How KFC Became Japan's Hallmark Christmas Food

On the financial side of things, KFC has more than enough financial incentive at this point to keep peddling holiday buckets of fried chicken to the good people of Japan. A 2022 KFC Japan press release noted 6.4 billion Japanese yen in sales that year from December 23rd to December 25th alone — that's over $48 million USD by the conversion rate of the time. The release itself points to KFC Japan's corporate philosophy of "creating deliciousness and happiness," a goal that they seem to be doing a fair job upholding. Table Check reports that an estimated 3.6 million Japanese people will likely take part in the nation's 2023 KFC Christmastime fried chicken-eating bonanza.

For those who want to partake in the fowl festivities, there might be a bit of a wait. According to Timeout, some folks book their Christmastime buckets and barrels of KFC weeks in advance. Otherwise, they queue outside of a store for hours, as CNN pointed out. Timeout states that items like the aforementioned Christmas cakes always require reservations, presumably out of a corporate desire to cut costs and make cakes to order rather than overproduce them. Come the end of the year, KFC Christmas advertisements and storefront decorations serve as cues to let people know that it's time to reserve your chicken bucket.

For all those living outside of Japan: Fear not. You, too, could eat fried chicken at Christmas. It just won't look as nice. 

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