How KFC Became A Christmas Tradition In Japan

KFC. Bucket with strips, burger in paper box and french fries.

Klymenko Mariia/Shutterstock

It started with a dream — literally. Takeshi Okawara, the manager of Japan’s very first KFC, reportedly scribbled down an idea at midnight after hearing foreign customers lament the lack of Christmas turkey. The next morning, “Party Barrels” were born: family-sized buckets of fried chicken marketed as a holiday meal alternative. It was a bold pitch, especially in a country with no baked ham tradition, no tree-trimming ritual, and no long-established Christmas dinner.

In 1974, KFC Japan went national with the now-famous campaign, “Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii”, meaning Kentucky for Christmas. It wasn’t just a catchy slogan; it was a seasonal blueprint. What began as a workaround quickly gained traction. Suddenly, KFC wasn’t just a fast-food chain — it was a holiday fixture. Add it to the list of things you didn’t know about Kentucky Fried Chicken: it’s one of Japan’s most enduring Christmas brands.

The real genius of the campaign was that it didn’t try to mimic Western customs. Instead, it gave Japan something entirely new: a fun, family-centered tradition that felt festive without feeling forced. The original package even came with a bottle of wine, nudging the fried chicken into celebration territory. In a country without a Christmas dinner playbook, KFC made its own.

A deep-fried Christmas, decades in the making

A statue of Colonel Sanders in Santa outfit is pictured on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

Today, Japan’s Christmas season doesn’t begin with sleigh bells — it starts when KFC Japan opens preorders in late October. “Kentucky for Christmas” has become a logistical operation as much as a holiday tradition, with some customers ordering weeks in advance to avoid standing in line for hours. According to KFC Japan, Christmas Eve remains its busiest day of the year, with some stores selling five to 10 times more than usual. In 2018 alone, the chain pulled in 6.9 billion yen — about $63 million — in just five days.

And it’s not just buckets of fried chicken. KFC celebrated the holiday season with special value meals back in 2022, offering everything from whole-roasted chicken with stuffing to cakes, sides, and commemorative plates. Each year, the party barrel gets a new design, and some stores even dress up the Colonel in full Santa regalia. Other parts of the world have gotten in on the fun too — KFC’s Christmas tree ornaments debuted in New Zealand as festive decorations, proving the chain’s global grip on holiday branding.

What started as a clever bit of marketing has turned into an annual ritual that is festive, efficient, and unmistakably local. There are plenty of holiday food traditions around the world, but few are as unexpected — or as enduring — as Japan’s deep-fried December. Just don’t forget to preorder.