Christmas, in most cultures, is celebrated with a warm, family-oriented dinner and maybe even with gifts of gratitude. Japan, however, seems to have their own unique twist on this tradition. Unlike most countries, many Japanese enjoy Christmas with their lovers and a meal of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). I first heard of this Christmas tradition when my Japanese teacher had asked me if I plan to eat KFC for Christmas. I was confused and convinced that she was joking. However, she was not joking and then proceeded to show me articles about it. These articles greatly piqued my interest because this tradition was just so different from my former knowledge of Christmas. Is this an actual, normalized and popular Christmas activity or is it an inflated rumor based on its peculiar nature? If they celebrate Christmas in such a distinct manner, what does Christmas mean to Japanese people? Why KFC, out of all places? To answer my burning questions, I decided to personally interview several KFC customers and workers on Christmas Day as I happened to be in Tokyo during my winter holiday:

While the video above explores various reasons why KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan, I believe that another reason for this is perhaps because most Japanese people are not Christian. Japan’s largest religion is Shinto, making religiously Christian Christmas practices irrelevant to the majority of the country. Thus, Christmas has merely become a fun day where one eats chicken that happens to be from KFC.