Why KFC at Christmas is ‘really big’ in Japan, as a Michelin-star Tokyo restaurant chef and a cookbook author explain what makes fried chicken great

The Japanese prefer Kentucky Fried Chicken to turkey at Christmas, something started in the 1970s by the American fast-food giant’s clever marketing ploy

The demand for KFC is such that ‘you can forget it’ if you haven’t reserved it, says the chef of Sézanne, in Tokyo. A fried chicken cookbook author weighs in

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KFC’s “Kentucky for Christmas” campaign has made its fried chicken synonymous with the holiday since its launch 1974. We reveal how, as fried chicken champions give their opinions on what makes the dish stand out. Photo: Instagram/kfc_japan

Published: 12:45pm, 22 Dec 2023Updated: 12:54pm, 22 Dec 2023

While roast turkey with all the trimmings is traditional Christmas fare for many around the world, for some it’s all about a family-sized bucket of crisp Southern fried chicken – Kentucky Fried Chicken, to be precise.

In Japan, ordering a KFC meal for the festive period has become something of a ritual since the 1970s, so much so that there is a saying for the occasion: Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, which means “Kentucky for Christmas” in Japanese.

KFC Japan reports Christmas as the period when sales are typically highest, with December 24 being its busiest day of the year.

With his cheerful demeanour and snowy white beard, it’s not hard to see how Colonel Sanders has become almost synonymous with Christmas in Japan. But how did it all begin?

A KFC Christmas meal in Japan. Photo: Instagram

Despite only two per cent of its population being Christian, Japan makes a big deal out of Christmas, albeit in its own unique way. Not bound by some of the traditions of Western cultures, it was easy for marketers to create their own profitable rituals.