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Hamburger chain Lotteria has to walk a difficult tightrope. On the one hand, it’s got its reputation as the mad scientist of the Japanese fast food industry to uphold, meaning it needs a sizeable roster of unusual, outlandish, or just plain massive sandwiches on offer. On the other hand, in order to ensure each item has plenty of impact and novelty factor, the chain doesn’t want them hanging around on the menu so long that customers start to get bored with them or take them for granted.

As a result, most of Lotteria’s most interesting items are only available for a limited time, sometimes as short as a single day. But just in case you missed your chance to try one, Lotteria is bringing back just one of its special sandwiches from last year, and its letting fans decide which by tallying the number of Yahoo! searches for each of the candidates.

As part of the joint promotion, Yahoo! Japan is currently counting the number of searches each sandwich receives, and only the most popular will be making a comeback. We’ve listed each below, with its name in both English and the Japanese text you’ll need to copy and paste for your vote to count (alternatively, you can click on the blue Yahoo! Japan search link for each sandwich on the event’s website here).

1. Taishoken Ganso Tsukemen Ramen Burger / 大勝軒 元祖つけ麺バーガー

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Created in cooperation with storied ramen chain Taishoken, this burger comes crammed with noodles and a broth to dip them in.

2. Zeppin Tower Cheeseburger / 絶品タワーチーズバーガー

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Lotteria’s most famous menu item is also its most infamous, plus perhaps its most tempting.

3. Matsuzaka Beef Hamburger Steak Burger /松阪牛ハンバーグステーキバーガー

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Mie Prefecture’s prized Matsuzaka beef usually shows up as expensive marbled steaks in high-end restaurants, but it’s also the key ingredient in this burger.

4. Gattsurib Sandwich /ガッツリブサンド

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A play on words between “gattsuri” (“hearty”) and “rib,” this seems to be Lotteria’s take on McRib-like sandwiches slathered with barbecue sauce.

5. Shrimp Tree Burger / エビツリーバーガー

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Not to be confused with the Sky Tree, although this seafood sandwich, also offered in 2013, looks like it’s just about as tall as the Tokyo landmark.

6. Burger with Everything on It / 全部のせバーガー

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With 15 different toppings and condiments, this is a gloriously gluttonous display of truth in advertising.

The sandwich that receives the greatest number of searches will make its triumphant yet limited-time return to Lotteria branches across Japan on March 16. The polls are open now, and the promotion runs until February 25, so remember to vote early and often, even if you do need to take a lunch break first after looking at all those burgers.

Source: Nari Nari
Top image: Yahoo! Japan (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Yahoo! Japan