Little Red Riding Colonel

In Akihabara, apparently even Colonel Sanders is into cosplay.

This is a somewhat homemade-crafty-looking attempt to draw attention to KFC’s current apple pie promotion. Must check my other favorite life-sized Colonel in Hiroo to see how widespread this little costume is! He always dons a Santa suit in December at the Hiroo branch, but I’ve never seen him dressed up quite like this.

Every KFC I’ve seen in Japan has a statue of the Colonel outside. People are quite fond of him, although that has its downside: in a fit of joyous carousing after the Hanshin Tigers won the 1985 Japan Championship, Osaka baseball fans tossed their local Colonel in the Dōtonbori River instead of MVP Randy Bass (a fellow bearded gaijin), thus calling down The Curse of the Colonel. For the next 18 years, the Hanshin Tigers finished last or next to last in the league, and until someone manages to dredge the lost Colonel from the river (or discovers him for sale on eBay), the Tigers are doomed.

If you’d like to visit the Akihabara area the next time you’re in Tokyo, visit my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had.

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had