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TOKYO—Christmas is coming, so it’s time to reserve fried chicken and cake in Japan. Consumption of those two foods has so firmly come to mark the informal holiday here—Dec. 25 isn’t an official day off—that few Japanese are aware other countries prefer somewhat different Christmas cuisine. “I had no idea,” said 22-year-old university student Ryuya Morimoto, informed that chicken and cake aren’t American yuletide staples. “When I was a little kid, we would eat chicken as a family,” he said, “and then have Christmas cake, with a little chocolate piece on the top that said, ‘Merry Christmas.’ ” Families like his make this the busiest time of the year for Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in Japan. KFC lets customers reserve fried chicken as early as October’s end. Those who try buying buckets on Christmas Eve risk having to stand in line up to six hours under the watchful eye of a Santa-suited Colonel Sanders. Japan’s Christmas-chicken tradition dates to the early 1970s, when a non-Japanese customer came into a Tokyo KFC store one day to buy fried chicken as a turkey substitute, according to the chain. KFC, still struggling at the time to win Japanese over to eating greasy food with their fingers, hatched the idea for a new Christmas tradition.It was a hit among families, and a lasting ritual was born. “Christmas is boring without Kentucky,” said 18-year-old high-school student Yuna Nakajima, using the name by which KFC is popularly known in Japan. Ms. Nakajima has already reserved her chicken this year, planning to enjoy the traditional meal on Christmas Eve. A spokeswoman for KFC Holdings Japan Ltd. said December’s sales every year are double regular monthly sales. The publicly traded company operates under a franchise agreement with a subsidiary ofYum Brands Inc. For the first time this year, KFC Japan is letting customers reserve online at many of its stores, after a trial last year. Customers can pick up their Christmas baskets from Dec. 19 through Dec. 25. Recently, some of the nation’s ubiquitous convenience stores have been crowing that they offer a better deal.FamilyMart Co.’s “premium chicken” basket starts at around $20. The chain, with more than 11,000 stores in Japan, says in its advertising: “If there isn’t fried chicken, it isn’t Christmas.” By contrast, turkeys and pigs are under no particular stress at this time of year in Japan, as the American and European custom of eating those meats at Christmas is hardly known. Student Ms. Nakajima gasped when she heard that turkey was among America’s yuletide preferences. “Christmas and chicken are one,” she said. The KFC in Japan is the real deal! Please go try it when you're there