A shitamachi area with over 100 years of history
It’s said that the history of Tsukishima began with the moving of fishermen from Osaka to this area in 1590. Later in 1892, Tsukishima was born from the advancing development of reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay. Tsukishima with over 100 years of history even now has that old-town air of friendliness in its shopping area, canals and backstreets. On the other hand, the landscape of the area has undergone major changes with the construction of a group of high-rise condominiums in the River City 21 zone in recent years. Right now, the crossover of new and old has become distinct to Tsukishima, and its appeal has risen as a comfortable neighborhood for longtime residents and people who have just begun living there. Lively festivals as a symbol of an area with history take place with many people visiting events such as the Kusaichi in July and the Annual Great Sumiyoshi Shrine Festival in August.
The appeal of the gourmet town of Tsukishima
The appeal of Tsukishima is its wealth of delicious restaurants. Among them, Tokyo shitamachi’s monjayaki is the representative dish of the area. The central existence of the area is in Tsukishima’s Nishinaka-dori commercial district which has been alternately called Monja Street with more than 70 monjayaki restaurants. Furthermore, since it’s not just monjayaki restaurants but sushi bars, yakiniku joints, seafood restaurants and other establishments that make this lane buzz as an avenue of Tokyo’s gourmet restaurants, this area is not to be missed.
Try monjayaki
When it comes to Tokyo shitamachi cuisine, there is monja. Monja is a dish made with flour dissolved into water with the addition of Japanese sauce and chopped vegetables among other ingredients and grilled on an iron plate or teppan. In the past, it was as simple a dish as a kid’s snack, but currently, the menu has become varied with a lot of different toppings being added. In Tsukishima, all of the restaurants have competed against each other by providing their own original monjayaki, and there is a lot of extravagant monja liberally using various types of meat and fish. Also, on top of the teppan at each table, you can enjoyably experience the unique style of cooking it by yourself and eating it piping hot.