Sunshine Coast baker Ayaka Fujita with her Christmas cake. (Supplied)"It's not a religious day for us … on the 25th morning, we always have presents. "Food and cakes are usually on the night of ...

KFC Japan estimates that 3 to 4 million families eat its chicken for Christmas each year. The lead-up to December 25 has become the company's largest sales week.

Forget turkey. In Japan, Christmas is a time to feast on KFC. CNN Travel explores how the American fast food chain grew to be synonymous with the holiday season.

Forget turkey. In Japan, Christmas is a time to feast on KFC. CNN Travel explores how the American fast food chain grew to be synonymous with the holiday season.

If this year is your first Christmas in Japan, you might be a little surprised (or even confused) at some of the traditions you witness. Even though only about 1 percent of the Japanese population ...

Christmas in Japan, by contrast, is inextricably associated with fried chicken, thanks to a marketing brainwave by the manager of the country’s first KFC in the 1970s.

Christmas is KFC Japan's busiest time of year. It said it had 2 million customers last year from Dec. 23 to 25. Those few days brought in about 6 billion yen, or $41 million, in 2022.

About 3.6 million Japanese people consume KFC on Christmas -- a tradition that goes back to the 1970s. A statue of Colonel Sanders in a Santa outfit is pictured on December 23, 2020, in Tokyo.