Japan is known for tasty, delicious food of all kinds both Japanese cuisine and their own unique takes on cuisine from around the world. Not to mention cute and kawaii food based on beloved characters such as these delicious pikachu items at the Pokemon Cafe! If there is one other thing that Japan is known for though, it’s sometimes being a little… strange! 

This can definitely be said when it comes to their love of burgers. Japanese people eat a surprising amount of them, and companies just love to come up with new and interesting ideas for their menus to draw in the crowds. We found 8 of the weirdest, unique and yet most delicious looking burgers to come to Japanese menus! 

1. Samurai Burger – Burger King

Burger King in Japan is not quite as popular as you might expect it to be, especially compared to the behemoth that is McDonald’s. They sometimes struggle to draw the same crowds, so they have to be a little bit more creative! In fact, Burger King Japan's general manager for business management, Matsunori Tatsuiwa, stated that Burger King has a low advertising budget, and it would be difficult to compete with McDonald's. So instead of engaging expensive ad agencies, the team behind Burger King Japan creates amazingly weird burgers with the aim of getting viral social media attention! 

One of these burgers is the bright red Aka Samurai Burger (aka means red), dyed with tomato powder. Although the flavour might not be too special, it certainly looks eye catching! 

2. Blue Earth Burger – Orbi Yokohama

This weird and wonderful blue burger is available at a science museum called Orbi in Yokohama, as part of an interesting collaboration between the BBC and Sega. The blue-coloured burger bun is marked with a map of part of the world and houses a regular chicken burger, with plenty of creamy sauce and a delicious barbeque sauce, keeping the burger nice and moist. But the most important part of this burger is to remind you of your part in the world at large, your imprint on the world and to give you a greater appreciation of this planet… and it’s pretty yummy too!

3. Kuro Pearl Burger – Burger King

A year before the Aka Samurai burger, Burger King Japan created the super limited-edition Kuro Pearl Burger back in 2014. To get that distinctive… and a little creepy colour, the black buns and sliced cheese were made with bamboo charcoal being added with the black onion-and-garlic sauce also including squid ink. Did you know though? The black burger did actually make it, albeit briefly, to the US for Halloween a year later! People who ate it reported it that their poo… well, it turned green. Interesting, right?

4. Wet Burger – Mos Burger

The Wet Burger is Mos Burger’s interpretation of the Turkish islak burger, and definitely an interesting and unique one! Don’t worry though, the Wet Burger comes in a wrapper, so it can be eaten without getting your hands too dirty withMos Burger’s Napolitan tomato sauce. One thing consumers noticed though, was only half the burger had the new toppings—the other half consisted of standard burger toppings. Definitely not one for those who don’t like messy food!

5. Sakura Burger – McDonald’s 

Back in 2014, McDonald’s celebrated Japan's famous cherry blossom season with its pink, limited-run Sakura Burger. The sandwich had a special pink sauce which is sakura-flavored mayo with Japanese radishes included and an egg on top of a teriyaki patty. It’s definitely one of the prettiest burgers on the list, and still just as delicious as the rest!

6. Yakiniku Rice Burger – Mos Burger

Mos Burger first created this fan favourite back in 1990 and ended up discontinuing it in 2012… that was until Mos Burger fans created enough of a fuss that it came back only three years later and remains a constant menu item ever since! The beef patty is accompanied by a fruity, spicy-sweet sauce of soy, green onion, grated ginger, and just a little apple juice. The yakiniku is wrapped with a crispy leaf of lettuce and is of course between two grilled rice buns are seared with soy sauce on top. Yummy!

7. NY Pizza Burger – Burger King

In the winter of 2011, Burger King Japan brought out the NY Pizza Burger—an enormous, family-size burger that measured 22 centimeters (8.8 in) in diameter! Available on its own or as part of the Christmas Party Set, the set included BK Chicken Tenders, BK Cheese Bits, onion rings and a salad… just so you can be healthy! There were even two versions of the big burger!  Fresh Avocado and Nacho Cheese. Which one would you have tried?

8. Purple Magic Bacon Double Excellent Burger – Lotteria

Special-edition Halloween is a special time in Japan for exclusive foods and snacks everywhere, but Lotteria really stepped up with this spooky offering: two beef patties, two cheese slices, and a thick slice of bacon. The bacon was meant to resemble a tongue, and the “purple magic” in the burger’s name highlighted the purple cheese sauce, coloured with powdered Okinawan sweet potato. The entire burger was served up in a coffin-shaped box, too! Definitely a unique Halloween treat!

Is your stomach growling already? We know ours is! It's a shame that the majority of these tasty burgers are only limited edition otherwise we'd be rushing out to eat them up now! On second thought, maybe it's better for our waistlines that they aren't around anymore! Which one would you just have to try despite the calories? Are there any that don't sound great to you? Let us know in the comments below as always!

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