese schools and families. Japan adopted the holiday, not for religious reasons, but to show prosperity in a modern world.

Do Japanese people actually eat KFC for Christmas?

KFC has been the ultimate Japanese Christmas food since December 1974, just four years after the first KFC store arrived in Japan. Today, around 3.6 million Japanese people tuck into a feast of the Colonel’s fried chicken specialities every Christmas. It’s known by its catchy slogan – known as ‘Kentucky for Christmas!

Do the Japanese eat KFC for Christmas?

(CNN) — 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.

Why don t Japanese celebrate Christmas?

Christmas in Japan is a fun, festive time of year. Since there are few Christians in the country, none of the religious connotations associated with Christmas were brought over from the West, and it isn’t a national holiday.

When did Japanese people start eating KFC for Christmas?

1974
Then, in the 1970s, KFC came to Japan and, in 1974, launched the first KFC Christmas campaign, selling a bucket of KFC’s famous fried chicken along with a bottle of wine and suggesting it be used for a Christmas party that wasn’t just for kids, but for grownups too.