Merry Kenchiki Day!
Celebrating the weirdest Japanese holiday
Through a Westerner’s eyes, many customs in Japan seem strange. Special slippers for the toilet that can never touch the floor of the main house. No eating or drinking in public, not even water or coffee, unless you’re standing in front of a vending machine.
The country has unusual national holidays, too, like Respect for Old People Day, Green Day, Marine Day, and Mountain Day.
But there is no holiday for Christmas. That’s fine — Japan is not a Christian country and the big holiday of the year — Oshogatsu (お正月, New Year’s) — is only a week later.
But yet, Christmas is celebrated anyway. And in a particularly weird way — with Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Kenchiki ケンチキ as it’s called in the country.
On Christmas Eve in Japan there is no Santa, no presents under the tree. Instead, Papa is expected to come home with a big red and white bucket of KFC’s finest fried chicken.
What??? Why has the 3rd largest economy in the world, the great inventor of anime and Hello Kitty, famous for sushi and sashimi, ramen and soba, teriyaki and unagi, made a tradition of eating crappy, unhealthy American friend chicken for Christmas?
The answer is a triumph of marketing.
KFC came to Japan in 1970 as a joint venture with Mitsubishi following in the footsteps of the wild success of McDonald’s (Makudo) there. It struggled initially. But in 1974, they came up with the advertising campaign of “Kentucky Christmas.”
At the time, the country was growing rapidly and taking in Western culture through tv and movie. There were many American G.I.s stationed in the country. But there was little celebration of Christmas.
KFC’s advertising convinced Japanese that KFC’s party barrel was a great substitute for the American tradition of a holiday turkey dinner.
I don’t know about your family, but growing up we had turkey for Thanksgiving, not Christmas. But no matter. With advertising, only perception matters.
You might think a good advertising campaign would drum up a few customers for a few years. That’s where Japan differs from anywhere else in the world.
The concept of viral was invented in Japan. Once something becomes popular, everyone does it. And what was popular in 1970 remains surprisingly popular today. Change happens slowly (except when it happens shockingly fast.)
Even today, Christmas Eve alone accounts for 5% of KFC Japan’s yearly revenue.
Christmas in Japan has evolved, though not in a way you might expect. Fried chicken has been joined by the Christmas Cake, a strawberry shortcake.
And for those who aren’t married, Christmas Eve has become the Japanese equivalent of Valentine’s Day. Young lovers go on dates to fancy restaurants and cap the evening off with a trip to the love hotel.
So if you ever have a chance to be in Japan for Christmas Eve and you see a long line of people in the street, they’re not waiting to go into church. They’re lined up for their turn to buy a party barrel at the local Kenchiki.