One of Tsukishima's malls (Photo: Shiroi Tenshi)

Tsukishima Neighborhood of Tokyo

Quiet district with malls and a special monja dish

One of Tsukishima's malls (Photo: Shiroi Tenshi)
Elena Lisina   - 2 min read

Tokyo has many different districts and one of them is Tsukishima. This neighborhood will make you feel like you’re in another city! You can shortly reach Tsukishima by subway via Oedo or Yurakucho lines, and find yourself in a quiet place.

I went to Tsukishima to try the dish called “monja”. But it was too early for dinner, so I decided to look around. I liked the atmosphere of Tsukishima as it was a very quiet and peaceful place. There were no crowds of people nor was there a busy rush hour of transportation. Malls lined the streets suggesting all kinds of goods and foods were available. Some streets of Tsukishima were narrow, but very green. As it was a warm, springtime day, many inhabitants placed their home plants outside, and it gave the feeling of homely comfort. I enjoyed walking along the channel, and then purchased a Japanese apron and some different types of snacks without having to stand in any line. There were also many places cooking monja and I was ready to give it a try!

At first, I thought that monja was just a kind of okonomiyaki because the place looked similar. But, it was different! Monja was cooked right in front of me and I could watch the process of cooking. The ingredients were mixed and roasted on a heated plate on the table, and then a liquid ingredient was added so the consistency of monja was semi-liquid. I ate monja by part, so it was kept hot. Though monja seems big, it’s quite a light food to eat. It was different and I enjoyed that! On the way back I picked some more tasty snacks and thought it was an enjoyable visit.

Elena Lisina

Elena Lisina @shiroi.tenshi

I am interested in Japanese art, crafts, history and Shinto religion. Photography is my hobby, and there are many amazing places to capture in Japan.