It sounds like a marketing prank that got out of hand, but it’s true. The story goes back to the 1970s. A foreign customer in Tokyo told a KFC manager he missed having turkey for Christmas. The manager had a lightbulb moment: “Why not sell chicken instead?”
They launched the “Kentucky for Christmas” campaign in 1974. And boom. It worked so well that now, millions of Japanese families pre-order their KFC weeks in advance. If you show up on December 24th without a reservation, you’ll face a line longer than a Black Friday sale.
Imagine explaining this to your grandma. “Sorry, Grandma, no turkey this year. We’re having a bucket of extra-crispy and a side of coleslaw.” She’d think you’ve lost your mind. But in Japan, it’s as normal as blowing out candles on a birthday cake.
