Taking a bus to go to Kakita River Park in Mishima, I noticed that one of the stops along the way was 'サントムーン', which I read as 'Saint Moon'. I had no idea what it might be, but as we went past I saw not only that I'd got the name wrong, but that it was a hulking big shopping centre, one of the biggest I've seen in Japan. It was also pretty close to my park, so I duly got off the bus and went for a look round the shops.
Not that I found much for myself: the first floor of the main building is largely given over to womens' fashion, with Paris Miki, Elle, a specialist kimono shop, and many, many more. Even 'Male and Co' had some ladieswear. There is also some for men, such as Comme ca Ism, Takeo Kikuchi and Brick House selling clothes for everyone.
Also on this floor there's a supermarket, some bakeries and small cafes and restaurants, and a lively food court where you can get pasta, ramen, udon, curry, sweets and ice cream from the various stands. Then there's the colossal, colossal Home Assist home centre, with enough stuff for everyone in Mishima to refit and refurnish their houses from top to bottom two or three times over.
Up on the second floor there are fewer shops and more 'amusements', in the local vernacular. There's a 12-screen cinema and Sega World game centre, a bookstore and a specialist shop selling more varieties of tea than I could count, and a lot of rooftop parking. From the roof you get a nice view of the surrounding scenery including, on a clear day, Mount Fuji.
Across the road there's the Annex building, home to a big Uni Qlo and an even bigger Edion electronics superstore. Here you'll also find a mix of other stores, among them an HIS travel agent, Daiso hundred-yen store, and Craft Heart Tokai craft shop.
According to the floor guide I picked up, it looks like there's a free shuttle bus from the south exit of Mishima station, running on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. On other days you can take a regular bus (like I did), which takes 10-15 minutes and costs ¥200, or walk about 30-40 minutes if you're feeling energetic.
