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What did our Japanese reporter think of his first visit to American cinnamon roll chain Cinnabon?

Krista Rogers Jun 25, 2025
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Takuya knew that his visit was destined to be sweet, but exactly how sweet…?

Our Japanese-language writer Takuya Inaba has been enjoying the American TV show Adam Eats the 80’s (2022), in which the host devours anything hot in the 1980s with a heaping side dose of nostalgia. In particular, the episode where he eats a Cinnabon cinnamon roll piqued Takuya’s interest. He could almost sense the overly sweet sugar shock of the roll through his TV screen. He decided the only way to quench his curiosity was to visit Cinnabon and try one of the famous pastries for the first time.

▼ Founded in Washington State in 1985, Cinnabon is commonly found at shopping malls across the U.S., where its presence is revealed by the heavenly wafting scent of cinnamon on the air.

Luckily for Takuya, Cinnabon exists in a number of locations throughout Japan, often paired with Seattle’s Best Coffee. He promptly headed to the nearest Futako-Tamagawa Rise Shopping Center location in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

His excitement intensified when he entered the store and saw rows of showy cinnamon rolls. It was as if his American ’80s food dream were coming true right before his eyes.

Takuya started off with the Cinnabon Classic for 540 yen (US$3.69). It was a thing of beauty, with the cream cheese frosting flowing over the sides of the pastry.

It wasn’t until he held it in his hand that he realized just how enormous it was.

He continued to watch in amazement as the frosting dripped dangerously lower. His fingers couldn’t hold it for long, though, because it was still piping hot.

With premonitions of a scalded tongue, he decided the safest way to consume his prize was to cut it open to allow some steam to escape. The inside was unexpectedly pretty, with layers of the roll clearly visible in a spiraling pattern.

Takuya finally took a bite and was spellbound by its delicious sweetness. If he had to describe the taste in words, he would go with “THE American” (verbatim). Curiously, there wasn’t a heavy aftertaste, and the dough was plenty springy and soft. He also appreciated the fact that the cinnamon flavor wasn’t too strong, but added just the right balance of spice to stimulate his appetite.

Despite its size, Takuya still had plenty of room, so he next decided to spring for a convenient cup version called Roll on the Go (480 yen). This one featured a cinnamon roll pre-cut into bite-sized pieces in a paper cup.

He appreciated the fact that his fingers didn’t have to get sticky while eating this one.

Even that addition didn’t leave Takuya fully satiated, so he peeked at the menu to see what kinds of special flavors there were.

First, the Caramel Pecanbon (600 yen regular/420 yen mini size) was a done deal. It looked so pretty with its flowing caramel frosting and pecan nut topping.

Once he took a bite, he could only laugh because it felt like every cell in his body had been jolted awake from the sheer sweetness of it all. People could probably get addicted to this exact taste.

Second, the Red Cherrybon (620 yen regular size/450 yen mini size) as his last order was a no-brainer.

He thought it looked somewhat seductive with its drizzling of deep crimson cherry sauce. It also turned out to be his personal favorite, with the sour cherry flavor causing him to lose all remaining sense of sanity until he had devoured the whole thing.

Luckily, coffee paired very well with all of the sweetness and helped settle his stomach at the end of this gastronomic adventure.

We haven’t gotten word yet if Takuya’s still recovering from his Cinnabon-induced food coma, but whenever he wakes up, he can probably raise his blood sugar again through Lawson’s current double-sized food offerings. Sweet, sweet dreams, Takuya!

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[ Read in Japanese ]