A note on the words: monja (monjayaki) is Tokyo’s runny cousin of okonomiyaki — a loose savoury batter you cook yourself on an iron plate, corralling it with a levee of cabbage, then scraping up the crisp-gooey result with a tiny spatula. Tsukishima is the Tokyo district famous for it. Baby Star is a beloved crunchy ramen-snack. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
Tsukishima Monja Janjan No. 4 on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
This time: Janjan No. 4, a Tsukishima-style monja place in Kamiitabashi. It is said to be a sister shop of Hisago in Kachidoki — though Hisago’s Tabelog listing is on hold, so it may no longer be running.
Be that as it may — this shop sits right by Kamiitabashi Station, serving monja. Getting the Tsukishima taste out here is a fine thing. And the shop next door turned out to be the yakiniku place that once rescued me in the middle of the night^^
Now, we begin with this, of course!
Order some snacks and get straight to grilling! At this shop, you basically cook for yourself^^
Well — I suppose that is normal everywhere!
Squid with butter, intended as a drinking snack.
It sizzles away on the iron plate, and once the sweet smell of butter drifts up, dribble on a little soy sauce — yes, it dirties the plate, but the toasty fragrance that rises is worth it!
The squid has that characteristic plump, springy bite, and the richness of the butter and the salt of the soy cling to it. Good.
The plate is already dirty, so let’s do another snack — pork kimchi! Frying pork belly and kimchi together yourself on the teppan feels fresh. The fermented tang of the kimchi and the toasty smell of melting pork fat rise up. Very promising.
The pork-belly fat and the savour of the kimchi wind together; the kimchi has almost no heat, and its clean acidity cuts the fat beautifully.
Being able to push it to the edge of the plate to keep warm — that is the privilege of teppanyaki!
Baby Star monja! Right, let’s get building^^
A staple of the menu: monja with Baby Star crunchy ramen snacks added on top.
Heat the plate and pour on the solid ingredients from the monja batter. Chopping the cabbage as you mix it in, a sweetish toasty smell starts to rise. It had been a while, so I was a little worried I still had the technique!
Build the levee wide and it will not breach — a rule of monja engineering!
When the edges of the batter begin to set, shower the Baby Star boldly over the top. Adding it at the very end is the trick — mix it in early and the crunch goes soggy!
Scoop it up with the little metal spatula: the crackle of the Baby Star against the sticky, savoury batter is a joy. Truly, monja is an outstanding drinking snack.
Clams with butter! This one they cooked for us. A generous pile of clams goes onto the plate; a splash of what I take to be sake, a knob of butter, then the lid goes on and we wait.
The lid comes off — plump butter-steamed clams, done! Mmm. Delicious.
Room for about one more — so this time, the wiener monja. Simple is best for drinking!
Steaming hot monja! It is, well, just monja with sausage in it. The taste is that of ordinary monja. But that is exactly what you want sometimes. The everything-in versions are fun, but there are moments that call for the simple one. Ah, that was good!
An early-evening dinner, picking at monja with beer and highballs — a perfect stretch of time. And beyond monja there is okonomiyaki (not tried this visit) and teppanyaki too — the have-everything izakaya style is part of the charm. Just be warned: the smell will follow you home!
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Tsukishima Monja Janjan No. 4 (okonomiyaki / Kamiitabashi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
