Time-based pun sandwiches’ time comes to an end soon, but there’s still one last chance to experience them.

To English-speaker ears, “Mos Burger” might sound like a strange name, and you could probably say the same about one of the Japanese hamburger chain’s menu items: the Niku Niku Niku Burger.

But there are logical explanations for both of them. Mos Burger’s name is meant as an allusion to “mountain, ocean, and sky,” reflecting the company’s pride in using high-quality natural ingredients, and niku is the Japanese word for “meat,” which the Niku Niku Niku Burger boasts three kinds of: beef hamburger patties, teriyaki chicken, and yakiniku beef.

▼ Yes, there are two hamburger patties, substituting for buns, so if they’d wanted to Mos could have actually called this the Niku Niku Niku Niku Burger.

The Niku Niku Niku Burger debuted in 2017, but is ordinarily only available for 12 days in an entire year. Why? Because in addition to burgers, Japan also loves puns. The numbers 2 and 9 can be pronounced as ni and ku in Japanese, and so the 910-yen (US$6.20) Niku Niku Niku Burger, along with its carnivore-compelling cousins the Spicy Niku Niku Niku Burger and New Kinniku Niku Burger, are only offered on the 29th of each month, plus February 9 (2-9).

▼ The 850-yen New Kinniku Niku Burger, created by New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Kazuchika Okada, is yet another pun (this time on the word kinniku/”muscles”) and features fried chicken and soy patties as well as chicken nuggets and cheese.

Alas, all three of these meaty monsters are permanently leaving the menu. Mos Burger hasn’t said why, but they have said that February is the final month for the Niku Niku Niku Burger family.

▼ The 950-yen Spicy Niku Niku Niku Burger adds a thick layer of sliced peppers in the middle for those who want some heat with their meat.

SoraNews24 deeply regrets not informing our readers of this tragic development before February 9, widely known as “Meat Day” among foodies in Japan. However, there’s still a chance to enjoy a final Niku Niku Niku Burger thanks to 2024 being a leap year, meaning that there’s a February 29 and that this is one of the extremely rare instances in which the Niku Niku Niku Burger is available twice in the same calendar month. All three variations will be served starting at 10:30 a.m., and while we wouldn’t normally eat the entire series in one day, we might make an exception and have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner this time, consoling ourselves as we weep meat-scented tears of goodbye.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: SoraNews24, PR Times, Mos Burger
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