Dirty money?

I was always taught that money was the dirtiest thing ever since the day I was caught with a penny in my mouth at age two. Well, there's a shrine in Kamakura where you can give your money a good washing! It's called Zeniarai Benten, and the legend has it that the money that is washed there will double. This place is fantastic. Not your typical temple or shrine, that's for sure. It's apparently one of the most popular shrines in Kamakura.

According to one website, the shrine was founded "on the day of the Serpent, the month of the Serpent in 1185, the year of Serpent on lunar calendar based on twelve zodiac signs." So there are serpents everywhere and you can buy eggs and sake to offer to the serpent god who lives in the shrine.

The site continues: "'Wash money with sacred water and spend it clean.' It's money laundering in Japanese fashion. Oddly enough, two-thirds of those who visit here are women, according to a survey conducted by a magazine publisher. Dose [sic] it mean that women are greedier than men? On the other hand, there are a handful of devout worshipers, mostly merchants, who deeply revere the Shrine and wash bundles of 10,000-yen (roughly US$80) bills."

Here is one of the side shrines where you can purchase the eggs and sake. Zeniarai Benten was such a festive place, with monks chanting in one area and folks making offerings at small statues of serpents and of course, the festive atmosphere at the money-washing area of the shrine.

Zeniarai Benten is quite a bit away from the main attractions of Kamakura, but a scenic hiking trail leads you right there.

Here's where the magic happens. You grab a basket, put your yen in (I put a 10,000-yen note in the basket) and ladle the water over the bills. The sign that notes "Dries naturally" is there to discourage people from attempting to dry their money over the nearby incense burners, as I'm sure many have done with disastrous results. Not likely to double your cash that way, that's for sure!