Japadog
Snack
Japadog suits a hungry walker in downtown Vancouver who wants a hot dog dressed with Japanese flavours, and one of its trailers stands at Waterfront Station for a bite before the SeaBus to North Vancouver. Three of its four locations in the city of Vancouver are street trailers, so head to the Robson Street store when the winter rain sets in.
Photo City Foodsters · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Where to eat Japadog
- Japadog Burrard Street trailer
The first Japadog location still trades at 899 Burrard Street.
- Japadog Waterfront Station trailer
This trailer stands at 600 West Cordova Street, in the station the SeaBus leaves from.
- Japadog Robson Street
Japadog's store sits at 530 Robson Street.
- Japadog at YVR
Japadog lists a store at the airport and a trailer at International Arrivals on Grant McConachie Way.
Noriki and Miki Tamura came from Japan and opened the first Japadog stand in January 2005 at Burrard and Smithe streets. The company's timeline says Noriki still remembers the cold winter mornings and nights of that first year, when he spoke almost no English. Celebrities and athletes found the stand over the next few years. In the winter of 2010 nearly 100 people a day lined up at each of the two stands, and Japadog opened its first store that May.
The hot dogs borrow toppings from okonomiyaki, yakisoba, teriyaki and tonkatsu, and the sausages run from Kurobuta pork and wagyu beef to arabiki pork and a veggie dog. Japadog's recommended list includes the Kurobuta Terimayo and the Oroshi. The kitchen shakes its fries in a paper bag with a seasoning such as butter and shoyu or aonori seaweed, and Wikipedia credits the 2010 store with adding them. Takoyaki and matcha desserts fill out the board.
Japadog's October 2026 list keeps its first trailer at 899 Burrard Street and puts another at Waterfront Station on West Cordova Street. The Robson Street store is at number 530, and a trailer on Ontario Street serves South Vancouver. At YVR the chain lists a store and a separate trailer at International Arrivals, and it runs counters at the McArthurGlen outlet mall in Richmond and the Brentwood mall in Burnaby. Its timeline mentions food trucks in North Vancouver between 2016 and 2020, and the October 2026 list names no site on Vancouver's North Shore.
Worth knowing
- Buy one at the Waterfront Station trailer before you board the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay.
- Open the stand's Store Details page on japadog.com for its hours before you walk over.
- Grab a Japadog at YVR, since the chain lists a store there and a trailer at International Arrivals.
Quick answers about Japadog
Where was the first Japadog?
The first Japadog opened in January 2005 at Burrard and Smithe streets in downtown Vancouver. Japadog still lists its trailer at 899 Burrard Street as its first location.
Is there a Japadog near the SeaBus?
Yes. Japadog runs a trailer at Waterfront Station on West Cordova Street, and the SeaBus to North Vancouver leaves from the same station.
Is there a Japadog at Vancouver airport?
Yes. Japadog lists a store and a trailer at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, and the trailer stands at International Arrivals.
How do you order Japadog?
Order at the window by name, from the Terimayo to the Okonomi, and add shaked fries or takoyaki if you're sharing.
When is Japadog in season?
Japadog: Japadog's stands serve all year.