Gazing at the moon this year through burgers, pies and even a never-before-seen McFlurry.

One of the things we love most about Japan is all the limited-time seasonal offerings that appear on the culinary landscape year after year. Now, as the summer starts to wind down, it’s time for Tsukimi “moon-viewing” burgers to grace us with their presence in time for the September moon-viewing festival, where people around Japan pay homage to the harvest moon.

This year, we’ll be getting our Tsukimi burgers from both KFC and McDonald’s, who have announced the release of some exciting new items alongside their mainstay moon-viewing options. At KFC, there’ll be the Torori Tsukimi Chicken Fillet Sandwich (460 yen [US$4.34]), which adds a sunny side-up fried egg omelette to the chain’s famous fillet sandwich.

▼ KFC Japan has been releasing limited-edition “Torori” (“thick, oozy”) Tsukimi sandwiches since 2016.

For those after a more traditional Japanese flavour, there’s the Torori Tsukimi Wafu Chicken Katsu Sandwich (460 yen). “Wafu” means “Japanese-style”, and that’s exactly what this burger offers, with a Japan-sourced fried chicken cutlet coated in a rich soy sauce-filled teriyaki sauce, alongside thinly shredded cabbage, mayonnaise, and a sunny side-up fried egg omelette to represent the moon.

Over at McDonald’s there’s a full feast of moon-viewing items on the menu, starting with the mainstay Tsukimi Burger (340 yen).

▼ And the Cheese Tsukimi Burger, which retails for 370 yen.

▼ For morning moon-viewing, there’s the Tsukimi Muffin for 330 yen.

▼ And for dessert, there’s the Tsukimi Pie for 150 yen.

There’ll also be a limited-edition Grape McFizz on the menu, available with cream for 310 yen and without for 250 yen.

The two new Tsukimi items at McDonald’s this year are the Noukou Fuwatori Tsukimi (Rich, fluffy and creamy Tsukimi), which contains a beef patty, cheese, fried egg, fluffy scrambled egg, smoked bacon and creamy tomato sauce, all for 390 yen.

And the Tsukimi McFlurry, which comes with warabimochi (bracken starch dumplings), kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) sauce, and crushed cone bits flavoured with kinako (roasted soybean flour), for 320 yen.

The new McDonald’s range also comes with a new commercial that’s been making people tear up around the country. In the ad, a daughter and father who haven’t spoken for a long time finally reconnect under the light of the moon. When they reconnect over the phone, the daughter in Tokyo and the father at their country home reminisce over the times they gazed at the moon together when she was a little girl.

▼ One of the company’s commercials for the burgers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqEPDcPQeoA

Both the KFC and McDonald’s Tsukimi menu items go on sale nationwide from 2 September.

Sources: KFC Japan, McDonald’s Japan
Featured image: McDonald’s Japan
Insert images: KFC Japan, McDonald’s Japan
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