# Tsukishima

> A Meiji-era island of reclaimed land at the mouth of the Sumida River whose main shopping street, Nishinaka-dori, is lined with monjayaki restaurants. The local monja association alone has about 50 member shops, and staff will cook for you if you have never made it.

- Prefecture: Tokyo
- Type: Neighborhood
- Address: Tokyo, Japan
- Official site: https://monja.gr.jp/

Come up exit 7 of Tsukishima Station and you are already on Nishinaka-dori, the shopping street everyone calls monja street. The island under it did not exist before 1887. It was filled in between then and about 1892 as part of a Tokyo port plan, and factories, warehouses and workers' rowhouses followed, with Nishinaka-dori growing up between the Ishikawajima shipyard and an ironworks. Step off the main street and the old grid is still there: narrow alleys about 50 meters long with low two-storey houses on both sides, now hemmed in by tower blocks. Monjayaki is the reason most people come. It is a runny batter of flour, dashi and sauce poured into a ring of chopped cabbage on a hot griddle and eaten straight off the plate with a tiny spatula. It does not look like much. The Tsukishima Monja Association has about 50 member shops, from Kondo, trading here since 1950, to places with salt-butter or seafood versions. You can cook it yourself, but if you are unsure, ask and the staff will do it. Hours and closing days change without notice, so for a set time book through the association's website.

## FAQ

### Do I have to cook the monjayaki myself?

No. The monja association says first-timers need not worry: if you ask, the staff will cook it at your table. Its website also has a step-by-step video of the standard method.

### How do I get to monja street?

Take the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line or the Toei Oedo Line to Tsukishima Station and use exit 7, which comes out on Nishinaka-dori. From Kachidoki Station it is about a 7-minute walk.

### Can I book a table, especially for a group?

Yes. The association's website takes bookings for its member shops and has a separate group reservation page. Shop hours and closing days can change without notice, so booking ahead is safer for a set time.

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Source: Tsukishima — Japan Voyage