What Makes Japanese Hot Dogs Different From American Ones?

Western brands are always looking for ways to create culinary mashups. Even the hot dog, a North American classic, has gotten the fusion food treatment with Japan-inspired toppings such as teriyaki and riffs on Japanese snack bread, yakisoba pan. Despite their growing popularity, these fusion franks are original creations that pair Japanese ingredients with western food, not reflections of hot dogs in Japan.

However, in our globally connected modern day, Japan has also developed its own hot dog culture. Here's how a real Japanese hot dog compares to an American hot dog: sausages vary considerably from frankfurters, the buns lean away from soft rolls, and even the situations for buying and eating a hot dog are different.

One surprise is that hot dogs are considered a totally appropriate breakfast food in Japan. This habit isn't limited to miniature frankfurters, which are a frequent appearance on hotel buffets. Major cafe and fast food chains serve hot dogs as part of breakfast menus. Nostalgic, traditional cafes called kissaten may offer hot dogs for breakfast with a side salad or boiled egg and coffee. These menu items date back to the Showa era, when hot dogs were first widely popularized in Japan.

American hot dogs use a soft, fluffy, oblong bun, cut lengthwise. In Japan, this bread would be most similar to koppe pan, another soft oval roll. However, Japan doesn't limit its bun selection. Hot dogs are made from French baguettes, pretzel rolls, or even thick slices of white bread split in the middle. Instead of just smoothly-ground frankfurter sausage, a wide variety of European-style wurst and sausages are used to make hot dogs. Japanese hot dogs might even be made from sausages stuffed in-house, as is the case with Skookums, a hot dog shop in Tokyo.

The Japanese hot dog is often a far cry from what visitors expect. A Mexican hot dog, for example, is piled high with avocado and sour cream, and another one features nuts and cherry sauce. If someone from Tokyo wants to eat a hot dog, they usually need to go to an American-style or hot dog specialty restaurant or food truck. Otherwise, hot dogs can be found in cafes and bistros.

The most basic hot dogs are just bread and a sausage, while nostalgic Japanese hot dogs feature lettuce, ketchup, or any number of unexpected inclusions. European-inspired hot dogs that honor the sandwich's origins aren't rare either. Visitors to Japan can even try a pre-packaged hotdog or a sausage pan at local convenience stores.

After being introduced in the late 1800s, the gradual adoption of hot dog making was furthered by Germans POWs in Japan during WWI. Meat processing technology was introduced in the Meiji era (1868-1912) but wasn't widely adopted until post WWII, when American influence encouraged more meat, dairy, and bread consumption in Japan.

Ready-to-eat wieners, like red mini-hot dogs, were convenient for modern families. Creative mothers came up with tako-san "Mr.Octopus" wieners and their crab-shaped variants to entice children. These playful, nostalgic hot dogs appear in the first episode of Netflix hit "Midnight Diner." Nowadays, pre-cut octopus hot dogs are even sold in grocery stores.

Recently, American-style hot dogs have been trending in Japan. Japanese hot dogs feature sausages served between bread but can still be very different from American ones. Like many other Japanese foods, the local hot dog has been adapted to suit its diners. This might be in part because hot dogs are treated more like a stylish indulgence and take inspiration from global sausage-eating cultures. A Japanese hot dog is more than a quick, daily food; restaurants get creative.