On December 24, while you’re stuffing yourself with turkey, the Japanese will line up in front of their KFC.
This tradition dates back to Christmas 1970.
Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the 1st KFC in Japan, hears American expats complaining about the lack of turkey at Christmas. It was then that he had a brilliant idea.
He’ll dress Colonel Sanders in a Santa suit and sell his fried chicken like an American tradition.
Well, there are very few Christians in Japan, and few things to celebrate in late December, why not import the Christmas tradition through KFC, which has just been imported to Japan and is struggling to find your customers!
And it works! In 1974, Okawara launched the nationwide Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii (Christmas in Kentuchy) campaign.
The American pseudo-tradition seduces more and more, so much so that many Japanese still today think that Colonel Sanders and Santa Claus are one and the same.
