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Dozens of people in Tokyo have spent Christmas eve queueing at KFC branches across the city, in anticipation of the restaurant chain's Christmas menu.
It is thought 3.6 million households will have KFC as their Christmas feast in Japan this year.
Historically, the country does not celebrate Christmas and it is not a national holiday unlike many countries in the West.
Show all 30 1 /30Christmas celebrations around the world Christmas celebrations around the world Virginia, USA A man dressed as Santa Claus water skis alongside reindeer on the Potomac River in Alexandra, Virginia.
Christmas celebrations around the world Berlin, Germany A volunteer dressed in a Father Christmas (Santa Claus) outfit distributes gifts to children of asylum-seekers, as they arrive at the Schoenefeld train station near Berlin on December 24, 2015, before being dispatched to various refugee centres in or near the German capital.
Christmas celebrations around the world Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Leandro Wendell dos Santos, 14, wearing a Santa Claus costume, plays with kids as he walks along the alley of the Mare slums complex to distribute presents to children in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Leandro is part of a volunteer group of residents of Mare slums complex that distributes donated toys to children of the community.
Christmas celebrations around the world Heilongjiang province, China Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China,
Christmas celebrations around the world Tokyo, Japan In Japan Christmas is not a national holiday, however it has developed into a celebration of western culture with KFC being the most popular place to eat on December 25th. KFC's around Japan regularly see street-long lines and advanced bookings
Christmas celebrations around the world Manila, Philippines Filipinos crowd a store that is popular in selling hams as they do last-minute shopping on Christmas eve in Manila, Philippines. The predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines boasts of having the longest Christmas celebration that starts every last quarter of the year.
Christmas celebrations around the world Budapest, Hungary A man buys Christmas sweets at a supermarket on the outskirts of Budapest, Hungary. Hungarians could outspend last year's record on seasonal treats and Christmas fondants, giving some premium brands a hard time to keep up with strong demand.
Christmas celebrations around the world Bethlehem, West Bank Nigerian pilgrims gather at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank. Every year thousands of Christian pilgrims travel to the church that marks the site of the cave in which Jesus is said to have been born.
Christmas celebrations around the world Bogota, Colombia Christmas lights adorn the Usaquen park in Bogota, Colombia. The blow to Colombiaís holiday tradition is poignant given that El Nino is thought to be a reference to the baby Jesus, a name given to the climatic phenomenon long ago by South Americans who noted that it seemed to arrive around Christmas time.
Christmas celebrations around the world Cairns, Australia Bon Bon, a 12-month-old koala, celebrating with Christmas decorations at the Rainforestation Nature Park in Cairns, Australia,
Christmas celebrations around the world Ayutthaya, Thailand A young Thai student wearing a Santa hat poses for a photograph during a Christmas event at a school in the world heritage city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 December 2015. The annual event is one of many held to celebrate the Christmas season in predominantly Buddhist Thailand.
Christmas celebrations around the world Colombo, Sri Lanka Sri Lankan pedestrians walk past a decorated Christmas tree in Colombo. The leader of Sri Lanka's Catholics urged priests on not to put up Christmas trees in their churches over the festive period, saying they had no religious significance. Sri Lanka is a mainly Buddhist country but around 1.2 million of its overall population of 21 million people are Catholics.
Christmas celebrations around the world Seoul, South Korea Models wearing Santa Claus costumes wait to attend a special event to promote business in coincide with Christmas at Shinsegae department store in Seoul, South Korea. A lot of South Korean companies take advantage of the Christmas season to promote their business amid weak sales and economic slowdown.
Christmas celebrations around the world Ayutthaya, Thailand A young Thai student wearing a Santa hat poses for a photograph during a Christmas event at a school in the world heritage city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 December 2015. The annual event is one of many held to celebrate the Christmas season in predominantly Buddhist Thailand.
Christmas celebrations around the world Oaxaca, Mexico Carved radishes are displayed during the celebration of the "Night of the Radishes" at the Ocototlan de Morelos community in Oaxaca State, Mexico. The Night of the Radishes is an annual carving event two days before christmas that has its origins in the colonial period when radishes were introduced by the Spanish. Farmers began carving radishes into figures as a way to attract customers attention during the Christmas market.
Christmas celebrations around the world Seoul, South Korea A man dressed as Santa Claus walks on zebra crossing during a Christmas charity event in central Seoul, South Korea
Christmas celebrations around the world Istanbul, Turkey A Greek school's principal, Yani Demircioglu, surrounded by Greek Orthodox children, plays an accordion during a Christmas celebration at the main shopping and pedestrian street of Istiklal in central Istanbul
Reuters
Christmas celebrations around the world Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia A boy meets Father Christmas at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur
Christmas celebrations around the world Manila, Philippines A fire-breather performs during a street show on Christmas Eve in Baclaran, City of Paranaque
Christmas celebrations around the world Saltillo, Mexico Volunteers take part in a traditional Mexican Christmas celebration known as Posada Mexicana at a migrant shelter in Saltillo, Mexico. Posada Mexicana commemorates the journey of the Holy Family from Galilee to Bethlehem
Christmas celebrations around the world Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Italian artist Gaspare di Caro, right, lights up Christ the Redeemer in Rio
Reuters
Christmas celebrations around the world Allahabad, India A view of All Saints Cathedral, decorated ahead of Christmas celebrations, in Allahabad
Christmas celebrations around the world Guatemala City, Guatemala Firefighter Hector Chacon, centre, dressed as Father Christmas, delivers gifts to impoverished children after descending from a 150-metre bridge, behind
Christmas celebrations around the world Karachi, Pakistan A Father Christmas is painted onto a wall in a Christian neighbourhood in Karachi
Christmas celebrations around the world Valletta, Malta 3D projections designed by students of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology are projected onto the facade of the Presidential Palace
Christmas celebrations around the world Moscow, Russia A snowman and Christmas tree erected in Red Square
EPA
Christmas celebrations around the world Taipei, Taiwan People crowd around for a view of a 3D Christmas tree erected in a shopping park
EPA
Christmas celebrations around the world Tokyo, Japan Cleaners dressed in a Father Christmas and a reindeer costume clean the windows of a shopping mall
EPA
Christmas celebrations around the world Shanghai, China A woman prays at the Shanghai International Chapel during a Christmas Eve Mass
Reuters
Christmas celebrations around the world A Bangladeshi man dressed as Father Christmas entertains children during an event to mark Christmas Day in Dhaka
Back in the 1970's KFC noticed that foreigners could not get hold of turkey at Christmas and many chose to opt for fried chicken as a replacement.
The chain launched a marketing campaign with a new menu - Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii! (meaning 'Kentucky for christmas!') - including Champagne along with buckets of chicken.
The campaign worked so well that queueing on Christmas Eve to tuck into a festive deep fried treat has become a tradition in itself, with the outlets now so busy at Christmas that pre-booking is mandatory.
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