although i don't have a picture of him (yet), many KFCs here in japan dress up the colonel 'statue's they have in front of their shops as santa. the closest KFC to our house hasn't dressed him up yet, and places where i see him in red and white are often places where i don't have a camera. however, santas and dressing up statues as santa seems to have caught on here in japan, and here are some samples.

first, check out andrea's flickr photo here. that's pretty cute. now, on to what i have found:




this creepy santa dances! i certainly wouldn't want it around my house, and neither does hiro:





this is pietro, a 'mascot' for an italian restaurant (chain) here in japan. i guess he's changed his song from an italian love song to a christmas carol, but maybe he's just ticked off at being dressed as santa...



this santa's suit is awesome, but the 'doll' itself is rather creepy. ugh. and i guess he has to be protected from people trying to touch him, hence the red ribbon in front.



this gold santa was in front of an eyeglass shop, and he's kind of cool, too, and his face was better than that last one. he's wearing glasses (sorry the photo's so dark) so i guess he bought them at the shop. or they're on loan. but i really don't know what to make of his shoes:



anyway, whenever i get that picture of the colonel, i'll be sure to post it here.