Right across the road from the south gate of Mishima Taisha shrine, Taisha no Mori is a small, charming shopping center, home to a cluster of shops and cafes in a stylish, contemporary setting.
The design is minimal, spacious and modern, with a handful of more traditional touches: wooden walls and panels, matt aluminium fittings, lanterns and statues at the entrances, a layout that's quirky but still easy to navigate. If you visit in summer, there's a breezy beer garden in the central yard area, and misters spraying cool, er, mist, to help ease the heat. (I've visited only in summer, but I assume these don't happen in colder seasons.) Many of the restaurants and cafes have outdoor tables for pleasant al fresco eating, and there are rooms and spaces set aside for resting or for feeding and changing babies.
There are twenty units spread over the two floors, the majority of them given over to restaurants and cafes, but there are some fun little shops as well. You can pick up plants and home goods, bags and accessories, polished metal hand mirrors with original or traditional Japanese designs, then have your picture taken by a professional photographer at a photo studio.
After you're done shopping (or before, if you like), you can choose from one of the many dining options. There's an Italian restaurant with its own terrace, Rotisserie chicken restaurant, a Hawaiian cafe, and other stands and establishments offering Okinawan beers, pancakes and crepes, steak and gyoza (Chinese dumplings), ice cream and more. And if you want something to take home, there are imported bottled beers for sale.
As well as all this, there are regular events: music performances, markets, yoga classes, seasonal events for Hallowe'en, Christmas, New Year and the like, and more. So while it isn't that big, Taisha no Mori is a fun, attractive place to do a little shopping or relax over a drink, cake or meal.
Taisha no Mori is about twelve minutes' walk south from Mishima station. It's open from 10:00am to 8:00pm daily from October to March, staying open until 10:00pm daily from April to September.
