Why is KFC popular in Japan?

hi

marketing campaign in 1974, Japan can't get enough KFC on Christmas Day. It's Christmas Eve in Japan. Little boys and girls pull on their coats, the twinkle of anticipation in their eyes. Keeping the tradition alive, they will trek with their families to feast at … the popular American fast food chain KFC.

When a group of foreigners couldn’t find turkey on Christmas day and opted for fried chicken instead, the company saw this as a prime commercial opportunity and launched its first Christmas meal that year: Chicken and wine for 834 2,920 yen($10)—pretty pricey for the mid-seventies. Today the christmas chicken dinner (which now boasts cake and champagne) goes for about 3,336 yen ($40).

And the people come in droves. Many order their boxes of ”finger lickin’” holiday cheer months in advance to avoid the lines—some as long as two hours.

The first KFC Japan opened in Nagoya in 1970 and quickly gained popularity. (There are now over 15,000 KFC outlets in 105 countries and territories around the world.)

That same year, at the World Exposition in Osaka, KFC and other American fast food chains like McDonald’s were met with great market testing results and helped jump start the westernized “fast food” movement in Japan.

After the big commercial push in ’74, the catchphrase “Christmas=Kentucky” paired with plenty of commercials on TV caught on.

Japan is well known for taking foreign products and ideas and adapting them to suit domestic taste, and Christmas is no exception. A highly commercialised and non-religious affair, lots of money is spent annually on decorations, dinners and gifts. KFC is arguably the biggest contributor, thanks in part to its advertising campaign.

These days, KFC records its highest sales volume each year on Christmas eve. Back office staff, presidents and execs come out to help move the lines along. Fried chicken and Christmas have become synonymous: KFC’s advertisements feature major pop cultural figures chomping on drumsticks, the company website even has a countdown until Christmas.

And this year, the company launched a campaign that takes the holiday hype to new heights. From December 1 through February 28 passengers on select trips between Tokyo and eight U.S. and European destinations can enjoy KFC in-flight.

But Japan’s love of American fast food does not dim with the Christmas lights once December 25 has come and gone—KFC’s ability to take it’s traditional foods and adapt them to Japanese culture has made a bucket of chicken a meal worth having year round.

This April, they opened a three-story restaurant at the south entrance of Shimokitazawa station in Tokyo which offers the company’s first-ever, fully stocked whiskey bar what their website says gives visitors a taste of “Good ‘ol America.”

According to Business Journal, KFC Japan has been posting lower sales on a monthly basis. For example, sales were down 3.1 percent in June, 4.9 percent in May and 6.3 percent in April.

The number of customers also dropped 5.5 percent in June, 8.1 percent in May, 8.5 percent in April. The drop in sales and customers has continued over a nine-month period.

Part of the difficulty, Business Journal explains, is that KFC’s menu isn’t as flexible as other chain restaurants like Mister Donut, which now serves pasta and hot dogs. Also, much of KFC’s sales come around Christmas, because in Japan eating Kentucky Fried Chicken is a holiday tradition.

common complaints are that KFC is too expensive, too greasy and not crispy. One commenter added that as Japanese society ages, greasy foods are harder for most people to eat (which isn’t that good of an argument because the country is filled with greasy eats). The cost, however, seemed to be the biggest sticking point

OMG, it’s really popular in Japan for Christmas; it’s basically the official food and I think there are several reasons

Christmas has intrinsic popularity in Japan because it involves giving gifts and comes with lots of cool decorations - basically two things Japanese people love

Christmas is a foreign holiday and KFC is a foreign food, so there’s already a match - christmas chicken sounds like a better fit than christmas sushi

The colonel looks just like Santa Clause if you dress him up right

basically, since KFC owns Christmas in Japan, that popularity bleeds into the rest of the year.

yes it’s so popular especially during christmas
and they even teach them how to eat chicken correctly!

Yep totally knew this. My friends in class were always suggesting we go have some KFC after Friday lessons

It’s Christmas Eve in Japan. Little boys and girls pull on their coats, the twinkle of anticipation in their eyes

Keeping the tradition alive, they will trek with their families to feast at … the popular American fast food chain KFC.