Tsukishima, Artificial island district in Chūō-ku, Japan
Tsukishima is an artificial island in Chūō ward created from landfill, featuring straight streets arranged in a grid pattern and modern residential buildings rising along the waterfront. The neighborhood contains numerous restaurants clustered on its main food street and smaller passages that connect to the Sumida River estuary.
The island was created in 1892 through landfill operations that used soil dredged from shipping channel construction in the bay area. This land reclamation project transformed what was once open water into a new residential and commercial district for the growing city.
Monja Street draws visitors with its welcoming aroma rising from the griddles inside the restaurants that line the narrow passage. People sit closely together to prepare and share monjayaki, making the place feel more like a community gathering than a formal dining destination.
Visitors can access the area using Tsukishima Station, which connects to two subway lines and leads directly into the neighborhood. The district is most enjoyable in the evening when fewer vehicles are around, allowing for easier exploration of the restaurant-lined passages.
The neighborhood was once accessible by only one bridge, which created a sense of separation from the rest of the city and allowed a specialized food culture to develop. This isolation shaped how the monjayaki tradition became central to its identity.
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