From Nobeoka to Nationwide: Chicken Nanban Day

Today, and July 8th annually, is Chicken Nanban Day チキン南蛮の日 in Japan. It was created by a citizen group in Miyazaki Prefecture to promote Chicken Nanban as a specialty of Nobeoko City - the city from which Chicken Nanban originated. They chose July 8th for the anniversary because 7/8 can be read as "na (7) n ba (8) n". 

Chicken Nanban, a dish of fried chicken dipped in sweet vinegar and topped with creamy tartar sauce, originated in Nobeoka in the 1950s, created by cooks who trained at the old Western-style restaurant "London" and adapted a staff meal into something new and delicious. 

Today, it's deeply rooted in Miyazaki's food culture, but widely available across Japan - from restaurants to convenience stores and bento chains. The photo in this post is of a Chicken Nanban bento from Hotto Motto.