Mos in the morning with Morning Musume.

Originally founded in 1997, Morning Musume is one of Japan’s longest-running idol singer units. Ostensibly, their name was chosen to reflect the special diverse entertainment mix provided by idol groups by likening them to a “morning set,” the term Japan uses for restaurant breakfasts that get you food and a drink at a discounted price.

Of course, restaurants serve lunch and dinner sets too, so it’s likely that the alliterative aspect of “Morning Musume” is the real reason they’re called that. However, Morning Musume does have an enhanced connection to the a.m. hours right now, because the idols will be dining with fans at branches of fast food chain Mos Burger for the next several weeks, but only at breakfast time.

▼ Morning Musume members Mizuki Fukumura, Maria Makino, Reina Yokoyama, Rio Kitagawa, Rio Sakurai, and Haruka Inoue, attending a launch event for the promotion (Fukumura is Morning Musume’s designated leader, which is why she’s wearing the navy blue uniform of a Mos shift leader)

Between concerts, recording sessions, meet-and-greet-events, and media appearances, idols lead incredibly busy lives, and the packed schedules of Morning Musume’s members prevent them from showing up in-person at every Mos Burger branch in Japan. When you place an eat-in order at Mos Burger, you’re given a numbered placard to put on your table, so that the server knows where to bring your food. Right now, if you place your order before 11 a.m., you’ll get a special number placard featuring a photo of one of Morning Musume’s 14 current members.

Printed on the placard is a QR code. Scan it with your phone, and the corresponding idol will appear in an AR video for you to watch as you eat!

The placard you get is random, and with all 14 members of the group taking part in the collaboration, there’s no guarantee diners will be joined for breakfast by their favorite idol on their very first visit. On the plus side, 14 different videos means less chance of duplicates on subsequent mornings, and since the promotion is running until November 30, which should be plenty of time for Morning Musume funs to luck out and enjoy breakfast with their oshi.

Related: Mos Burger, Press release
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Insert images: SoraNews24, Mos Burger, PR Times
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