Chicken Nanban Day (Chikin Nanban no Hi)

What Is Chicken Nanban Day?

July 8 is "Chicken Nanban Day," celebrating the beloved dish of fried chicken coated in sweet vinegar sauce and topped with tartar sauce. The date is a pun: 7 (nan) and 8 (ban) read as "nanban." It was established by "Nobeoka Hasshō Chicken Nanban-tō," a citizens' group in Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture, the dish's birthplace, and registered with the Japan Anniversary Association in 2017. It is now carried on by the Nobeoka Tourism Association.

The History of Chicken Nanban

Chicken nanban is said to have originated in Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is said to have been inspired by a staff meal served at "London," a Western-style restaurant in Nobeoka in the 1955-1964 era, and the dish that grew out of it was served at local eateries. It later spread nationwide through Miyazaki-style restaurants, convenience stores, and boxed-lunch chains.

• Place of origin: Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture
• What it is: Fried chicken coated in sweet vinegar sauce and topped with tartar sauce
• How it spread: Became a fixture of Miyazaki-style restaurants, convenience stores, and boxed-lunch chains nationwide

Trivia About Chicken Nanban

• Tartar sauce: Often made by mixing mayonnaise with chopped hard-boiled egg, pickles, and onion.
• One of Japan's 100 local dishes: In 2007, it was selected as a "specially selected popular local dish" in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' list of 100 local dishes of rural Japan.
• The original, without tartar: Some restaurants in Nobeoka still serve the old-style chicken nanban with only sweet vinegar sauce and no tartar sauce.
• Local specialty: In Miyazaki Prefecture, many specialty restaurants serve chicken nanban as a celebrated local dish.

How to Enjoy This Day

July 8 is the day to satisfy your appetite with a hearty serving of chicken nanban. If making it at home, try generously topping freshly fried chicken with sweet vinegar sauce and plenty of tartar sauce.