# Japanese Dopers - KFC and Christmas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385 "2010-12-25T23:08:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/1 "2010-12-25T23:08:50Z")
All my Japanese friends and acquaintances in Tokyo, and as far out as Shimane and Fukuoka, and even my Japanese language teacher here in the US, at some point on Christmas eve or Christmas day, go for a Christmas meal at KFC, that’s right, Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s somewhat of a tradition in Japan. Fine. Whatever. Stranger practices exist. What I find odd, however, is no one I’ve asked knows when, how, or why this practice began. I understand that the Japanese have some sort of reverence for The Colonel, but again, I don’t know why. I guess I could look it up, but I really want to hear from people who live, or have lived there, and actually know. メリークリ\* \* Slang for ‘Merry Cristmas’ ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/2 "2010-12-25T23:16:45Z")
Mods, I meant to place this thread in General Questions. Can it be moved? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/3 "2010-12-25T23:25:51Z")
I found an [article](http://www.livetradingnews.com/japan-wants-for-kfc-for-christmas-dinner-30349.htm) on it (I had never heard of this, though it’s been years since I was in Japan. The oddest thing I remember was the craze for beef jerky…wonder if they still do that). > [@](#): > > It all started in the early 1970’s when KFC was new to the market, Japan’s economy was in its fast-growth stage and was absorbing and adapting appealing areas of western culture fast. It turned out to be perfect timing for KFC. > > According to the company, a representative of a Christian mission school had ordered chicken at a Tokyo KFC as they could not get hold of any Turkey. A bright employee suggested the situation could be made into an Ad campaign. The rest is history.—Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr. [www.livetradingnews.com](http://www.livetradingnews.com) -XT ---
**Author:** ![\_cc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e19b73/32.png) [@\_cc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_cc)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/4 "2010-12-26T02:18:41Z")
It really is one of my favorite goofy cultural differences to be constantly asked, “Oh, do you have Kentucky in America, too?” ---
**Author:** ![chromaticity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@chromaticity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chromaticity)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/5 "2010-12-26T03:45:28Z")
Yup , looks like the tradition started with an ad campaign in 1974. As, xtisme says above, there were supposedly some foreign people who ordered some KFC around 1971/72 from the Aoyama branch, and the idea took off. From [here](http://www.gaisyoku.biz/pages/story/kfc/kfc_04.cfm). I heard about this a couple of years back, but I just chalked it up to ad inspired craziness. Just for fun, here is the [commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfOkzRJegSE) for Christmas. It suggests that people make reservations early! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/6 "2010-12-26T06:41:31Z")
> [@'\[cc](#): > > ;13288310’]It really is one of my favorite goofy cultural differences to be constantly asked, “Oh, do you have Kentucky in America, too?” Heh. Yep. My Japanese teacher lamented in class that “Kentucky at Christmas time” in the US is not the same at all as in Japan. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-dopers-kfc-and-christmas/565385/7 "2010-12-26T07:15:26Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > I found an [article](http://www.livetradingnews.com/japan-wants-for-kfc-for-christmas-dinner-30349.htm) on it (I had never heard of this, though it’s been years since I was in Japan. The oddest thing I remember was the craze for beef jerky…wonder if they still do that). > > -XT Ogilvy and Mather, eh? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. > [@chromaticity](#): > > Yup , looks like the tradition started with an ad campaign in 1974. As, xtisme says above, there were supposedly some foreign people who ordered some KFC around 1971/72 from the Aoyama branch, and the idea took off. > From [here](http://www.gaisyoku.biz/pages/story/kfc/kfc_04.cfm). \*\*chromaticity, \*_that article from 外食_ is really interesting. It even mentions KFCJ introducing the concept of Christmas cake, which is just as popular and ingrained in the holiday as chicken. It seems they actually defined how Christmas is celebrated in Japan today. I’m impressed. \*Eating Out > [@chromaticity](#): > > I heard about this a couple of years back, but I just chalked it up to ad inspired craziness. > Just for fun, here is the [commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfOkzRJegSE) for Christmas. It suggests that people make reservations early! Thanks **xtisme** and **chromaticity**.