You may have noticed this by now or maybe not yet. Japan spins a bit different than the rest of world. Normal Christmas would be to eat a turkey with the family and then sharing some Christmas presents with each other. Japanese Christmas has nice traditions.

On Christmas Eve, Japanese families dress and get ready to walk into the closest KFC restaurant. You can't blame them. KFC is delicious and Japanese don't know what to do with Christmas since less than 1% is Christian. After the finger licking banquet, families head back home and enjoy some TV in the livingroom (usually some drama). At this point, Parents give their presents to their children and enjoy the evening beside the Christmas tree.

Over the past years, it has become clear that Japan adapts the west to its own taste. You can see it in the "Only in Japan" McDonalds and Burger King menus such as "Black Burgers (filled with squid ink)" and "Crab Hamburger" just to name the latest and most famous ones. Christmas all around the world has been commercialized. Special Christmas offers and marketing strategies are very common in the west and in Japan as well.

So... Why Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas?

Apparently, Kentucky Fried Chicken launched a "KFC for Christmas" marketing campaign back in 1974 and since then it is a tradition. A usual menu would be some chicken pieces, christmas cake and champagne for 3.500 yen ($30) which is about okey.

In fact, there is another tradition for this special day. It is an official "couple lovey lovey day". Those who don't have a partner try to find one before Christmas. And, Those who have a partner spent that day with their special someone and are exonerated from keeping the tradition with their families. Japanese couples love this day. Japanese men, on the other side, enjoy this day by spending a lot of money in gifts, dinners and nice hotels for their girlfriends.

※ Special Info: It is an unwritten rule that from 9pm to 3am is special "Couple copulation time".

Overall, it a nice tradition. They keep the basic idea of spending that special day with their loved ones and that is the most important. So, if you are looking for a new Christmas tradition, why not pick a chicken bucket and spent a nice evening with your family or your partner ?

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KFC Japan