HOP: “Christmas dinner in Japan? Easy. Turkey!”
YUKI: “Nope.”
If you guessed turkey too, you’re not alone. In Japan, lots of families celebrate Christmas with something you might not expect: a bucket of fried chicken. Here’s how that happened, plus other fun ways kids in Japan enjoy Christmas.
Quick facts
- Christmas is not a public holiday in Japan. Most people go to school and work as usual.
- A 1974 KFC advert, “Kentucky for Christmas!”, helped turn fried chicken into a Christmas treat.
- Christmas Eve is KFC Japan’s busiest day of the year, and many families order weeks ahead.
- It’s popular, but not everyone does it: many families eat other chicken dishes, or none at all.
- The other big Christmas food is a strawberry cream cake.
● JAPAN0:38▶with chicken?
Why Japan eats chicken at Christmas
Is Christmas a holiday in Japan?
Not officially. Only a small share of people in Japan are Christian, so Christmas is mostly a fun, festive season rather than a religious holiday. Streets fill with lights, shops play Christmas songs and children still look forward to presents. The really big family holiday in Japan comes a week later: New Year.
Why do people in Japan eat fried chicken at Christmas?
In the early 1970s there was no traditional Christmas dinner in Japan. Some families had already started eating roast chicken at Christmas, inspired by Western holiday meals. Then, in 1974, KFC Japan launched an advertising campaign called “Kentucky for Christmas!” It presented a bucket of chicken as an easy, festive Christmas meal, and the idea caught on.
The message stayed the same every year: at Christmas, you eat chicken. Over time, families started thinking of it as “just what we do at Christmas”, and a new tradition was born.
Do families really order weeks ahead?
Many do! Christmas Eve is the busiest day of the year for KFC Japan, so lots of families pre-order their Christmas bucket, sometimes starting in late autumn. On Christmas Eve, people who didn’t order can face long lines, sometimes waiting for hours.
Is it something every family does? No. One survey reported by Metropolis Japan found that around 3 in 10 people planned to eat a chicken dish at Christmas, and only some of them bought it from KFC. Others choose roast chicken from a supermarket, a homemade meal, or something completely different.
Other Christmas traditions kids love in Japan
- Christmas cake: a fluffy sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries, usually shared on Christmas Eve.
- Presents from “Santa-san”: many children find a present by their pillow when they wake up on Christmas morning.
- Lights everywhere: cities put up huge light displays called “illuminations” that families visit in the evening.
Try it at home or in class
- Watch the 38-second short with HOP and YUKI.
- Ask: “What food does your family eat at a special celebration? How did that tradition start?”
- Draw your own “festive food bucket” with the foods you’d put in it.
A free printable “Christmas around the world” quiz is coming soon.
FAQ
Why does Japan eat KFC on Christmas?
Because of a successful 1974 advertising campaign, “Kentucky for Christmas!”, which offered fried chicken as a festive meal at a time when Japan had no traditional Christmas dinner.
Do all Japanese families eat KFC at Christmas?
No. It’s a well-known custom, but many families eat other chicken dishes or other foods. It’s a popular tradition, not a rule.
What is the most important winter holiday in Japan?
New Year. Families gather, eat special New Year foods and visit shrines or temples in the first days of January.
Sources
- KFC Global: How “Kentucky for Christmas” began in Japan
- Metropolis Japan: Why does Japan eat KFC on Christmas?
- Smithsonian Magazine: Why Japan celebrates Christmas with KFC
- Tsunagu Japan: Spending Christmas in Japan
ScarfHop is not affiliated with or sponsored by KFC.
Shoaib Jan
Creator of ScarfHop. I check every fact in our stories against trusted sources, listed above. More about ScarfHop