This is the remarkable story of how Kentucky Fried Chicken came to dominate the Christmas Season in Japan. It is the story of a nun, a failed businessman, and a dancing Santa Claus. Sound like a joke you might tell in a bar (when they were open)? Perhaps. But it is also a remarkable story of resilience with lessons for all of us.
A Fork in the Road
In 1970, Osaka, Japan hosted a spectacular World’s Fair. And while there were many incredible, future-leaning booths and displays, one stood out above the rest for Takeshi Okawara.
Mr. Okawara was a successful sales manager at Nippon Printing and had just been offered a major promotion to head up the office in Germany. But a chance encounter at a booth in Osaka would change the trajectory of his life forever.
Kentucky Fried Chicken had set up a test store at the Osaka World’s Fair, hoping to market their delicious goods to the Asian market. Mr. Okawara could not resist the smell and the taste of the delectable chicken. Can you blame him? He eventually spoke with some of the KFC executives at the booth who sensed his enthusiasm. They immediately offered him a job as the manager of the first KFC store in Nagoya, Japan!
Up to that moment, Mr. Okawara’s career was steady and predictable. A shrewd businessman with an affable personality, he was well-positioned to rise above middle management and leave his mark on the conservative printing company. Mr. Okawara was now at a major fork in the road, one he did not invite or anticipate. And the lure of the finger-lickin’-good recipe was just too much. Mr. Okawara, shockingly, opted for a forkful of KFC!
A Nun and a Dancing Santa
Takeshi Okawara had given up his career and risked everything for Colonel Sanders. And the patrons of the Nagoya KFC had re-paid him with….crickets! Most of the signage at that first store was in English, and the concept of fast-food fried chicken was lost on the locals. Sales dipped to abysmal lows and financial ruin was now upon him. Had he really abandoned a sure-fire career for a guy with a white goatee and a linen suit?
But Mr. Okawara would not quit. He changed the signage, increased his marketing, and stepped up his local presence. Still nothing. Then one day, a few weeks before Christmas, a nun from a local Christian Kindergarten walked into the KFC asked if they could deliver fried chicken to her classroom. Of course! And then she asked if someone could deliver it in a Santa Claus suit. Hmmm.
At the time, Japan was roughly 1% Christian. Christmas was largely a secular holiday and Santa Claus was still a foreign concept. But Mr. Okawara did what so many great, struggling entrepreneurs do in times of crisis. He said yes to the opportunity and he took it on with enthusiasm!
He showed up to the Kindergarten the next day with a full, red Santa suit and an impossibly large bucket of fried chicken. Furthermore, he swallowed his pride and did a wild dance for the kids, chanting “Happy! Happy! Kentucky Fried Chicken!” Takeshi Okawara had come a long way from the stuffy boardrooms of the corporate world.
But a funny thing happened after his “happy dance”. The kids loved it. More schools asked him to do the same thing and sales started to skyrocket on these deliveries in the few weeks before Christmas. This gave Mr. Okawara and KFC the idea of connecting its product to Christmas in Japan. The next year, the chain launched its first Japanese Christmas campaign on December 1, 1974: “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (“Kentucky for Christmas!”). And the results changed a culture.
Lines formed around the block for Mr. Okawara’s chicken. More stores opened and the phenomenon of “Kentucky for Christmas” had taken over the country. Mr. Okawara went on to open 10 more stores, eventually amassing a fortune, moving up through management to become CEO of KFC Japan. Now that is resilience!
What is Our Legacy?
Today, KFC is inextricably intertwined with Christmas across Japan. In 2019, KFC Japan posted all-time high sales of ¥6.9 billion (roughly $65 million US dollars!) for the five days from December 21 to 25. That’s about 10% of its annual sales revenue. All thanks to a printing executive who loved the smell of fried chicken, and wasn’t afraid to double as a happy-footed Santa.
Why is this story so important and what does it say about our own lives?
At some point, we all come to a fork in the road. Perhaps in our career. Perhaps in our relationship. Perhaps in our faith. Perhaps in our family lives. These decisions are never easy. But we can’t deny our passion. We can’t deny our gut. Even if it doesn’t make sense, if something is pulling us in a direction, we can’t fight against the tide. Risk and common sense are not always on the same team.
But not all risky moves come with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Mr. Okawara had serious internal doubt and remorse when KFC was swimming in the red. There was no guarantee of success. He could have easily failed. And that would have been okay. Just by seizing the moment and following his passion, he would have been better off than marching down a path that did not hold his interest. And I venture to guess his next venture would have worked out!
But he did not stop. He did not give in and he was not afraid to change things up. And, perhaps most importantly, he continued to say yes to even the smallest opportunities. He was not above doing anything to help his business, even performing a happy dance in a ridiculous red suit.
We never know when the next opportunity might come our way. When things are looking down, are we really in a position to say no? As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, is there anything we wouldn’t do to get things back on track?
Life is not always linear. Rarely do we have a steady and sustained climb to the top. Our careers and our personal lives are full of fits and starts. As we zigzag through life, we have to maintain our drive. We have to maintain our passion. We have to find our purpose. It is never too late. And once, we make a decision, there is no going back! Things may seem hopeless at times. Regret and stagnation might seem like our final destination. But we have to move forward. We have to keep saying yes. We have to stay resilient!
We might just be one KFC Chicken Dance away from finding success and happiness in our own lives.